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\par }{\insrsid1273119 It was Monday morning, the 14}{\super\insrsid1273119 th}{\insrsid1273119  of August. Sixty-one years ago, Japan had surrendered to the Allies. Stan knew }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 exactly}{\insrsid1273119 
 how they felt. His body was battered by lack of sleep and his eyes were terribly gritty. He needed a shave, coffee, a shower, coffee, breakfast, coffee, some painkillers and coffee \endash  and not }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 necessarily}{\insrsid1273119 
 in that order.
\par 
\par So he forced himself into action, putting on his underwear and grabbing painkillers and a glass of water }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 first}{\insrsid1273119 , then putting a very strong pot of coffee on. He he
aded into the bathroom, took care of business and padded back into the bedroom where he got dressed before wandering into the kitchen.
\par 
\par There he downed the first of his cups of coffee and made breakfast. He\rquote d consumed two cups of the strong black coffee by the time he\rquote 
d finished eating. He poured another cup and walked with a little more security into the living room. He switched on the TV, more in order to keep track of time than to actually }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 watch}{\insrsid1273119  it.
\par 
\par As he sipped his third cup of the morning, he took stock of how he felt. The tears of last night had eventually stopped but he still felt a deeper sense of loss than he had for quite a while. On the other hand, he }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 had}{
\insrsid1273119  felt }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 worse}{\insrsid1273119  before, so he was still, he supposed, making progress. \lquote Of a sort!\rquote  he thought.
\par 
\par Well, moping wouldn\rquote t cure it. \'93You have to get over this sometime,\'94 he reminded himself aloud. He switched off the TV, put his cup into the sink and took himself off to work.
\par 
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\par Elaine took one look at him as he walked in and said \'93Stan, are you okay? You look }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 terrible!}{\insrsid1273119 \'94
\par 
\par \'93Yeah, Just a bad night, that\rquote s all. How\rquote re you?\'94
\par 
\par \'93Oh, I\rquote m peachy keen, thank you very much!\'94 she replied, bouncing slightly on her chair. Her enthusiasm and good humour were infectious. Stan asked \'93So why }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 your}{\insrsid1273119  good mood this morning?\'94
\par 
\par Elaine settled back into her chair and blushed slightly. \'93Well, I kinda got woken up the right way,\'94 she said with a self-satisfied grin. Stan couldn\rquote t help himself, he said, \'93I\rquote m glad }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 someone}{
\insrsid1273119  did!\'94 and smiled a little wanly before turning and walking towards the office. He stopped and turned before reaching the door.
\par 
\par \'93Heard any more from Denise?\'94 he asked.
\par 
\par \'93No, not yet,\'94 replied Elaine. \'93I\rquote m sure she\rquote s fine Stan, having fun. You know, like }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 young}{\insrsid1273119  people do?\'94 she teased.
\par 
\par Attempting to hold back a grin Stan tried to look severe as he said \'93Now just you look here you little whippersnapper, young people should give their elders some }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 respect!}{\insrsid1273119 \'94
 but he failed dismally, bursting into laughter. He almost forgot how tired he was.
\par 
\par Elizabeth was, of course, already at her desk when Stan got to his. She too looked at him and asked, \'93Are you all right, Stan?\'94
\par 
\par \'93I might as well put a notice out, \lquote Stan is feeling tired, }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 very, very tired}{\insrsid1273119 , today\rquote  and be done with it,\'94 he grumbled. But Elaine\rquote s contagious
 good mood had got to him. Plus he had something to look forward to.
\par 
\par He leaned forward and spoke quietly to Elizabeth, \'93You know it\rquote s my dance lesson tonight?\'94
\par 
\par Elizabeth nodded. He continued, \'93And, it looks like I\rquote ll have company. Anne wants to learn, too.\'94
\par 
\par \'93How on }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 earth}{\insrsid1273119  did you manage that, Stan?\'94 she asked him in surprise.
\par 
\par Stan shrugged. \'93I dunno, just did!\'94 he said, eyes down in front of him at his desk.
