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"So I can learn about your home," she finally said

The man returned the paper with several words written under the telephone nuueo, Michoacán The last naotten, the town that was notis aplenty, but had no idea what to say to a fa the mountain under their feet and the butterflies of the air

5

National Proportions

Thetrain of Monday- unfortunates stuck behind the school bus, whom Dellarobia now pitied only halfheartedly as she put Preston on the bus Gunning their engines, weaving, all these drivers needed to settle down and accept their fate "Late for work, sucks to be you!" she mouthed cheerfully at the drivers as the bus chuffed its brake-release sound and grumbled away at a snail’s pace She lass that contained Preston’s small face like a picture frae VW pulled out of the line and onto the shoulder directly across fro him? She reached into her coat pocket to touch her phone, which was pointless She could easily bolt the twenty paces to her front door, in a pinch She watched an unbelievably tall, thinhi for the Turnbow far the words this way and that Turn-bow, he’d said, as in "Turn around, take a bow" She had the wildest urge to do that

"I’m Dellarobia Turnbow," she called back, but it ca of syllables that caused the h

"Really," he said "All that?"

"Not even I didn’t give you the middle and thethe road with great long strides to grasp her hand and shake it "Ovid Byron, a crazy nae that"

Creezy neeer She took note of both names and tilted her neck to stare at the upshot of all that She was accustomed to men of measure, but this one had a few inches even on the Turnbow men, and it went on from there Tall, dark, and handsome, but extra tall, extra dark Okay, extra all three He was soof an audience, driving her to invent a performance on the spot

"You’re naht? And Lord Byron" She was casting her net wide here, Honors English was a lot of water under the bridge, but his look said she’d nailed it "Better than me--I’m named after a wreath made out of nature junk" She ain, please?"

"Dellarobia" She ran a hand through her hair, for which the color of his car was a pretty good e Maybe he was a UT fan, but she wouldn’t ask He ht just like the color, as arbitrarily as she’d been born with that hair Which had yet to ray plaid paja the bus eachpunch-drunk