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“You want to help le dad, building a boat out in the second car portion of his garage Nothing big or fancy But one that would be seaworthy If he ever got it done “We can work on sanding the wood for the bow together”

Nor for the tierous business, depending on what he was doing And it helped hi a path in his carpet

“I don’t want to”

Levi atteress—and raised the fork backward to his oal before sliding off the fork onto his lap—leaving a bit of red sauce on the table as it bounced by

The boy wrapped again, lowered his head to his plate and slurped up the pasta on his fork, creating a ring of red around his lips

“Good job, sport,” Jeh five that Levi generally landed with a meaty slap when he accomplished a task “That was a whole bite!”

The boy shrugged He didn’t high five He didn’t even look up

Sliding from his seat to crouch on the floor by his son’s chair, Jem moved his head until he could look directly into his son’s downcast gaze “You mad at me, son?”

Levi shook his head

“You sure seem mad”

Another shake of the head, and then t

hose big blue eyes—so like his mother’s—filled with tears “I wanna play T-ballllll,” he wailed and, throwing himself at Je and I wanna play balllll,” he said again, s red sauce all over both of they little hands, cast slung around the back of Jem’s neck

“I know you do, son,” Je he couldthe fact that he couldn’t

And knew that particular pang was probably only just beginning to be a force in his life One that was going to follow hirave, no doubt

There was a hurricane storm of tears, and then they dried up