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"No Should I?"

"I don't want you to have to think about it but I suppose he'll be disappointed that you didn't tell hiood"

"Okay," I said "Ill write hiht"

"Maybe you should go to England for the rest of the suht aloud

"I don't know, Mommy"

"Well, you don't do anything that o," she said

She returned to her needlepoint I thought a moment and then I returned to mine

We didn't speak for a long ti aloud There was so we said with every lance and sht

And then I thought about Harley, as so alone All his silences were deep and dark even when he sat in the same room with his mother and Uncle Roy

In fact, all three of them were alone

Two days later we had one of the worst heat spells ever The huht percent and the tehts did little to cool it down There was such a drain on the electricity in the area that so brownouts Even the aniered on branches in the shade I felt sorry for Harley and Uncle Roy out on their job There were stories about roadworkers and other outdoor e fro in the house under a fan or in front of the cool air vents, the only relief was in the lake, which Daddy said was the warmest he had ever felt it

As soon as he returned home from work Harley was in the water One afternoon, he didn't wait to change He drove his motorcycle down to the dock and dove in, clothes and all Moht it was very funny, especially when he stepped out and e stupid

We did ht and usually find Harley was already at the raft or just floating near the dock Except for the sht or starlight On overcast, heavy nights Moo too far out

"Just wade and get yourself cooled down honey"

It was too warm for her to stay outside and watch us so Daddy would come out occasionally and check or take a dip hi If he did, he just dove in on the other end of the lake, closer to his house When Harley was younger, Uncle Roy kept hi he didn't want Harley to bother us but Mommy made it crystal clear that he was never toNow, of course Harley could swim the entire width of the lake, so it didn't matter much where he dove in