Fallout (Crank 3)

I sat up. Glanced around.

No sign of bear nor blonde.

“We can’t just go. I love you,

Kyle, I really do, but …”

If you really love me, you’ll say

okay. He reached out, grabbed

my face, turned it so I had to

look into his eyes. Okay?

I started to protest. But then

I remembered something Dad

had told me not long before

Shreeveport took me away.

We were on the porch, and as

usual, he was smoking. I watched

a narrow stream of smoke lift

into the cold morning. Rarely

before had the idea of separation

stung so much. I guess because

of the relative closeness we had

lately discovered. Finally I asked,

“If you could do anything over, take

something back, what would it be?”

He thought for a minute or two,

and when he finally spoke, his

answer surprised me. I guess

I would have tried harder to

convince your mother to stay

after she got out of prison.

I loved he

r enough to hope she