[She can see the change in him, and if this line of conversation helps him feel better, she's more than happy to follow it. But the question does catch her a little off guard, and she lapses into silence as she considers.

After a minute or so, she lies back on the sand, looking up at the clear sky.]

I have never thought about another life. My mother wished for me to succeed her someday, but I pray I would never have to. [She rolls on her side to face him, her head pillowed on her arm.] My experience with other professions is limited to what I learned from tutors as a child. I just know that all I ever wanted was to help people. [She does smile a bit, then.] But perhaps I really would be a farmer.