Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2001 10:06:29 -0000
From: Ann Douglas <ann_douglas@hotmail.com>
Subject: Awakenings - 2

		Awakenings
		by Ann Douglas
         (ann_douglas@hotmail.com)

Part Two

	 Kathryn closed her eyes as the warm water splashed
over her body.  She though a little about what her mother
has said, about the idea that Eric might be looking for a new
girlfriend.  Surprisingly, the idea didn't bother her as much
as she thought it should have. The relationship with him had
gone as far as it was ever going to go.  Regardless of her
parents disappointment, maybe it was time to move on with
her life.  True she would miss the great sex, which was the
best part of being with Eric.  But there would be other
lovers, of that she was sure.
	"Let him have Tracy and her balloon boobs,"  she
said out loud as she rubbed her own breasts.  "Maybe I'll
get lucky and my next lover will have more than just one
head that I'm interested in."
	As she laughed aloud, the red tressed girl suddenly
realized two things.  First, in her mind, she had just ended
her relationship with Eric.  Already she was thinking of it as
something that was over.  All that was left was to tell him.
She hoped he had indeed fucked that airhead, it would make
it all the more easier to break up.  But either way, last night
was the last time he was ever going to share her bed.
	The second realization was even more surprising.
As she ran a soapy washcloth between her legs and across
her lightly haired pussy, Kathryn discovered she was still
quite aroused.  Maybe it was the thought of Eric screwing
Tracy, or some glimpse of that forgotten dream from last
night.  What ever the reason, she found her fingers playing
with her body.
	Kathryn again stroked her breasts, bringing her pert nipples
to a familiar hardness.  As always, her own touch felt so good.
Soapy hands glided down across her slim stomach, finding their
way to the light red bush below.  She continued down between her
legs and then around to the cheeks of her ass, leaving a soaping
trail of bubbles in her wake.
	Kathryn let out a soft sigh as her fingers rubbed against her
mound.  Running her other hand across her firm mounds once
again, giving them a playful squeeze, the lithe woman couldn't
believe how horny she felt, less than half a day after she'd been
fucked.
	With a practiced skill that started when she'd first
masturbated at 13, Kathryn parted her vaginal lips, quickly finding
the small stubby clit hidden within.  Closing her eyes as she leaned
back again the tiled wall, she pressed a slippery finger against it.
	"Oh yes."  she purred as a familiar tingle spread out from
her cunt. "That feels so nice."
	She slid a finger up within herself, followed by a second
and a third.  It was a poor substitute for a hard cock, but it would
have to do.
	It wasn't long before she was furiously pumping her fingers
in and out, sparking the tiny flame between her legs into a roaring
conflagration.
	The warm water had turned to hot, filling the tiny room
with steam.  The heat of which paled next to that which radiated
across her quaking body as her fingers caressed her love canal in
an orgasmic frenzy.
	Water running down her face, her lips formed a silent O.
Kathryn felt her legs and arms go weak as repeated waves of
delight rippled up and down her naked form.
	Long silent moments, broken only by the splatter of the
shower drops, passed as the redhead rested against the now warm
tile.  The water washing away the traces of her climax.
	"Oh that felt good."  Kathryn said as she filled her hands
with water and splashed it across her face.


	As she stepped naked back into the one room
apartment, Kathryn was greeted by a blast of cold air from
the air conditioner.  Her mother must've turned in on before
she left.  The weathermen were calling for another hot
August day, so she decided to dress accordingly.  Shorts
and a T-shirt were her norm in weather like this, especially
if she had to brave the subway into the city. But Kathryn
didn't think they'd be quite appropriate for the theater.
	Thinking about how she should dress for her dinner
with Yolanda, Kathryn again considered what Angela had
said about her friend.
	"You know,"  she said to the now empty room as
she tossed a few outfits on the bed.  Sometimes I can really
be an ass.  The odds are that Angela, as usual, got all her
facts wrong. And even if she got them right, what difference
does it make?  Its not like I'm going to be sleeping with
her."
	Three outfit changes later, Kathryn finally settled on
a comfortable floral print sundress.  She stepped in front of
the large mirror in back of her door and checked her final
appearance.  She reached into the dress and adjusted her bra
straps, then smiled in satisfaction.
	"Now I can only hope for both a bus and subway car
where the air conditioning works."  Kathryn thought as she
packed her small purse.  "Otherwise I'm going to be soaked
by the time I get to Manhattan."


