t talk to Miss Garber about our plans for t it  er sed you ;; On Monday, ; and for t t about four zillion times.

    But Miss Garber actually  our idea one better. Sold t o do ts as  t t t ing for someone to nod so s official. No one moved a muscle, except for Eddie. Some t exact moment, and ly. t  across  by Norma Jeans leg. S of  loud, and ted, quot;E; t of tarted looking around and craning trying to see en seconds total pandemonium in t was as good of an answer as she needed.

    quot;Marvelous,quot; she discussion.

    Jamie, meaned about performing for t;t; s conspiratorially, quot;but Ive been o do for t it for mont tmas to be t special one of all.quot;

    quot;mas so important?quot; I asked iently, as if Id asked a question t didnt really matter.

    quot;It just is,quot; she said simply.

    t step o talk it over or of t Mr. Jenkins before, being t ty,  ing er t evening, I  of  I  dressed nice enoug s to make a good impression. Even t as excited about it as Jamie ed as Jamie), I didnt  to be regarded as tmas for ther.

    Before  to ting, o my o pick up my moms car, and tle nicer. took about ten minutes or so, and Jamie didnt say muc least until  to my neig, and sions  muc, but o my  taking in her surroundings.

    No doubt it   later I sao tings t lined tors, so to speak. As ire lineage could be traced in t lined tared at turned tention to till looked practically neer ty years. ture  , but it  somet about. to me, it  a e part of it  led to t was my escape ch.

    I sour of tting room, t on t julep and reading, and o say hello.

    I told you t every adult in to included my mom. Even t  ten all over t against Jamie, because of  salked  for a clean s and a tie.

    Back ties a lot, especially ion of auty. airs fully dressed, Jamie old my mom about the plan.

    quot;Its a ; Jamie said, beaming at me. quot;Landons really got a special .quot;

    My mom-after making sure sly-faced me ared at me like I was an alien.

    quot;So t; my mom asked. Like everyone else in town, s lie.

    I cleared my t, t I still ed to do to  involved molasses and fire ants, by the way.

    quot;Kind of,quot; I said.

    quot;Amazing.quot; It  out. S knoails, but s o a corner to do sometuff like t, and I could see  me and trying to figure it out. to escape ive gaze, I ccioned to Jamie t ter be going. My mom got tbook and o me, still giving me t t Id someten a as I o thers voice again.

    quot;Come on over anytime, Jamie!quot; my mom sed. quot;Youre always welcome ;

    Even motick it to you sometimes.

    I ill s in the car.

    quot;Your mot; Jamie said.

    I started t;Yea; I said, quot;I guess so.quot;

    quot;And your iful.quot;

    quot;U;

    quot;You s your blessings.quot;

    quot;O; I said, quot;I do. Im practically t guy alive.quot;

    Some catcic tone of my voice.

    e got to t about time it ting dark. e es early, and tor  ant call and  meet  aable. e ing on a bencside urned to me. ed it for support, but t  .

    quot;You did really oday,quot; s;it;

    quot;t; I said, feeling proud and dejected at exactly time. quot;I still  learned my beats, t; I offered. tice t going to suggest it.

    quot;You ;

    quot;I ;

    Jamie smiled, and after a moment s, sort of track. quot;Do you ever t ture, Landon?quot; she asked.

    I artled by ion because it sounded . . . so ordinary.

    quot;Yea; I ansiously.

    quot;ell,  to do ;

    I stle  kno. I  figured t part out. Im going to UNC next fall, at least I o get accepted first.quot;

    quot;You ; she said.

    quot;;

    quot;Because Ive prayed for t, too.quot;

    , I t  t Jamie tossed yet anot me.

    quot; after college?  do you  to do t;

    quot;I dont kno; I said, s;Maybe Ill be a one-armed lumberjack.quot;

    S t was funny.

    quot;I ter,quot; s;I t ;

    t ely ridiculous,  kne came from t and sended it as a compliment.

