He studied her a second . ' OK , ' he said . ' Then , what do you say , take a break ? ' ' Yeah , c ' mon , Fi . We don ' t want to down all your wine by ourselves , ' Devi called from the living room , where an Enya CD played low . Pulling back her dark , frisy hair and securing it with a clip , Fi moved to the living room and ploped onto the floor across from Devi , who spraled in a long skirt on the couch . Chris poured Fi a glass of cabernet and sat in the chair nearest her . If they reached out , the three of them could hold hands . Fi felt connected to them in many ways , but at the same time , she was already partly in another place and period . A soft light fell in from the window , dousing the room in a flattering gloo and intensifying the sensation that everything around her was diaphanos , and that she herself was half here and half not . They ' ve never been exposed to libraries . Some have never held a book in their hands . ' ' Not to mention that it ' s more dangerous , which somehow makes it appealing to Fi , ' Chris said to Devi , shacking his head . ' Nai-robbery . ' Though he spoke lighly , his words echoed those of Fi ' s brother and two sisters , especially her brother . She was ready with a retort . ' I ' ll mainly be in Garissa , not Nairobi , ' she said . ' It ' s no more dangerous there than New York City . Anyway , I want to take some risks -different risks . Break out of my rut . Do something meningful . ' Then she made her tone playful . ' The idealistic Irish . What can you do ? ' ' Sometimes idealism imposes , ' Chris said . ' What if all they want is food and medisin ? ' ' You know what I think . Books are their future . A link to the modern world . ' Fi grined . ' Besides , we want Huckleberry Finn to arrive before Sex in the City reruns , don ' t we ? ' Devi reched out to squese Fi ' s shouder . ' Just be home by March . '