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-


	Ten minutes and four blocks later, Kathryn was
beginning to think that even the A/C wasn't going to help
by the time she finally reached the bus stop.  It had to
already be over 90 degrees.  She didn't realize she was
about to be rescued.

	"Hey sexy lady, where're you going?" called out the
light haired young man in the delivery truck that had pulled
up alongside the walking woman.
	At first, Kathryn ignored the comment, chalking it
up at first as belonging to one of the mindless idiots that
filled the neighborhood.  Then when he called out a second
time, she recognized the voice.
	"Hey, I was only kidding," Steven Parker said as he
pulled over to the curb.  "You don't have to ignore me like
that."
	"Oh hi, Steve,"  Kathryn said with a smile. " I didn't
recognize you at first."
	Steve Parker was 19 and lived down the block from
Kathryn.  He was best friends with her younger brother,
Kevin.
	"Seriously, where are you off to?"  he asked. "It's
way to hot to be walking today."
	"Actually I'm just headed to the bus stop,"  she
replied.  "I'm going into the city to see a show with a
friend."
	"Well I guess this if your lucky afternoon."  Steve
smiled.
	"Why is that?"  Kathryn asked.
	"Because the boxes in back are going to my Uncle
Bill's storehouse over in New Jersey.  So I'm going to be
going right through the city."  he explained. "And wouldn't
you rather ride in a nice air conditioned van than take your
chances with mass transit?"
	"Oh I couldn't,"  Kathryn said.
	"Of course you could."  Steve answered.
	"Well, I guess you could just drop me off in the city
and I could take the downtown bus from there." she
relented.
	"Don't be ridicules,"  Steve said as he stepped out
of the van and opened the door on the other side for her.
"I'll drop you off right in front of where ever you're going."
	"That will take you too far out of your way."
Kathryn said as she climbed into the van.
	"Don't worry about it,"  Steve said as he climbed
back into the driver's side. "My Uncle's not waiting for this
stuff, they gave me the keys.  I have all day.  Besides, this is
a chance to pay you back for all the help you gave me with
Geometry back in school.  If it wasn't for you,  I'd have
never passed the course."
	Actually, Kathryn was tutoring her brother and
Steve just sat in on the lessons, but who was she to look a
gift horse in the mouth.  She smiled at the younger man and
accepted his offer.


	As they headed over the 59th street bridge into the
city, Kathryn thought to herself what a really good looking
young man Steve had grown into to.  It was a pity that he
was so much younger than she was or she might be
interested in going out with him.  But if she was putting
Eric out of her life because he was too immature at
twenty-three, what was she going to do with someone even
younger.  The way she'd been feeling all day, she found
herself imagining what Steven might be like in bed.  Would
he be a good lover?  From what she could see, he had a
great body.
	  That dangerous train of thought brought another
memory back to Kathryn as she watched the city streets
pass by.  Three years back, when he was a junior in high
school, Steve had been involved in somewhat of a scandal.
Actually an alleged scandal, she corrected herself, because it
was swept under the rug in such a way that the school board
denied anything had ever happened.
	It had involved Diane Toland, one of the school's
history teachers.  On the high side of thirty five, Diane was
one of those female teachers with a body that delighted and
excited teenage boys.  And it was obvious she was pleased
with the attention they showed her.  Kathryn had never been
in one of her classes but she had heard about them.  Ms.
Toland was known for wearing blouses that showed off her
ample cleavage as well as skirts which showed the curves of
her ass quite well.  Kevin swore to her once that he'd been
sitting behind her when she bent over to pick up a piece of
chalk and that she hadn't had anything on under her skirt.
At the time, Kathryn had laughed at her brother's claim.
	Anyway, it seems that there was a rumor that was
circulating about Steve around the school that year.  The
result of some comments made by an unknown member of
his gym class.  Namely that Steve had a cock that belonged
on a horse, one which was bigger limp than most guys hard.
Kathryn only heard about this much later as she had already
graduated by that time.
	  It was just one of those stories.  Until the day, it
was claimed, that Cindy Pisano walked into the audio visual
supply room and found Ms. Toland in a state of partial
undress, trying her hardest to take Steve's horse cock into
her mouth.  The rumor spread like wildfire around the
school, but no one seemed to be willing to confirm or deny
the tale.  School ended quickly after that, less than a week
later, and Ms. Toland didn't return the following year.  No
one seemed to ever want to talk about the story, but Steve
didn't lack for female company that summer, his senior year,
or any time since.

