Contents ( 66)
- Cover
- Books by Valerie Fraser Luesse
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Map of Florida
- one
- two
- three
- four
- five
- six
- seven
- eight
- nine
- ten
- eleven
- twelve
- thirteen
- fourteen
- fifteen
- sixteen
- seventeen
- eighteen
- nineteen
- twenty
- twenty-one
- twenty-two
- twenty-three
- twenty-four
- twenty-five
- twenty-six
- twenty-seven
- twenty-eight
- twenty-nine
- thirty
- thirty-one
- thirty-two
- thirty-three
- thirty-four
- thirty-five
- thirty-six
- thirty-seven
- thirty-eight
- thirty-nine
- forty
- forty-one
- forty-two
- forty-three
- forty-four
- forty-five
- forty-six
- forty-seven
- forty-eight
- forty-nine
- fifty
- fifty-one
- Epilogue
- Keep Reading for a Preview of Valerie Luesse’s Next Book!
- Prologue
- one
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Back Ads
- Back Cover
“Is he happy?”
“Yes.”
“Is he safe out there?”
“Yes.”
“Well, if he’s happy and safe, that’s all that matters. Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“You mean why didn’t I tell an Air Force colonel that the boy he rescued is a hippie and a war protestor?”
“He served his hitch. Did his duty. He’s got a right to feel how he feels about the war. Everybody’s different, Bonnie. Serving in Korea made me want to be in the military for life. I guess Vietnam made Jasper never want to go near it again. That’s his right.”
They sat silently together, watching the waves break against the sand, before Bonnie said, “I’ve been thinking about some things—like Pine Mountain. And that hospital cafeteria in Atlanta. Mama lying sick and Daddy selling his own kids into hard labor.”
“Shouldn’a happened, but it did. And you came through it strong. You’ve got a lot to be proud of.”
Bonnie drew a boat in the sand with her finger. “When you and Lisa left Jasper and me with Aunt Gert, I thought I’d never see y’all again.”
“We promised we’d be back.”
“Promises never meant much where I came from.”
“What’s this all about, Bonnie?”
She looked at him and took a deep breath. “I just need to tell you before I lose my nerve—and before I ship out—that you changed my whole life, and Jasper’s. And I know I don’t have a right to say it, especially now that you’ve got kids of your own, but part of me will always think of you and Lisa as my parents. That made a lot more sense when I was seven instead of twenty-seven, but there it is. Do you mind? I mean, does it make you feel weird?”
“Makes me very happy. I learned a long time ago that there’s all kinds of family, Bonnie. Some you’re born with and some you’re lucky enough to meet along the way. You and Jasper and Lisa and me—we’ll always be family.”
They stopped talking for a while and just listened to the waves rolling in.
“It’s gonna be pretty rough over there, isn’t it?” Bonnie said.
“Yes.”
“How did you handle it—when you were in Korea, I mean?”
“I did my job the way I was trained to do it. That’s what you have to hold on to, Bonnie. You’ve been trained by the best, and that training won’t let you down when you need it the most. I know you won’t be flying fighter planes, but you’ll see the worst that happens up there when all the wounded start coming in. Just remember: Do your job exactly like you were taught, and don’t let the rest of it get into your head. You’ve got what it takes and then some. You’ll make it back just like I did. And when you do, I’ll be there to meet your plane—might even fly it if they don’t think I’m too old.”
