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Well, okay It’s prettyour doorbell a little while ago," he goes on And although my heart thrills at his use of the word our, I know he doesn’t mean it in the dooing to tellbehindNot surprisingly, they all are…with the exception of Sarah, who see for the rightout of my mouth how lame they sound "I mean…what I meant to say was…"

"Never mind," Cooper says He see to our conversation--well, what they can hear of it above the screa and the band "We’ll talk about it at home"

Hideously relieved, I say, "Fine Just leave him here with me I’ll look after hi down atstock-still in the middle of the bleachers--unconscious that all the people behind hiuess it’s been a while since he’s been at a live sporting event And the gauess, if you’re into that kind of thing We’re tied at twenty-one "Hey Is that popcorn?"

Sarah surprises everyone--well, okay,attention to us all along when she shakes her head and says, not taking her gaze froet more"

"Get me a soda," Pete says

"I could use soda shrieks, apparently at a call down below "He really is blind!"

Cooper says, "What?" and slides down into the seat I’ve vacated "What was the call?"

"Offensive foul," Magda spits "But he barely touched the kid!"

Shaking ust, I turn and make my way down the bleachers toward , enraptured, at the ball court

"Dad," I say, when I reach hia The scoreboard over the ame There appear to be nine seconds left, and the Pansies have the ball

"Dad," I say again I mean, it really isn’t any wonder he doesn’t realize I’ to him No one has called hi it down the court, dribbling hard He has a look of concentration on his face I’ve never seen hi e report

"Dad," I say for a third and final time, this time much louder

And my dad jumps and looks down at me--

Just as Mark stops, turns, and throws the ball across the court, sinking it into the basket right before the halftioes wild

"What?" Dad asks But notthe fans around him "What happened?"

"Shepelsky made a three-pointer," soenuinely upset "Damn!"