In tty mucurned to normal. My faton, D.C., o te nig kno t attracted us so. Maybe it o do ombstones tombstones , tually fairly comfortable to sit on.
e usually sat in a small plot ombstones t easy to pass ts back and fortime my friends and I decided to learn ton family, and to to find out if anytten about to sit on someones tombstone, you mig t?
It turns out t t muc torical records, t one interesting tidbit of information. on, t or not. Supposedly doree as fast as any tty vivid rig, so alked about . e used to racoastal aterions exactly , but I enjoyed theless.
ell, Eric and me turday niging boiled peanuts and talking about on, equot; seen mucball season of to feeam.
quot;It ; I said, s to play it cool.
Eric playfully elboed. ty pounds.
quot;Did you kiss ?quot;
quot;No.quot;
ook a long drink from kno Eric never rouble buying beer, everyone in town knew how old he was.
ossing me a sidelong glance.
quot;I after s least kissed .quot;
quot;ell, I didnt.quot;
quot;Did you even try?quot;
quot;No.quot;
quot;?quot;
quot;S t kind of girl,quot; I said, and even t rue, it still sounded like I was defending her.
Eric latco t like a leech.
quot;I t; he said.
quot;Youre full of crap,quot; I ans out of me. t Id he following day.
quot;Yea be full of crap,quot; me, quot;but youre tten ;
I knereading on dangerous ground.
quot;I using o impress Margaret,quot; I said. quot;And es sely, I reckon it must ;
Eric laughe back again.
quot;You and Margaret-nos funny. . . .quot;
I kne dodged a major bullet, and I breation spun off in a neion. I joined in no I really listening to ead I kept tle voice inside me t made me w Eric had said.
t date I could nigurned out. Not many dates- many people, period-ime, e didnt mean I liked talked to all since t old myself, I o talk to o o bring o Cecils Diner for a basket of I didnt to do any of t. In my mind, Id already served my penance.
t day, Sunday, I ion to UNC. In addition to transcripts from my ion, type. If you could meet one person in ory, influence in your life and able-our Engliseacold us o expect-and Id already ions in class as homework.
Englis subject. Id never received anyt started scion process ing. If it rouble, especially if it included tions t talked about trains leaving an , traveling in opposite directions at forty miles an c. It t I least a C-but it didnt come naturally to me, if you know w I mean.
Anying one of my essays co run doairs to grab t I couldnt make out too sounded like Angela. I immediately smiled to myself. Even to clean it up, sually pretty fun to be around most of time. And least for t o to get togething.
quot;Landon?quot;
quot;O; I said, playing it cool, quot;;
t pause on ther end.
quot;;
It I suddenly realized I speaking to Angela. Instead it dropped t say t I he church records.
quot;Landon?quot;
quot;Im fine,quot; I finally blurted out, still in shock.
quot;Are you busy?quot; she asked.
quot;Sort of.quot;
quot;O;srailing off. She paused again.
quot;; I asked.
It took o get t.
quot;ell . . . I just ed to kno mind coming by a little later ternoon.quot;
quot;Coming by?quot;
quot;Yes. to my ;
quot;Your ; I didnt even try to disguise t and on.
quot;t to talk to you about. I ask if it important.quot;
quot;Cant you just tell me over t;
quot;Id rat.quot;
quot;ell, Im ion essays all afternoon,quot; I said, trying to get out of it.
quot;Os important, but I suppose I can talk to you Monday at sc;
it, I suddenly realized t s going to let me off t alking one ried to figure out o alk at ion icularly good, t s I could do o listen to Im a nice irresponsible, if I do say so myself.
Of course, t didnt mean everyone else o kno it.
quot;No,quot; I said, quot;today is fine. . . .quot;
e arranged to meet at five oclock, and t of ternoon ticked by sloer torture. I left my y minutes early, so Id y of time to get ted near terfront in toric part of to a feracoastal ateroracks, so it ake me about t long to get there.
It emperature Beaufort t ted practically forever. It mig in t be a cold spell t lasted a for t part all you needed o make it ter. today days-mid-seventies a cloud in the sky.
I made it to Jamies on time and knocked on , and a quick peek inside revealed t around. It quite ea or lemonade, and in t anyto drink. to loself in t anyone on treet. time I didnt o move my c been moved since t time Id been there.
quot;t; s;I kno I appreciate your taking time to do t;
quot;So, ant?quot; I said, ing to get th as quickly as possible.
Jamie, for t time since Id kno bringing oget.
quot;I ed to ask you a favor,quot; she said seriously.
quot;A favor?quot;
She nodded.
At first I t so ask me to e tioned at o use my moto bring some stuff to t needed t to go to. But it still took a fe t.
Sogether again.
quot;Id like to ask you if you mind playing tom ton in t; she said.
tom ton, like I said before, er, ts t for t important role.
quot;ell . . . I dont kno; I said, confused. quot;I t Eddie Jones o be tom. ts old us.quot;
Eddie Jones like Carey Dennison, by talked to you ic, and squinc nervous, ime. ing ic blind man if you put of a croo make tutter, too, and it took ime to say anyt all. Miss Garber o do it, but even t eacoo, but s ion, since no one else had come forward.
quot;Miss Garber didnt say t exactly. s Eddie could ried out for it.quot;
quot;Cant someone else do it instead?quot;
But t anyone else, and I kne. Because of s requirement t only seniors perform, t year. t fifty senior boys at ty-team, and eam still in tate title, none of time to go to ty or so er-scice as ion s t.
No to do t all, and not only because Id come to realize t drama about t boring class ever invented. taken Jamie to couldnt bear t t Id o spend every afternoon mont being seen would my friends say?
But I could tell tant to t s clear. Jamie never asked anyone for a favor. I ted t no one would ever do ion made me sad.
quot; about Jeff Bangert? do it,quot; I offered.
Jamie s;. o ore after scil s back on .quot;
quot; about Darren oods?quot;
quot; week w. ;
quot;Really? I didnt kno,quot; I said, stalling, but Jamie knew w I was doing.
quot;Ive been praying about it, Landon,quot; sime. quot;Id really like to be special t for me, but because of my fat it to be t production ever. I knoo o see me be t; Sing s. quot;It errible if t;
Sopped again before going on, ional as s on.
quot;I kno embarrassed to do t. Actually, old me t s about doing it. Sometimes people at sc Eddie to be . But . . .quot; Sook a deep breat;but t . . . people ;
I nodded, my lips pressed toget I . In fact, I already er Miss Garber t t it ed it up made me feel terrible, almost sick to my stomach.
Sraigtle in and looked at me sadly, as if so say no. I guess s know on.
quot;I kno c of t I dont to believe t to someone like my fates o God, o ty. And o raise me on . . . .quot;
Jamie turned a I could see tears in time Id ever seen of me ed to cry, too.
quot;Im not asking you to do it for me,quot; sly, quot;Im really not, and if you say no, Ill still pray for you. I promise. But if youd like to do someto me . . . ill you just t it?quot;
messed on t my feet.
quot;I dont o t it,quot; I finally said. quot;Ill do it.quot;
I really didnt have a choice, did I?