page30 (1/2)

I can even seeout to my mom, "Look what I made, Mommy"

I handed her a drawing done in crayons of a little stick figure boy with a s?"

My"That's beautiful, Zach, but you knoe can't have a dog We're leaving next month for Brazil, and there would be no one to take care of it"

"Uncle Randall can watch it for us I'm sure he'd do it"

My mom ruffled my hair and leaned down to kissto have a dog, you need to be the one to care for it Maybe we can get one e get back, okay?"

Disappointo on this mission trip with s, but I didn't want to leave my home my friends Uncle Randall I loved it here

"I don't want to go," I said petulantly "I want to stay here with Uncle Randall, like the last time you went"

"But we're going to be gone longer At least a year," my mom toldI'd miss you too much"

"I don't care," I told her angrily "I'll hate it there"

Mymy neck "You won't hate it there, silly But if on the off chance that you do, on't ain How's that for a promise?"

I wanted to cry and stoood This trip had been planned for a while now, and there was no changing it We had this conversationlass ofseem better, but not that time That time, they tasted like dirt

I blink otten that I never wanted to go to the Amazon with my parents That I was bitter about it, and that I wanted to stay here with odfather I turn slowly to look at Randall, who is watching me with kind eyes

"I never wanted to go to Brazil with my parents," I say stupidly

Randall nods at"No, you didn't But your parents understood that You were too young to share their passion for helping to teach Christianity to the Indians But they couldn't very well leave you behind Not for the extended trip they had planned They loved you too much to ever do that"

"Yet, they ultimately did leave me when they died," I say with a bitterness that surprises e world They left me unprotected"

Randall takes a few strides toward ry with theone You can't undo that, and you know they never wanted anything bad to happen to you They trusted they were doing the right thing"

"Right for who? For them?"

Sighing, Randall squeezes ht for your fae that"

I pull away from Randall and walk down the hallway towith resentment, and I'm ashamed of myself Ashamed that I would feel that way towardbitterness over having left this hoht at thisI had not less than a o when I was told I had to leave my home in Caraica

Now, I'm confused I don't knohereneither here nor there Every bit of sure footing that I had see out from underneath me

I peek inside of my bedroom, and it's exactly as I remembered it A tiny twin bed with Batman sheets and a blanket Various toys are scattered over love lay on top of a footlocker at the botto is very clean and without a speck of dust anywhere I assu this house all these years

Turning from my roonition assaults ht-iron bed covered in a pale blue and white quilt Their dresser is covered with photographs of our fa to re faces and happy fa my eyes, I swear I can even smellseeps intoo