quot;Ill bet youre excited about going off to college next year,quot; I said, c.

    It took  to answer.

    quot;I dont to go,quot; ster-of-factly.  me off guard. Jamie  grades in our senior class, and depending on  semester , s even end up valedictorian. e o imes sion t een, being t ses.

    quot; about Mount Sermon? I t ts ,quot; I offered.

    S me  rig you?quot;

    times t bethe eyeballs.

    quot;I didnt mean it t ; I said quickly. quot;I just meant t Id  ed you o be going t year.quot;

    S really anso be , I didnt knoo make of it. By t of opped on t front. From  s sains. tting on t he Bible.

    quot;t; s me for a moment before finally starting up the walk.

    As I c  t of all times Id ever talked to rangest conversation ically normal.

    t nig my father.

    quot;, I reckon,quot; I said. quot;But  around muc;

    quot;Do you miss t? Not gro;

    quot;Sometimes.quot;

    quot;I miss my mom, too,quot; s;even t;

    It  time Id ever considered t Jamie and I mig t sink in for a while.

    quot;It must be ; I said sincerely. quot;Even tranger to me, at least ill around.quot;

    S me as ugged gently at o notice t s sure o say.

    quot;It is, sometimes. Dont get me -but times  alk about t my fat.quot;

    I assumed salking about boys. It  until later t I learned how wrong I was.

    quot;s it like, living ;

    quot;No. ually got a pretty good sense of ;

    quot;?quot; I blurted out. I couldnt even im