Bud, Lorraine, and I go way back, practically to birth. Even though this is a small community, I didn’t really get to know either of them until we were all in high school.
High school was a gauntlet for me—a gauntlet with satellites. My day started at sunup, when I’d get breakfast together, my brothers up, lunches made, and everyone ready for school. I’d check on our father, but usually that was it for him. He was the grown-up. He should have been able to take care of himself.
When I got to school, it was like I was a magnet or something. A bunch of kids would flock around me. Most of the time they didn’t talk, but just huddled around, following me to my locker and homeroom. Between classes I’d pick up a few of them again as I walked from room to room.
The challenge for me during class,
