.... close behind me. Staring at the mirror, I used to count the number of wrinkles on my forehead. They remind me the number of inerasable past events that I had involved in. Rapidly, I climb on the bed. Bed is my lovely place. I call it, the gymnasium. I used to roll on my bed. Whenever my mind cannot function or do not know what should do next, I would roll, roll and roll. This time is unusual because my head is crashing the fence of the bed. It is not much painful. The crash stops me rolling but starts me getting recall of my friend, Angus. At a time, my brain is working like a computer loading an enormous file. A picture is appearing - a guy is walking towar .....

.... some Nikes. After giving up on my hair; I ran into the kitchen and snatched my lunch box off the counter. Soon I was out the door and on to face my first day at my new school. After defeating the labyrinth of streets that we call our neighborhood, and meeting my first crossing guard; I made my way into the school. It was quite crowded , but I knew where I was headed. I proceeded up the stairs and down the hall to room 212, where I sat down in the front row. I turned around and took a quick peak at the class; scanning the room for someone to talk to. When I saw no opportunities I began to get a bit timid, but as soon as the bell rang I felt all right. .....

.... skin on them was like tracing paper. I used to pretend that they were road maps, with red roads and blue roads popping up everywhere. I would sit in is lap and try to straighten out his fingers. He never became angry, he only sat with great patience and smiled. I am always told, by relatives, that those hands used to be able to do anything. Such as hold a rifle so steadily that he never missed a target. I have also read newspaper articles, about the hands that were so great they led the baseball team in an undefeated season. Grandfather’s hands pitched fourteen “no-hitters” in a role. When I hear all the wonderful things about them, I have to beli .....

.... fanfare of trumpets, no grandiose announcements, no pre-fight publicity. He simply showed up at Mulligan's Bar one Sunday afternoon when the regulars were discussing the merits of the Tyson/Doakes fight, and settled in the far corner next to the miniscule stage, nursing a half-pint of beer. Mulligan's being the type of place it is, he wasn't alone too long. "Useta call me Black Billy," he growled, lumbering to his feet. His head ducked and dodged, body swayed, as he danced on his toes, shooting lefts and rights at an imaginary opponent. His scarred face looked troubled for a moment. "Coulda been the Champ. Didn' get a chance. Said I don' got the killer i .....

.... one week. How could this happen to me, this wasn't part of my plan. What had I done wrong to deserve this? I had been against the war right from the start, and I couldn't imagine fighting in it. Sad, angry, and scared emotions all worked together and overwhelmed my body. I soon found myself crying. Before I knew what was going on I was in . I already miss my friends, my family, and especially Abbey. I am constantly numb with the fear that I will have to kill another human being, or worse I myself will be shot and killed. How could my family and Abbey deal with this? Everyone here hates the war and just wants to go home to their families. Everyday dozens of men .....

.... in the park for about an hour and a half. She told me her name was Kristeen Thorne and told me that she was a new student at Orangeville High School; the same school I attended. We found that we had six out of seven classes together, which was a very good thing. I asked her to go out with me that Friday night. We went to the movies first, and then we went to Vinnie Vicci's Italian restaurant. The date was perfect and the person I was with made the date seem like Heaven. We dated non-exclusively for about one month. On our one month anniversary, I gave her my letter jacket which I earned playing varsity football. And while I did that, I asked her to date exc .....

.... I have been on I-40 between Oklahoma and California several times and I have seen the occasional "Historic Route 66" sign along the way when stopping for the night or at a gas station. I had heard of Route 66 before, but at the time just did not know exactly what it was. The signs were there but where was the road? I never quite figured that out at the time and the exact meaning of "Get your kicks on Route 66" eluded me too. I remember browsing through a book in a bookstore, Route 66 - The Mother Road by Michael Wallis, and being fascinated by the pictures, the small towns, the old gas stations, the hamburger joints and the old signs. This was what had alway .....

.... and what I have seen in her is what I have looked for in friends ever since. Now as an adult, I see Belle in friends like Tiffany, Rachelle and it seems my favorite characters in my books have always reminded me a bit of Belle. Belle had a profound effect on me in childhood as well as later on in life. She was my finest friend throughout grammar and Junior High school. We fancied relishing our lunches together. Laughing about the boys' wicked ways and planning our revenge at the ensuing recess. This always made lunch go by so swiftly. It was hard to tear us apart. Hell, it was hard to tell us apart. We were both round bodied and a bit out of shape. .....