    quot;t; I said. quot;I dont kno, but Im sure Ill find somet; It took a moment for me to realize t tion alled and t it urn to ask a question.

    quot; you?  do you  to do in ture?quot;

    Jamie turned a a far-off gaze in  s it vanis as quickly as it came.

    quot;I  to get married,quot; sly. quot;And o  everyone I knoo be t ting ;

    quot;ts all?quot; t averse to t seemed kind of silly to  as your lifes goal.

    quot;Yes,quot; s;ts all I .quot;

    t t s sried to make ter, even t still seemed silly to me.

    quot;ell, youll get married someday. Youll meet some guy and t off, and o marry  your fato ;

    I didnt mention t about   even I couldnt imagine.

    Jamie t carefully about my ans, t know why.

    quot;I ; she said finally.

    I could tell s  to talk about it anymore, dont ask me o something new.

    quot;So o t; I asked conversationally.

    quot;Seven years noen years old t time I came. I  of t;

    quot;Do you enjoy it, or does it make you sad?quot;

    quot;Botuations. Its enougo break your  . But  take all ts test feeling in t;

    Sically glo to make me feel guilty, t ly t. It   up  by tting fairly used to it. S you every  normal, Id come to learn.

    At t moment, Mr. Jenkins opened ted us in. t like a al room, e tiled floors, al cabinet against tal desk t looked like it amped off t  neurotically clean of anyt a single picture or anything.

    Jamie introduced me, and I ser  do of talking. t rigered. After smoot , Jamie explained our plan. No almost as soon as sarted. But even t and kne was a good idea.

    quot;I dont ts a good idea,quot; he said.

    ts  hinking.

    quot;?quot; Jamie asked, husiasm.

    Mr. Jenkins picked up a pencil and started tapping it on  o explain ime,  dohe pencil and sighed.

    quot;Even ts a o do somet a fatually comes to realize er.quot;  t sink in for a moment and picked up t;Cmas is  reminding t t if t . . .quot;

    even o finis o ;O; s a;youre rig t about t.quot;

    Neito tell you trut it  Mr. Jenkins made sense.

    ted for a ead.

    quot;ell ree and a fes-somet all of t;Youre o visit Cmas Eve. . . .quot;

    After  saying anytell ss of different emotions-s al, t  time I recognized t in some  of us.

    quot;Im sorry it didnt ,quot; I said softly.

    quot;I am, too.quot;

    S fara before s on.

    quot;I just ed to do somet for t t for sure t. . . .quot; S;to  I just dont kno yet.quot;

    S for a long time, and I looked at  o feel bad about myself-I kne h her . . .

    quot; to stop in to see t; I asked into t o do t migter. quot;I could  out alk to to t.quot;

    quot;ould you visit t; she asked suddenly.

    to be , I  sure I could , but I kne t automatically.

    quot;Sure, Ill go.quot;

    quot;ts ime,quot; she said.

    e o to a good-size room. Percelevision  ty metal folding c. tting in t, and you could tell t only t row hing.

    I glanced around. In table. ty, t noy Styrofoam cups sat on top of it, and I kne  been used in mont to table  of soys  too many, and t ime. Along th crayons.

    e stood in t a second. e  been noticed yet, and I asked he newspapers were for.

    quot;t ; s;so t; S look at me as sead tention ed at to smile again.

    quot;Are toys t; I asked.

    S;Yes, except for tuffed animals. to keep t of t.quot;

    I guess so it. to me, t imagine grohis.

    Jamie and I finally o turned around at teps.  eig teeth missing.

    quot;Jamie!quot; ed urned. t five to ter to be sent to live er parents, I later learned.

    quot;; Jamie said in response, quot;;

    it, Roger and some of to croo television no ts in t roroduced me to one of tone, I t  most of the kids in our high school had.

    quot; a friend,quot; s;But ;

    Over t ed  a lot of questions about  siced t s promise I h her.

    o t;t; I s;Im glad t you  to ;

    Jamie turned to me and smiled. S muco add after t, but I could tell sill  Cmas.