	"Well here we are."  Steve announced as he pulled
out of traffic and up to the curb.  "We didn't make bad
time."
	Kathryn looked up at the street sign to confirm they
were on the right street.  She had been lost in her daydream
and hadn't even noticed the last few miles. Despite the air
conditioning, her skin felt warm.
	"Thank you, Steve,"  she said as she leaned across
and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  "You are a dear."  she
smiled.
	As she opened the door and climbed down, Steve
called her name.
	"Kathryn,"  he ginned.  "You really do look hot! I
envy the guy."
	"I told you, I'm meeting a girlfriend from work." she
insisted.
	"Yeah, right!"  Steve laughed as he put it in gear and
headed back out into traffic.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-


	Checking her watch, Kathryn saw that she was a half
hour early.  She checked the address Yolanda had given her
and saw that it was right down the block.  A minute later
she was standing in front of a small sign in English and
Chinese that simply said Madame Cheng's.
	Standing outside the basement entrance of the
simple brick building, the restaurant seemed very
nondescript.  In was only after she stepped inside that
Kathryn suddenly felt like she'd been transformed to
another time and place.  Decorated like Shanghai in the
1930's, the place certainly had atmosphere.

	"Table for one, Miss?"  a quite attractive Chinese
woman, whom Kathryn judged to be in her mid-forties,
asked as she stepped out from behind a small counter.
	"Oh, I'm supposed to meet a friend here,"  Kathryn
replied as she wondered if her guess about the woman's age
was right.  It was so difficult to tell with many Asian
women.  They looked almost the same for so long.  "I guess
I'm a little early."
	"Did she make a reservation?"  the woman, who was
dressed in a traditional mandarin dress asked as she checked
the small clipboard in her hand. "What is the name?"
	"I'm not sure if she did,"  Kathryn replied.  "Her
name is Yolanda Ortega."
	The Chinese woman looked up from the clipboard
and smiled.  She called out to another woman, similarly
attired, who was also behind the counter. Kathryn had no
idea what she said, the rapid fire speech was in Chinese, but
it did bring the other woman quickly out from behind the
counter.  She did however recognize the name Yolanda in
the exchange.
	"Please follow me, Miss."  said the second woman,
whose age was as difficult to guess as the first. "Your table
is right this way."

	Kathryn followed the woman though the restaurant
to a row of booths in the back.  As far away from the noise
of the kitchen and front desk as you could get, Kathryn had
the impression that they were the best tables in the place.
She was seated at the last one in the row.
	"Would you like something while you wait?"  the
woman asked.
	"I guess a diet coke."  Kathryn replied.
	"I'll have it brought right out,"  the older woman
smiled.  "If there's anything else just ask your waitress.
Enjoy your meal, and welcome to Madame Cheng's."

	A minute later, a young girl whose age was much
easier to guess as early twenties appeared with her soft
drink.  She smiled and told Kathryn she'd be back as soon
as her dinner guest arrived.  It was then Kathryn noticed
something different about this restaurant from other Chinese
restaurants she'd been to.  There were all waitresses, no
waiters. It seemed a little odd and out of place.

	Kathryn didn't have too much time to wonder about
it because only a few minutes later she looked up to see
Yolanda walking across the restaurant toward her.  The
South American woman's hair, which Kathryn had only
seen pinned up, was now down and tied into a long pony
tail.  She had on blue skirt and a yellow short sleeve blouse.
It was both stylish and comfortable.
	"I hope you haven't been waiting long,"  Yolanda
said as she reached the table.  "I was running a little behind
this afternoon."
	"I just got here myself." Kathryn smiled as Yolanda
sat down opposite her in the booth.
	"That's a beautiful dress."  Yolanda said as she
made herself comfortable.
	"Thanks."  was Kathryn's reply.

