Chapter 13Well into the fall, on a Friday, late in the afternoon, Toby was driving Wayne’s car to pick him up from the trucking company. The air was brisk and cool, but not cold. The sun was slowly starting to give up the day—just low enough in the horizon to begin painting the clouds pink and orange. Toby had the top down and between the heavy jacket and the heater set on high, he was warm enough. Casper, as the puppy was now named on account of him being mostly white, was happily snuggled in a blanket in the passenger seat. As Toby saw leaves falling from the trees alongside the roadway, he thought of his mother. To him, it seemed as if she was in the fall of her life. He missed her terribly and worried after her health. He and Wayne had spent the previous weekend with his dad, but James
