a dimple: an invitation for mischievous thought

a daring comment: pure calculation in the spirit of the game

a crime: dark emotions swirling like thunderheads around the horrific contrast between yesterday and now

a hello: a nugget of warmth, a long-awaited miracle, gratifying, joy-packed, and contained in a few simple words

a heart throb: a tiny ray of hope, tenuous kindling that will become a roaring blaze, defying all loneliness

the perfect state of mind: what normally would be a row of three empty beers is now a lone-bottle row with nothing but a cursory sip removed from its contents

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"I rarely drive steamboats, dad!"