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You’re really here, he said, and he was the one of us who cried first He said so I didn’t understand but the sound of it was so familiar And I knew: it hat he used to say tomy mother didn’t know It was just ours, me and my dad’s

It e he said God, he said next I left a little boy in his mom’s arms and now here you are, a man

Then he pulled me into his arms and said I missed you little man

Chapter Thirty

There were literally a hundred things to do between now and the start of the Halloween carnival on Friday Without Noah, Vivi Ann was going to have a hell of a ti done After breakfast, Dad went off to the loafing shed for his tractor and the ranch hands set off to feed the steers

Aurora showed up around noon, and although she wasn’t much help, she shadowed Vivi Ann for htfall The white railings were decorated with colorful shells and rocks and bits of beach glass; generations of Grey women and children had marked their territory with treasures taken from their own shores Vivi Ann still had the last scallop shell her er carried it around with her, it was always here, waiting for her on this porch

For the next few hours, they sat there, so silent In fact, the whole ranch was surprisingly quiet today; not a truck had driven down the driveway and not a call had come in Finally, at around nine o’clock, Aurora looked at her watch and said, “Well, I think I’ve been here long enough I’d better get going”

When Aurora left, Vivi Ann went back inside to call Noah Unable to get a dial tone, she did a quick search and discovered the source of the probleed it back in and called Noah on his cell After several rings he answered

“Hey, Mo to call you”

“I know I’ed Are you on your way hoht”

“Uh I’vebeen helping Aunt Winona carry stuff down from her attic all day and we’re still not done Can I spend the night? She’ll take me to school tomorrow”

“Let me talk to her”

Winona caet him to school on time”

Vivi Ann wanted to say no, demand that her son be returned to her, but it was only because she felt lonely, so she said, “Okay, then Tell him I love him”

“You bet”