	No sooner had Yolanda sat down, when the same
waitress was standing by the table, her order pad in hand.
	"Do you mind if I order for both of us?"  Yolanda
asked as she smiled at the waitress.  "I've been here so
many times I really know what are the best things on the
menu."
	"Go right ahead."  Kathryn agreed.
	Then to her amazement, Yolanda ordered the meal
in what Kathryn knew had to be Chinese because the
waitress smiled back at her and quickly rushed off.
	"How did you ever learn how to do that?"  Kathryn
asked.  "I barely made it through high school Spanish."
	"When I was in college, I had a close friend who
was from Taiwan."  Yolanda quickly explained. "You'd be
amazed at how much of a foreign language you can learn if
you're properly motivated."
	"I guess so."  Kathryn agreed.

	The waitress, who's name Yolanda later told her
was Mei-ha, reappeared a few moments later with an ice tea
for Yolanda.  Another girl came up and whispered
something in Mei-ha's ear which caused her to quickly
excuse herself.
	It was the appearance of the second waitress that
made Kathryn note that there was something else different
about the restaurant only having waitresses.  Both girls were
rather amply endowed for Asian women.  It had been her
experience, both in school and later at work, that most of
the Asian women she'd met had been of a somewhat smaller
stature.  Looking at two other waitress's in view, she noted
that they too were rather busty as well.

	"So how was your day so far."  Yolanda said as she
took a sip of her tea."
	"Okay I guess,"  Kathryn answered.
	"You seem like something's wrong."  Yolanda
asked perceptively.
	"Well its nothing I want to bother you with."
Kathryn said.
	"Honey, that's what friends are for."  came
Yolanda's reply.

	Taking a deep breath, Kathryn told Yolanda about
her decision to break it off with Eric.  It felt good to let it all
out.
	"I've seen it happen before."  Yolanda said in
sympathy.  "I think most people don't realize how many
changes people go through in their early twenties -- when
you make the jump from teenager to adult. Some people
make it very quickly, some not at all.  That's why so many
young marriages fail."
	"I can't imagine who's going to be more upset,"
Kathryn said as their food arrived.  "Eric or my parents."
	"You can't live your life for them," Yolanda said.
"My parents had certain plans for my life as well.  They
didn't exactly turn out as they expected.  The important
thing is that you be happy with your life."
	"I guess you're right."  Kathryn agreed as she filled
her plate with samples of everything Yolanda had ordered.

	Dinner turned out to be as fabulous as Yolanda had
promised.  Kathryn had no idea what some of the dishes
were, but they were incredible.  She'd never had food like
this before.
	"Is everything all right here."  said the woman who
came up to the table.
	Kathryn looked up and saw it was the older woman
who had first directed her to the table.
	"Everything's great as usual, Sau-ling.'' Yolanda
said in English for Kathryn's benefit. `Thank you."
	"We do try to take care of our special customers."
Sau-ling said before excusing herself.

	"Was that Madame Cheng?"  Kathryn asked.
	"Well sort of" Yolanda said.  "She and the woman
you met at the front door are both Madame Cheng."
	"Are they sisters or something like that."  Kathryn
asked curiously.
	"More in the category of `something like that', I
guess."  Yolanda said.  "Actually they're just friends who
both happen to have the last name Cheng.  It's kind of like
the Chinese version of Smith."
	 "Oh, but what did she mean, her special
customers?"  Kathryn asked out of curiosity.
	"Just that I'm a steady customer that's all."
Yolanda replied.  "I bring a lot a business clients here that's
all."
	"And is that what this is?"  Kathryn asked jokingly.
"A little business dinner."
	"Darling, dinner with a friend like you is always a
pleasure -- never business."  Yolanda said in reply.

