Word of Joe"s generosity spread through Cranston like a brushfire. Within hours, the entire population had converged on the diner, at the beauty shop or in front of the pharmacy counter, chattering away about the upcoming fireworks display, and it didn"t take long for them to connect the Independence Day celebration with whatever Joe had going up on the roof of the Creedmore Building. For weeks, the whine of saws and clang of hammers had drawn their eyes to the rooftop, only to reward them with an empty sky. To the townsfolk, Joe"s check was as much an announcement of his intent to unveil his secret project as it was a generous effort to ensure that Téo would get his fireworks on his first Independence Day.
No matter how they looked at it, though, Joe"s sudden generosity created an instan
