“Hey,” he said anxiously, giving Jimmy a kick in the foot. “Where’s my bag?”

“What bag?” said Jimmy, yawning as if he had just awoken.

“The one with all my stuff in it,” cried Carter. “The one with—”

“You mean this one?” snickered Jimmy, reaching over the back of his chair and pulling up the missing daypack. He held it up and smiled like a Cheshire cat. “Just keeping it safe,” he said innocently.

“When I get back from Italy, I swear I’m going to kill you,” vowed Carter, swiping the bag from his friend’s hand.

“Just tryin’ to get you to loosen up a little, that’s all,” Jimmy told him with a smile.

Carter grumbled, dropped back into his seat, and stared out through the big plate glass windows to the parking lot, where a bus was just pulling in.

“Hey,” said Jimmy, giving him a nudge, “I think this might be your ride.”

Sure enough, just then a voice came over the public address system, announcing that the bus for Logan Airport had arrived and would be boarding in just a few minutes.

“Yup,” said Carter with a gulp. “It’s showtime.”

After the duffel was safely stowed in the luggage compartment, Carter and Jimmy stood outside the idling bus, chatting while Carter waited for the final call for all to board. It was a warm, breezy afternoon, and the air was filled with the diesel smell of the engine. By then most of the other passengers had already climbed on board, and the driver was now standing by the door, looking into the terminal to see if anyone else was coming. He glanced at his watch and gave a nod to Carter.

“Well, this is it,” said Jimmy, giving him a pat on the shoulder. He paused, and gave a little laugh before adding, “Kind of fitting, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?” said Carter.

“What I mean,” said Jimmy, suddenly looking more sincere than Carter could ever remember, “is that you’re finally gettin’ on that bus. Remember the bus? That same one you told me about that time in the gym? Well, this is it. Now you’re going off to do something that most guys only talk about, but never have the balls to follow through on.You’re following your dream. And all kidding aside, I think it’s pretty awesome, man. So go. Get outta here. Go do like you said you were gonna do. Get on that bus, stay with it all the way, and see where it takes you.”

Carter was truly touched by his friend’s words. Nonetheless he made a face and rolled his eyes.

“Hey, what are you trying to do?” he said. “Make me cry now before I go?”

“Ha!” laughed Jimmy. “No way.”

With that the two shook hands and hugged.

“Thanks for the lift, Jimmy,” said Carter, pulling away. “I owe you a souvenir from Italy.”