During the meal, which Bud devoured, the Marine began to reveal parts of his past. He told David about the hell of being raised in a succession of group homes. “I’m not saying it was like what you’d read in a Dickens novel or anything, but growing up in an orphanage ‘cause your parents didn’t want you, takes some getting used to. ‘Specially when you went to school and saw all the kids from normal homes in their nicer clothes, playing with nicer toys and all that.”
“I’m sorry. I just can’t imagine what you went through.” David had enjoyed a stable upbringing in a nice neighborhood, with a dad who went to work, and a mom who stayed at home. Not exactly Leave It to Beaver, but not too far off.
“We’d never get enough to eat, and what we did get was s**t. I know some of the kids got sick ‘cau