\par 
\par \'93Well done, anyway!\'94 Elizabeth told him, with a grin.
\par 
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\par Later that morning, Anne came to see him. She took his \lquote visitor\rquote s chair\rquote  and pulled it up closer to him. She wasn\rquote t }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 that}{\insrsid1273119  close, but Stan still felt a slightly guilty thrill.
\par 
\par \'93What are you wearing tonight, Stan?\'94 she asked him.
\par 
\par \'93What? Oh, er, well I expect it\rquote ll be the same as I wore Friday night. I don\rquote t have special clothes for dancing.\'94
\par 
\par \'93Oh. Okay then. I just thought you might have something more, well\'85 }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 glitzy}{\insrsid1273119 .\'94
\par 
\par Stan couldn\rquote t help but smile.
\par 
\par \'93No, nothing more glitzy, or glamorous. We\rquote re not talking competitive dancing you know!\'94
\par 
\par \'93All right then, what colour tie?\'94 was Anne\rquote s next question.
\par 
\par \'93I beg your pardon?\'94 came Stan\rquote s bemused response.
\par 
\par Patiently, Anne repeated, \'93Tie colour?\'94
\par 
\par Stan realized she was serious and wanted to match his colouring. He thought for a moment and said, \'93Blue. Blue tie.\'94
\par 
\par Anne smiled. \'93See? Not so hard, was it? You were taught well.\'94
\par 
\par Stan thought for a moment, and then admitted, \'93It was Caron. She tried hard, but little of it stuck. I can\rquote t colour-coordinate to save my life, really. I\rquote ve never understood why \lquote Blue and Green should never be seen\rquote 
, after all if you look out of the window, you\rquote ll see grass and sky, which look fine together to me!\'94
\par 
\par \'93That\rquote s OK, just let }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 me}{\insrsid1273119  sort out what will work with }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 you}{\insrsid1273119 . Men!\'94
\par 
\par Anne smiled and finished with, \'93See you tonight then. What time are you picking me up?\'94
\par 
\par \'93Just before seven o\rquote clock. It\rquote s a half hour drive and starts at seven forty five, and we want to get there a little before the start to get the paperwork for you done.\'94
\par 
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\par Sure enough, at ten to seven Stan was outside Anne\rquote s house. She\rquote d needed to give him directions as he didn\rquote t know where she lived, although it wasn\rquote t all that far from his place.
\par 
\par Anne lived in a small house, but it was in one of the nicer parts of a very nice little satellite village just outside the town. Actually, it was more like a cottage. Her small garden was well tended and full of flowers, Stan noted. \lquote 
How in heck does she make time for that?\rquote  he thought.
\par 
\par He rang the doorbell and after a moment Anne opened it. Given the fact that she was an inch taller than him to start with, the effect of the doorstep and the heels she was wearing put him face to face with something }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 other}{
\insrsid1273119  than her face! He blushed.
\par 
\par Anne\rquote s apricot coloured dress was cut low in the front. Once Stan had stepped back he could see that the skirt was long but made with wide pleats, allowing her to move. She\rquote 
d adorned it with a small but very nice sapphire brooch, which matched her dangly earrings. Her blonde hair was piled on top of her head. Finally getting himself together, Stan whistled.
\par 
\par Anne merely looked like she was anticipating something. \'93You look like a million dollars!\'94 he finally managed. She smiled and coloured a little. \'93I thought a little effort was in order,\'94 she said. Stan\rquote s rejoinder was, \'93That\rquote 
s more than a little. You\rquote ll have the other ladies envious, and the men desperate to dance with you.\'94
\par 
\par \'93Oh. It\rquote s not too much is it? I can change\'85\'94
\par 
\par \'93No you can\rquote t, we\rquote ll be late. Besides, why change? It\rquote s fantastic, Anne. Come on.\'94 Stan said, and took her hand. He opened the car door and closed it after she was seated, then went around to the driver\rquote 
s side, started the car, and drove off.
\par 
\par During the journey they chatted a little. Anne told a bit about her time at school in Bournemouth.
