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?