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"What did you say?"

"That ht to decide what bed he was going to die in Oh, he didn’t want to hear that frouilt trip on me that he could teach a course on the subject, if they were to add it to theit’s not already there"

"You held your ground?"

"I did," she said, "and itI’ve ever done, and do you knoas the hardest part?"

"Questioning your own judg, and all the while a little voice inI knowthis because I want hi brave with the doctor because I haven’t got the courage to stand up toin "

"He’s resting now?"

"Asleep, last I looked Are you going in there? If he’s awake, he aps in his memory"

"I won’t take it personally"

"And there’ll be more strokes, he told me that, too They’d have him on blood thinners if it wasn’t for the cancer Of course, if he was in the da the level every hour so he wouldn’t bleed out or stroke out, and -- Nicholas, did I do the right thing?"

"You honored the man’s wishes," he said "What’s more i room, and the sickrooination At first he couldn’t detect the old ht the end had co how to feel, what to think

The old man’s eyes opened, fixed on Keller "Oh, it’s you," he said, his voice thickened but otherwise clear as a bell Then his eyes closed and he was gone again

When Keller got to work the next , he took Donny aside and handed hiave me too much yesterday," he said "Sixty dollars, and we only worked five hours"

Donny pushed the bill back at him "Gave you a raise," he said "Twelve dollars an hour I didn’t want to say anything in front of the others" Meaning Luis and a fourthfor the grass to be greener somewhere else" He winked "Nice to know you’re an honest h"

He waited until after dinner to tell Julia, and accepted her congratulations "But I’m not surprised," she said "Patsy’s ht about that, you’re worth it, and he’s s I know," he said, "you’ll be telling ot a future in this business"

"It may not look like it I don’t suppose the pay aet"

"I used to spendWhen I worked I got paid okay, but you can’t coine Or maybe I can’t Do you miss it?"

"God, no Why would I?"

"I don’t know I just thought this , after the life you were used to"

He thought about it "What was interesting," he said, "and not all the ti a proble and you’ll find all the problems any etting hurt"

She was silent for a long etting you a new car What’s so funny?"

"Dot used to coents Master of the Non Sequitur, she called ot there?"

"It’s not important It just struck ot there," she said, "is I was thinking it sounds as if youthat could screw things up is that car of yours The license tags ot pulled over and they asked to see the registration--"

"I’d have the papers that were in the glove box when I switched plates at the airport I thought of doctoring the my name and address for what’s on there"

"Would that work?"

"Ithard look And it’s an Iowa registration for a car with Tennessee tags being driven by a damn fool with a Louisiana license So no, I’d have to say it wouldn’t work That’s why I haven’t bothered to try"

"You could stay under the speed liulation, and never even risk another parking ticket And then soot cops asking questions"