	They covered a few more topics as they ate, until the
subject of Yolanda's impending departure from the firm
came up.
	"So do you think you're going to miss Moore and
Ryan when you go?"
	"A few weeks ago I might've said yes."  Yolanda
answered.  "For the first time I was beginning to envy not
working a steady job.  But then everything seemed to
change almost overnight.  People started to go cold on me,
like I did something.  I can't for the life of me imagine what
I could've done."
	Kathryn's conversation with Angela yesterday came
right back to her.  She debated for a few moments if she
should mention it.  Then decided that her friend had a right
to know.
	"Actually,"  she began hesitantly, "I don't think it
was something you did, but something you didn't do."
	Yolanda looked a little confused at the statement.
	"You turned down John Rosselli when he asked you
out."  Kathryn added.
	"I got the impression that happens almost on a
weekly basis.'' Yolanda said.  "His getting turned down, I
mean.  Why should it matter that I did?"
	"Oh it does, I mean he does,"  Kathryn said. "It was
the reason you turned him down, or at least the reason he
told people you did."
	"Oh that...."  Yolanda said understandingly.  "I
guess it was a pretty stupid thing to say.  But sometimes I
get so tired of being hit on."
	"I'm so glad to hear you say that," Kathryn beamed.
"Right away people took it to be true and ...."
	"Hold on a second,"  Yolanda interrupted Kathryn
in mid-sentence.  "I said it was a stupid thing to say.  I never
said it wasn't true."

	For a few seconds, Kathryn was speechless.
	"Is that a problem for you too?"  Yolanda asked.
"Cause I'd really hate to loose your friendship as well."
	"No, its not a problem."  Kathryn quickly replied.  "I
guess it just took me off guard.  I was so sure that Angie
had gotten it all wrong."
	"That would be the same Angie who's screwing the
vice-president of production."  Yolanda asked.
	"You know about that?"  Kathryn asked.
	"Honey, I don't think there's anyone at that place
who doesn't know it."  Yolanda smiled.
	"I guess I look pretty stupid right now."  Kathryn
said.
	"Not at all,"  Yolanda replied.  "I'm just glad you
were friend enough to have told me."

	Then another look passed across Kathryn's face, one
which Yolanda couldn't help but notice.
	"You have something else to say.  Go on, lets get it
all out in the open." the older woman said.

	"Are we on a date?"  Kathryn asked softly.
	Yolanda had to laugh, loud enough for patrons at
some of the closest tables to hear.
	"I'm sorry, Kathryn, I couldn't help it." she said as
she tried to bring her laughter under control.
	It took her another minute to accomplish that.
	"Are we on a date?"  Yolanda repeated. "I guess
that would depend on your definition of a date.  If you call
two friends going out to dinner and a show a date, then I
guess we are."
	She could tell that Kathryn wasn't totally satisfied
with that answer.
	"I do have straight friends, you know."  Yolanda
went on.  "And a good number of them are women.  I'm not
out there trying to seduce them all.  I'm sure you have male
friends.  Do you think every guy you know wants to get
into your pants?"
	To that, Kathryn raised her eyebrow.
	"Okay, maybe that's a bad analogy."  Yolanda
quipped.  "But lets be totally honest here, because I think
that's the way friends should be."
	"I think so too."  Kathryn agreed.
	"I like you, I really do."  Yolanda began. "You're
good company, you're quite intelligent, and also to be
pretty honest -- quite cute."
	Kathryn smiled.
	"If you were going to ask me if I was sexually
attracted to you, I honestly would have to say yes."
Yolanda went on.  "But that doesn't mean I'm going to
make a pass at you.  And do you know why?"
	"No."  was Kathryn's simple response.
	"Because in all the time we've spent together,
you've never once given me cause to think you might be
interested."  Yolanda said.  "And I value the friendship
we've developed too much to screw it up by making a pass
at you."
	"I guess that does make sense."  Kathryn agreed.
	"So are we okay here?"  Yolanda asked.
	"Yeah, we're okay."  Kathryn smiled.
	"Good, because these theater tickets were too hard
for me to come by for them to go to waste."  Yolanda
grinned. "We're done here, unless you'd like some dessert?"
	"None for me."  Kathryn said.  `I'm full."
	"Then lets get going, the theater is only about six
blocks from here so we might as well walk."  Yolanda said
as she took out her wallet and drop a few bills on top of the
bill Mei-ha had left a few minutes before.