\par 
\par \'93It\rquote s called }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 Talbot Heath School}{\insrsid1273119 . They score very highly in the league tables for their exam results, and it\rquote 
s quite exclusive. I was lucky that I got a partial scholarship. Even so, my parents had to do without to send me there and I\rquote m very grateful. How about you?\'94
\par 
\par Stan told about his school. }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 Edward Driver School}{\insrsid1273119  had been the former Grammar school in his town. Stan told her, \'93
It was only single-sex because the headmaster there had stayed on after it lost Grammar school status. He didn\rquote t want \lquote distractions\rquote , so he found ways not to spend the money that would have been needed to go co-ed.\'94
\par 
\par They were amused to find they\rquote d both gone to single-sex schools. Anne had gone on to university at }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 Imperial College}{\insrsid1273119  in London. She\rquote d got a \'932:1\'94 degree, which meant she\rquote d just
 barely failed to get the highest class result. \'93I was so, so disappointed with that. I really wanted that 1}{\super\insrsid1273119 st}{\insrsid1273119  Class degree, but I\rquote 
d not put in as much study as I should have. Then I tried to make it up at the end and it just wasn\rquote t enough. So since then I\rquote ve put more effort into my work, and it\rquote s paid off.\'94
\par 
\par Stan told her that he\rquote d never attended university. \'93I went straight to work. The company I was with sent me off to college one full day a week, I got my diploma that way. Aside from some courses I\rquote ve taken at home on-line, that\rquote 
s it.\'94
\par 
\par  \'93Do you think you lost or gained out of going to a single-sex school, Stan?\'94 Anne asked.
\par 
\par \'93A bit of both. In the short term, I think I gained; the Head was right about the fewer distractions thing. Had I been thinking then of university and so on it might have made a difference as to which ones I could get in.
\par 
\par \'93In the long term, it didn\rquote t gain me much academically and it really constrained my development socially. I needed a clear \lquote come ahead\rquote  to get the get-up-and-go to
 ask Caron out. She told me later it was one of the things she liked about me, that I was shy but not so shy as to be a social cripple.
\par 
\par \'93As I got older, I got a little bolder. I found that I could, sometimes, talk to someone I didn\rquote t know at a meeting or sales pitch or whatever. But although I like company, I\rquote m still not comfortable in crowds, and strangers in }{
\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 social}{\insrsid1273119  settings are definitely intimidating. What about yourself?\'94
\par 
\par Anne replied, \'93Oh, it wasn\rquote t a problem for me. Besides, }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 Linwood School }{\insrsid1273119 was only a short way away, and it was mixed. We weren\rquote 
t supposed to have anything to do with them of course, but I found that the older boys certainly wanted something to do with me, well, at least once these two,\'94 she said, looking down, \'93started arriving. I was f
lat as a pancake until I was almost sixteen. They\rquote re still not }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 big}{\insrsid1273119  though, are they?\'94
\par 
\par Stan, his eyes }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 firmly}{\insrsid1273119  on the road, merely said, \'93Big enough.\'94 
\par 
\par Anne smiled. \'93It\rquote s okay, Stan, I don\rquote t mind you }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 looking}{\insrsid1273119  at them. Well, I do mind now, you\rquote re driving. It\rquote s different at work. People treat me in a different way just because I
\rquote m a bit pretty and I\rquote ve got a nice figure. I want to be recognised for what I\rquote ve done, and what I can do, not because I\rquote ve a nice face, blonde hair and a cute butt.\'94
\par 
\par \'93Hmmm, have you had Quality Control check out that butt of yours for cuteness?\'94 Stan said, grinning while he drove.
\par 
\par \'93Not yet, but I\rquote m sure you\rquote ll be doing that tonight, now!\'94 laughed Anne.
