The Year Apart:
"Mother! Why does my father always have to contradict everything I want to do?" Stone's lean body stands there shaking as he tries to ask his mother, though it's hard for him to speak. He fought to control his body to keep it from trembling uncontrollably.
"Look, pull yourself together and do this. If not for you, do it for me and Dad. Please don't embarrass us in front of everyone tonight. Keep this in mind. We have invested so much in you, Stone." She stated firmly.
He was appalled and bristled at hearing the words they invested so much in him as if he wasn't their child but an object. Stone found the strength, as usual, to gather himself.
"Go alone, Mother, and get in the limo. I'll be out in a second."
When they all arrived at the Award show in Chicago, Stone sat
