Chapter 14“Sir, please don’t send me away.” Brian knew he was babbling, everything jumbled up in his mind. The one fragment of clarity was the idea that somehow, some way, he had to convince Donald to keep him forever. “I know I’m nerdy, clumsy, and I come with issues, but, Sir, no one will ever love you as much as I will. I swear, Sir.” Tears streamed down his face.
“Dear Lord,” Donald said as he pulled Brian into a rough embrace. “You were perfect. I failed you, my boy, I failed you.”
Donald had to clear his throat several times before he trusted himself to speak with any coherence.
“My boy, you were perfect…perfect in every way. The trouble is not on your head, but mine. I sent you with Jim Boy. He invited you to gossip, but you didn’t. The short cut through the cigar room would have