\par 
\par Stan had just about reached the old school and he spotted a parking space. He grabbed it immediately, and said, \'93Well, we\rquote re here, more or less. Are you ready to brave the hordes, including Yves?\'94
\par 
\par Anne nodded, so Stan got out and opened her door for her. \'93Why }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 thank}{\insrsid1273119  }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 you}{\insrsid1273119 , kind sir,\'94 Anne said with a mock upper class accent. \'93Better not ma
ke fun like that with Belinda, she\rquote s the real deal,\'94 warned Stan, closing the door and locking the car.
\par 
\par \'93That\rquote s what you said, Friday. She }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 is}{\insrsid1273119  nice, isn\rquote t she? Not like those stuck-up rich bitches I had to put up with at Talbot Heath?\'94 Anne was clearly worried, so Stan tried to comfort her.

\par 
\par \'93Belinda\rquote s a genuine }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 lady}{\insrsid1273119 , I like her a lot,\'94 he said. \'93Be at ease, young Berkeley, I will allow no harm to come to you!\'94 he declaimed, while making vague fencing type motions.
\par 
\par \'93Why, kind sir, with you to protect me I shall fear nothing!\'94 Anne answered in kind, mock swooning. The two laughed together, and Stan then escorted Anne into the old school where the all unknowing \lquote enemy\rquote  was waiting.
\par 
\par It was indeed Belinda who met them. She looked up from her pocketbook as the two came in through the door, and smiled, saying, \'93Ah, you must be Anne!\'94 She held the younger woman at arms length, and declared, \'93My goodness, we\rquote 
ll have to help you fend the boys off, you look }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 wonderful!}{\insrsid1273119 \'94 Turning to Stan, she said, \'93Stanley, hello again. Lovely to see you.\'94
\par 
\par Belinda took Anne off to complete her registration, so Stan entered the main hall.
\par 
\par It looked like most of the usual suspects were there. One of the older gents hadn\rquote t made it yet, but Pamela and Carol had arrived. So had Tom, he saw with some disquiet, but he didn\rquote 
t really have anything against the man, so he approached him and said \'93Hi!\'94
\par 
\par Tom replied, \'93Hi yourself!\'94 and the two got to swapping general chitchat.
\par 
\par After a while they ran down. In the silence Tom said, \'93Pamela turned me down, the tease. I thought I\rquote d get at least a dinner date, but no, nada, nothing. Well, you can lead a horse to water, as they say. You fancy a go?\'94
\par 
\par Stan thought: first, \lquote I\rquote m glad that Pamela knocked him back!\rquote ; second, \lquote He was inhumanly coarse in that last remark!\rquote ; and third of course, that \lquote No! I don\rquote t want Pamela, I want Anne!\rquote 
\par 
\par Luckily Yves came into the hall to call the class to order. As he did, Belinda glided in with Anne. Stan could }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 hear}{\insrsid1273119  Tom\rquote s eyes click around.
\par 
\par Stan found himself partnered with Carol again. He noticed with amusement that Pamela had managed to grab one of the older gents, and that Tom found himself partnered by a matron whose flowery dress required an impressive square footage of fabric.
\par 
\par Anne was, of course, to be partnered by Y
ves for this first lesson. But first Yves led Belinda around the floor showing, at about a quarter speed, the steps. Next they did the same to some music, and only then did Belinda surrender Yves so he could gather Anne into his arms.
\par 
\par Belinda set the musi
c off, and then watched the couples for a while as they moved across the floor. Yves meanwhile, after making Anne laugh with a comment and an exaggerated leer, was showing her the moves in the same way Belinda had shown Stan in his first lesson. Stan had 
to concentrate hard in order to keep up, so he was unable to spare much time even to watch Anne.
\par 
\par Carol must have caught him though. \'93She is beautiful, isn\rquote t she?\'94
\par 
\par Stan\rquote s absentminded reply of, \'93Yes, she is,\'94 may not have been entirely tactful seeing as he had her hand in his, and his other hand on her shoulder. She hesitated a moment which was just enough to make Stan lose his rhythm.
