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"Open your eyes"

Abby does, and after the blinks to readjust her sight, wonder and awe race across her face "Oh to the stars We’re hours away froood forty-minute drive from the nearest expressway We’re as far froet to witness the world as God envisioned it, as God created it, and it is absolutely good

I ease down beside Abby, allowing the skin of rade the first time randfather Chris broughtafter Chris and Ryan went to sleep, I lay on the grass and stared at the stars in the sky Made me feel small"

"You liked that?" There’s an unsure tone in her voice "Feeling small?"

"Yeah If I was set that more than you’d think"

We’re quiet for a bit and I don’tthe stars once, and I never got far Always fell asleep before one hundred "I’ to quit the band"

Abby leans up to her elbow "Why?"

"Those guys--all they could talk about was ements, instruments, shots and drea in Florida before the sues my ankle with her toe "Are you serious?"

"Yeah Beaches sounded good at the ti to do with my hands when I’ They deserve someone who loves what they do as htful "So you’re going to play baseball again?"

My sto a baseball playerthat’s not me, either I like to play Gives me a hell of a rush, but Ryan’s a baseball player He can’t live without the game"

Just like Isaiah can’t live without cars and Chris can’t live without dirt beneath his feet Someti so underneath anyone else, my own successes and failures dependent on what I do or don’t do Working in a place where I’ood way, how small I am

I’m off-kilter with my diabetes admission and Dad’s rant More than I care to be Now that my friends know and they haven’t shoved me into a wheelchair or deathbed yet, I’uy with diabetes, taking on whatever it is that was in front of uy with diabetes and no one cares, then who aree with that I think you’reup what you want to do with the rest of your life ho you are For instance, I think I would ent for the stars Nobody would say no to me I knohat I want to do, but I have no idea who I aers with ent for actors?"

She bitterly laughs "No, but it sounded good I get what you’re saying though I’ve spent irl he saved from the junkie, Grams’s second chance, the street hustler for Ricky, the pet project for Linus I don’t have a clue who I am Do you think nor what everyone in our lives say we are that we never have a chance to be anything else?"

"Who are normal people?" I ask