i figured the next twenty-four or forty-eight hours were going to be crucial , and i wanted to spend five of the first six of them fast asleep . i took them off and told her id clean it up later . a band played on the stage as people dressed in costumes danced on the dance floor . when he was done eating she sat on the floor with him , rubbing his huge soft ears . nothing , she said as she stared at her folded hands resting in her lap . 