he touched the brim of his hat and trotted away . so i force myself to concentrate on the here and now . another odd thing struck him next . exhaustion was something even her willpower could n't overcome . i stick around long enough to make sure hes not going to panic if i leave , but after that i turn away with a promise to set up visits with both schools within the next couple weeks . this time he came back bearing a bottle of wine . i came from the other side of the mountains . '' 