And I know you tried to make a comeback a few months ago. Want to fill in the blanks?"

"That's pretty much it."

"No, I don't think so, Myron. Aunt Cissy didn't say that you could help us because you were good at basketball."

"I worked a bit for the govemment."

"With Win?"

"Yes."

"Doing what?"

Again he shook his head.

"Top secret, huh?"

"Something like that."

"And you date Jessica Culver?"

"Yes."

"I like her books."

He nodded.

"Do you love her?"

"Very much."

"So what do you want?"

"Want?"

"Out of life. What are your dreams?"

He smiled. "You're kidding, right?"

"Just getting to the heart of the matter," Linda said.

"Humor me. What do you want, Myron?" She looked at him with keen interest. Myron felt flushed.

"I want to marry Jessica. I want to move to the suburbs.

I want to raise a family."

She leaned back as though satisfied. "For real?"

"Yes."

"Like your parents?"

"Yes." `

She smiled. "I think that's nice."

"It's simple," he said.

"Not all of us are built for the simple life," she said, "even if it's what we want."

Myron nodded. "Deep, Linda. I don't know what it means, but it sounded deep."

"Me neither." She laughed. It was deep and throaty and Myron liked the sound of it. ' 'Tell me where you met Win."

"At college," Myron said. "Freshman year."

"I haven't seen him since he was eight years old."

Linda Coldren took a swallow of her seltzer. "I was fifteen then. Jack and I had already been dating a year, believe it or not. Win loved Jack, by the way. Did you know that?"

"No," Myron said.

"It's true. He followed Jack everywhere. And Jack could be such a prick back then. He bullied other kids. He was mischievous as all hell. At times he was downright cruel."

"But you fell for him?"

"I was fifteen," she said, as if that explained everything. And maybe it did.

"What was Win like as a kid?" Myron asked.

She smiled again, the lines in the comers of her eyes and lips deepening. "Trying to figure him out, eh?"

' 'Just curious," Myron said, but the truth in her words stung. He suddenly wanted to withdraw the question, but it was too late.

' 'Win was never a happy kid. He was always" Linda stopped, searching for the word "off I don't know how else to put it. He wasn't crazy or flaky or aggressive or anything like that. But something was not right with him.

Always. Even as a child, he had this strange ability to detach."

Myron nodded. He knew what she meant.

"Aunt Cissy is like that too."

"Win's mother'?"

Linda nodded. "'The woman can be pure ice when she wants to be. Even when it comes to Win. She acts as though he doesn't exist."

"She must talk about him," Myron said. "To your father, at least."