\par 
\par Carol gave him a black look for a moment but obviously decided to let him off. Stan recovered his wits (and his place in the steps) and the pair continued. Stan said, quietly, \'93Sorry,\'94 and she actually smiled at him. \'93She is. Do you know her?\'94

\par 
\par \'93I work with her, actually,\'94 Stan explained. \'93I told her about the dance classes and she was keen to come along.\'94
\par 
\par \'93You\rquote re a lucky man, Stanley!\'94 Carol told him.
\par 
\par }\pard\plain \s17\qc \li0\ri0\sb100\sa100\sbauto1\saauto1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid1273119 \f36\fs24\cf9\lang2057\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp2057\langfenp1033 {\insrsid1273119 - - - - - - - - - -
\par }\pard\plain \ql \li0\ri0\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid1273119 \f36\fs24\cf9\lang2057\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp2057\langfenp1033 {\insrsid1273119 
\par Shortly afterwards Belinda called for a halt and tea. Anne rushed over to Stan, clearly very happy indeed.
\par 
\par \'93I should\rquote ve done this ages ago!\'94 she told him, grabbing his arm. \'93Let\rquote s see what refreshments they\rquote ve got for us!\'94
\par 
\par \'93I wouldn\rquote t get your hopes up too high if I were you,\'94 Stan said, \'93It\rquote s not much.\'94 That didn\rquote t stop Anne dragging him over to the tables where it was set up.
\par 
\par \'93Coo. It\rquote s like going to the Tuck Shop at school,\'94 she remarked. 
\par 
\par \'93You still had a Tuck Shop at Talbot Heath?\'94 Stan asked her with amusement. The \lquote Tuck Shop\rquote 
, a place inside the school where, at break times, you could buy potato chips, doughnuts, sticky buns, sweets and canned drinks had disappeared from almost all the schools even when Stan had been there, seven years before Anne.
\par 
\par \'93Yes, well, }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 Talbot Heath}{\insrsid1273119  was a throwback in many ways. That was just one of them.\'94 She grabbed a roll and a can of diet cola. Stan stuck with his bottle of water.
\par 
\par \'93How\rquote d you like it, Anne?\'94 he asked, adding \'93Pick it up okay?\'94
\par 
\par \'93I think the ballet training I was forced into is helping, actually!\'94 she replied. Stan looked the question. \'93School. There was a ballet school only a mile away, and we \lquote girls\rquote  had to take lessons. Supposed to make us more gracefu
l. Anyway, I think those lessons are helping me because I learned to pick up choreography, and something relatively simple like this comes quite easily. Of course, there\rquote s a big difference between ballroom dancing and ballet.\'94
\par 
\par Soon enough Belinda restarte
d the lesson. Stan was delighted to be partnered with Pamela this time. The chestnut haired young woman and he had fun with their dances, although Stan still felt he was concentrating too much on the steps to really enjoy it. Pamela had picked the dance u
p well.
\par 
\par Then came Yves and Belinda\rquote s demonstration dance. Anne quickly moved to Stan\rquote s side, and Stan grinned when he saw Tom\rquote s eyes widen as he saw the move. Better yet, Pamela was still next to him on his other side!
\par 
\par \lquote I could get used to this,\rquote  he thought.
\par 
\par It got even better when Pamela snuggled in tightly to his right side, and Anne responded by doing the same to his left. The two ladies leaned forward slightly, exchanging a knowing glance. Stan was in a state, unable to work out whether embarrassment,
 delight or desire should take the leading role in his emotions. Tom looked like he was going to have a heart attack. Both men were red in the face, but for very different reasons.
\par 
\par Too soon, Yves and Belinda called an end to the evening and his two captors released Stan. Anne quietly giggled when she saw the pole-axed expression on his face. She grinned at Pamela, who winked and sauntered off.
