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"You'll be sorry, Chris," he blazed fiercely "Youthat codicil added-- and instructed the attorneys not to read it aloud the day I heard it first, when I was ten It's your fault I haven't co due me!"
As always it had been Chris's fault--or mine
Brotherly Love
Most of the one while Jory stayed in the hospital, and Septe the colorful process of autuardeners had co they carelessly overlooked so , and it was
so we both liked to do
We heaped theether on the grass to watch the fire blaze high and warh to heat our cold hands and faces The fire down beloas so safe we could enjoy just watching and turning often to gaze at one another and the way the glow lit up our eyes and turned our skins a lovely shade of scarlet Chris had a lover's way of looking atto caresslove In the firelight of those leaves burning at night, we found each other in neays, in mature ways that were even better than e'd had before, and that had always been overwhelly sweet
And behind us, staying forever locked within her room in that horrible house, Melodie's baby swelled her out more and more
Theblaze of colors that stoleme with awe as only the works of nature could These were the salimpsed in our hideaway attic schoolroolanced up at the attic dornoy glass, staring out, yearning to be free to do what now I took as only natural and our due
Ghosts up there, our ghosts up there
Color all our days gray, was the way I'd used to think Color all Jory's days gray now, for he wouldn't let himself see the beauty of autumn in the mountains when he couldn't stroll the woodsy paths, or dance over the browning grass, or lean to sniff the fall flowers, or jog alongside Melodie
The tennis courts stayed empty as Bart abandoned them for lack of a partner Chris would have loved a Saturday or Sunday tennis ganored Chris
The large swiht was drained, cleaned, covered over The screens calass was cleaned before the storht behind the garage grew by the dozens, and trucks delivered coal to use when or if our oil furnaces failed, or our electricity went off We had an auxiliary unit to light our roo, and yet somehow I feared this winter as I'd never feared any winter but those in the attic
Freezing cold it had been in the attic, like the Arctic zone Noere going to have the chance to experience what it had been like downstairs, while Momma enjoyed life with her parents and friends, and the lover she found, while four unwanted children froze and starved and suffered upstairs
Sunday ether We ate breakfast in Jory's room so he wouldn't feel so separate from his family, and only a few times could I persuade Bart and Melodie to join us
"Go on," urged Jory, when he saw oing to begrudge you and Dad your legs because mine don't work anymore I'm not a baby, or that selfish"