Myron turned toward Aimee. For a moment he fell back more than twenty-five years. Aimee looked so much like her mother, had the same crooked, devil-may-care grin, it was like looking through a time portal . I was just getting some ice, Myron said. He pointed toward the freezer with his thumb to illustrate the point . Cool, Aimee said . Very cool, Myron said. Ice cold, in fact . Myron chuckled. Alone . With the stupid grin still on his face, Myron looked over at Erin. She turned away. That had been her basic reaction today. Polite and aloof . Can I ask you something? Aimee said . Shoot . She spread her hands. Was this really your room growing up?Indeed it was . The two girls exchanged a glance. Aimee giggled. Erin did likewise . What? Myron said . This room . . . I mean, could it possibly be lamer?Erin finally spoke. It's like too retro to be retro . What do you call this thing? Aimee asked, pointing below her . A beanbag chair, Myron said . The two girls giggled some more . A nd how come this lamp has a black lightbulb?It makes the posters glow . More laughs . Hey, I was in high school, Myron said, as if that explaine d everything. Did you ever bring a girl down here? Aimee asked. Myron put his hand to his heart. A true gentleman never kissesand tells. Then: Yes. How many? How many what? How many girls did you bring down here? Oh. Approximately Myron looked up, drew in the air with hisindex finger carry the three... I'd say somewhere between eightand nine hundred thousand. That caused rip-roaring laughter. Actually, Aimee said, Mom says you used to be real cute. Myron arched an eyebrow. Used to be? Both girls high-fived and fell about the place. Myron shook hishead and grumbled something about respecting their elders. Whenthey quieted down, Aimee said, Can I ask you something else? Shoot. I mean, seriously. Go ahead. Those pictures of you upstairs. On the stairwell. Myron nodded. He had a pretty good idea where this was going . You were on the cover of Sports Illustrated . That I was . Mom and Dad say you were like the greatest basketball player in the country . Mom and Dad, Myron said, exaggerate . Both girls stared at him. Five seconds passed. Then another five . Do I have something stuck in my teeth? Myron asked . Weren't you, like, drafted by the Lakers?The Celtics, he corrected . Sorry, the Celtics. Aimee kept him pinned with her eyes. And you hurt your knee, right?Right . Your career was over. Just like that . Pretty much, yes . So like Aimee shrugged how did that feel?Hurting my knee?Being a superstar like that. And then, bam, never being able to play again . Both girls waited for his answer. Myron tried to come up with something profound . I t sucked big-time, he said .