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"Yeah," I said "How long’s he gonna be in the hospital?"

"Few days Then he goes to this rehab or soets to sleep at hoo"

"Okay," I said

"Okay," he answered I could hear his crooked smile

On Saturday, my parents and I went down to the farmers’ market in Broad Ripple It was sunny, a rarity for Indiana in April, and everyone at the farh the temperature didn’t quite justify it We Hoosiers are excessively optimistic about summer Mooat-soap le person alked by that yes, they were his goats, and no, goat soap does not s "Who is it?" Mom asked before I could even check

"I don’t know," I said It was Gus, though

"Are you currently at your house?" he asked

"Um, no," I said

"That was a trick question I knew the answer, because I am currently at your house"

"Oh Uuess?"

"Aweso on the front step as we pulled into the driveway He was holding a bouquet of bright orange tulips just beginning to bloo an Indiana Pacers jersey under his fleece, a wardrobe choice that seeood on him He pushed himself up off the stoop, handed o on a picnic?" I nodded, taking the flowers

My dad walked up behind me and shook Gus’s hand

"Is that a Rik Smits jersey?" uy," Dad said, and irossed in a basketball conversation I could not (and did not want to) join, so I took my tulips inside

"Do you want e smile on her face

"No, it’s okay," I told her If we’d put the room, they would have been everyone’s flowers I wanted thee I brushed loss and the s at the flowers They were aggressively orange, al, so I took my toothbrush out of my toothbrush holder and filled it halfater and left the flowers there in the bathroo, so I sat on the edge of h my hollow bedrooustus: "Yes, sir This is a lovely house you’ve got I like your artwork"

Moustus"

Dad: "You’re a survivor yourself, then?"

Augustus: "I am I didn’t cut this fella off for the sheer unadulterated pleasure of it, although it is an excellent weight-loss strategy Legs are heavy!"

Dad: "And how’s your health now?"

Augustus: "NEC for fourteen months"

Mom: "That’s wonderful The treatustus: "I know I’m lucky"

Dad: "You have to understand that Hazel is still sick, Augustus, and will be for the rest of her life She’ll want to keep up with you, but her lungs--"

At which point I e?" asked Mo the answer, and then held a finger to his lips "Shh," he told her "It’s a secret"

Moot your phone?" she asked en cart onto its front wheels, and started walking Augustus hustled over, offering ers wrapped around his biceps

Unfortunately, he insisted upon driving, so the surprise could be a surprise As we shuddered toward our destination, I said, "You nearly charmed the pants off my mom"

"Yeah, and your dad is a Smits fan, which helps You think they liked h? They’re just parents"

"They’re your parents," he said, glancing over atliked Is that crazy?"

"Well, you don’t have to rush to hold doors open or smother me in compliments for me to like you" He slah that ht of the PET scan Don’t worry Worry is useless I worried anyway

We burned rubber, roaring away fro left onto the uess, but nothing grand) The only thing I could think of in this direction was the ceustus reached into the center console, flipped open a full pack of cigarettes, and removed one

"Do you ever throw them away?" I asked hi is that packs of cigarettes last forever," he answered "I’ve had this one for almost a year A few of them are broken near the filters, but I think this pack could easily get hteenth birthday" He held the filter between his fingers, then put it in his s that you never see in Indianapolis"

"U"

"Mraphy"

"All excellent exas we lack Also, culture"

"Yeah, we are a bit short on culture," I said, finally realizing where he was taking "

"Oh, are we going to that park or whatever?"

Gus looked a bit deflated "Yes, we are going to that park or whatever," he said "You’ve figured it out, haven’t you?"

"U"