\par 
\par As Anne and Stan made their way back to the car, Anne, smiling, asked, \'93So what\rquote s the story about Pamela then? Fancying the younger woman, are we?\'94
\par 
\par The colder outside air had brought Stan back to his senses, but he was still a little embarrassed. He answered, 
\par 
\par \'93Pamela\rquote s a student. She\rquote s going into marketing when she graduates, and wanted to learn dancing as a confidence booster, and something to improve posture and poise.\'94
\par 
\par \'93Ooh,\'94 he interrupted himself, \'93That\rquote s why you\rquote re so poised, isn\rquote t it? The ballet?\'94
\par 
\par \'93Mmm, yes. I thought it a waste of time }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 then}{\insrsid1273119 , but it did have benefits,\'94 Anne confirmed. She prompted, \'93You were saying about Pamela?\'94 
\par 
\par \'93Um, yes. Pamela was my first dance partner after Belinda let me loose. Hey, wait a minute \endash  Yves got you to himself all evening, didn\rquote t he? Sly old devil!\'94 Stan said.
\par 
\par They\rquote d got to the car by this point. Stan opened the passenger door and let Anne in, before walking around to the driver\rquote s side. Once they were going, he picked up the conversation.
\par 
\par \'93Anyway,\'94 he continued, \'93Pamela and I got on fine, and I managed not to break her toes! We had a good laugh about my \lquote ability\rquote , in fact. Then, last week, that Tom guy partnered her, and he was doing his best to get his hands }{
\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 all}{\insrsid1273119  over her. He told me that he\rquote d asked her to dinner and she\rquote d turned him down. So I guess that was Pamela\rquote s way of telling him he had no chance, yes?\'94
\par 
\par \'93I think so,\'94 said Anne. \'93Mind you, I had to snuggle up close as well, else she\rquote d have thought you were hers!\'94
\par \tab 
\par \lquote Does that mean you think I\rquote m }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 yours?}{\insrsid1273119 \rquote  Stan thought, hope and confusion mingling. Soon it was replaced by fear and desire. \lquote }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 Caron, what do I do?}{
\insrsid1273119 \rquote  he begged silently. He could feel Caron laughing at him, she didn\rquote t seem upset, just amused. \lquote }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 That doesn\rquote t help!}{\insrsid1273119 \rquote  he chided.
\par 
\par The moment had passed, however, and soon enough he\rquote d reached Anne\rquote s cottage. He parked, got out and went around to her side. With a flourish he opened the door, and Anne emerged with exaggerated dignity, nose held high.
\par 
\par \'93Thank you, my man. You may escort me to my door,\'94 she told him haughtily, but ruined it by breaking into a wide smile. She put her arm on his and he walked her up the short path to her front door. She turned to him and said, \'93
Well, good night then, Stan. That was fun.\'94
\par 
\par \'93Yes, it was, wasn\rquote t it?\'94 he answered.
\par 
\par For a moment he felt he should say more, but he hesitated, and it was gone. His mouth had gone dry, he felt flushed and hoped that it wasn\rquote t too obvious in the streetlight. He stammered out a \'93G-good night, Anne!\'94
 and almost bolted, just managing to catch himself and slow down. He could feel eyes on him from the doorway, then he heard a key in a lock, the door opening and Anne\rquote 
s footsteps as she wiped her feet on the doormat. He turned, just in time to catch the door closing. He turned back, walked to his car and got in. He put the key in the lock, but before turning it he held his head in his hands.
\par 
\par In the relative privacy of his car, he shouted at himself, \'93You }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 IDIOT!}{\insrsid1273119  Why couldn\rquote t you just say something?\'94
\par 
\par \lquote Fear,\rquote  he told himself. Fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, fear (still) of upsetting Caron. He told himself he was a coward. Then he told himself that tomorrow he\rquote d be a man and ask her for a date. \lquote 
Yes. Of course I will. Tomorrow\rquote  he thought.
\par 
\par \'93Yeah, }{\cs16\i\insrsid1273119 right}{\insrsid1273119 .\'94
\par }\pard\plain \s17\qc \li0\ri0\sb100\sa100\sbauto1\saauto1\widctlpar\aspalpha\aspnum\faauto\adjustright\rin0\lin0\itap0\pararsid1273119 \f36\fs24\cf9\lang2057\langfe1033\cgrid\langnp2057\langfenp1033 {\insrsid1273119 - - - - - - - - - -
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\par }}