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-


	If anything, the few reviews Kathryn had read for
Adrianne and Edmond had understated how good the play
was.  She couldn't remember the last time she'd had such a
good time.  She was laughing so hard it had actually begun
to hurt, and she was glad for the intermission.  Thankfully
she was one of the first in line for the restroom because that
was another side effect of all that laughter.
	Yolanda excused herself during the brief break to
make a few phone calls.  Sitting alone in her seat, Kathryn
thought it was good thing she hadn't asked Eric to come to
this play.  Much of the humor was sexual in nature and of a
sort that would've been way over his head.  His idea of a
good sex joke usually began with `there were these two
whores....'.
	As Yolanda sat back in her seat, Kathryn gave her a
brief smile and told her how much she was enjoying the
play.  Yolanda returned the smile and said she was too.
	"Damn, this would be all so much easier if Yolanda
was a guy."  Kathryn thought as the second act started.
	The idea that she didn't have to be a guy flashed
though her mind a moment later.
	"Careful Katie girl,"  she told herself.  "That thought
threads on very dangerous ground."
	What she hadn't mentioned to Yolanda was
something she never told to another living soul.  When she
was a freshman in college, she'd had an oh so very brief
flirtation with another girl.
	It was nothing really, a  girl she'd met at a party.
They'd been a lot to drink there, or so Kathryn told herself
afterwards. It started out innocently enough, after all they
weren't the only girls dancing together.  It was only later
when Sally, she never did get the girl's last name, walked
her home that things got more than a little out of control.
	They were just around the corner from the dorms
when Sally pulled Kathryn into one of the alcoves.  Before
she knew what was happening, Sally's body was pressed
against her own and she felt soft, unfamiliar lips caressing
her.
	Kathryn could still remember the warm feeling she
felt when Sally's hands slid under her blouse, unclipping the
front clasp of her bra with an ease that any boy on campus
would've envied.  Skilled fingers caressed her mounds, with
a touch softer than any that had been there before.
	Any thought of protesting at what was happening
vanished when Sally's lips transferred their attention from
Kathryn's mouth to her nipples. It was heaven on earth, or
the closest thing to it she had ever been.
	Kathryn felt her skirt being pushed up, and her
panties moved aside, but it was only when she felt a soft
wetness brush against her clit did she really understand what
was happening.
	By the time Sally was done, Kathryn's clothes was
totally disheveled and had anyone seen her in that condition
she no doubt would've been greatly embarrassed.  But the
memory the coed carried in secret to this day wasn't that of
embarrassment, but that of  her first orgasm at the tongue of
another woman.

	"Now that's something I really haven't thought
about in a very long time."  Kathryn said to herself as the
sudden influx of memory brought both a flush to her breasts
and a tingling between her legs.  "I guess I wanted to block
out how good it really felt."
	The second act of the play was even better than the
first, but even if the actors playing Adrianne and Edmond
were going at it naked on center stage, Kathryn would've
been totally oblivious to it. Instead her attention was totally
concentrated on the contours of the woman next to her.
The bright emerald green of her eyes, the rich redness of her
lips, and the velvet soft olive skin that surrounded it all.
	Her gaze slid downward, across Yolanda's neck and
past the swell of her breasts.  Even in the faint light of the
theater, Kathryn was close enough to make out the silver
dollar size rings around her nipples. She couldn't help but
compare them to the smallness of her own.
	Finally down to the folds of Yolanda's denim skirt,
and the priceless pearl that she knew was concealed beneath
the blue material.  Kathryn's neck arched just the slightest
bit forward, so that she could follow the path down the
Brazilian woman's long legs, coming to a stop at the gold
ankle bracelet on her left leg.

	Kathryn took a long, deep breath, one that seemed
to last an eternity.  So many things she'd be feeling the last
twenty four hours now made perfect sense to her.  All the
steel doors she'd hidden feelings behind had been flung wide
open.
	"I can't believe I'm going to do this."  Kathryn said
to herself as she shifted in her seat, moving a symbolic few
inches closer to Yolanda.   "But if I don't, I'll forever wish I
had.
	Kathryn reached out with her right hand and gently
placed it on top of Yolanda's.  Gently, she stroked her
fingers, then let them intermix.  The warmth of her action
filled her, generating a smile that spoke volumes across her
face.
	Tightening her own hand against Kathryn's, Yolanda
returned a smile of equal intensity.  No words had to be
spoken between them, the meaning of the simple gesture
was clear to both.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-