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(Page 2 of 2) Image Chapter 2 by Wil MooreOnce complete, Frankie sat with him while Joey and Jelly played on it, then he disappeared into the house. Later Jelly went in. Kak and Joey were left alone outside in the fading summer light.
"What do you think I'll do when I grow up Kak?" Joey asked seriously.
"I always thought you'd be a race car driver," Kak answered with a smile. Joey smiled back but it faded quickly. He was serious. Could such a young boy actually be concerned with stresses like this?
"I want to do something special."
"Like what?"
"Something special for someone. I want to make someone special."
Kak smiled. "I think that anyone who knows you feels special Joey. You're a special kid and it rubs off on everyone around you," The trees that lined the back yard shook lightly as a breeze passed by. And Kak thought that the breeze, too, must have felt special as it passed through the boy's hair.
"I want to change someone, make it so they don't have to frown all the time. I want to make them smile instead," Joey mused.
"Well, kid, you better start thinking of something else to do when you grow up, because you've already done that," Kak said.
"Huh?" Joey blurted out in confusion. He didn't think Kak would deny him his dreams, Kak wasn't supposed to do that. Kak was his support, always and forever, and that hurt.
"What do you think you've done for me, Joey? You took me in when I had nowhere else to go, no one to go to; I was lost and confused, I had no memory. Then you were there and since then, well, I may not have gotten my memories back, but you've given me new ones in their place. And for that I am always smiling. If not with my mouth with my heart, always. You've definitely changed someone Joey. Don't you worry about that."
The sun dipped below the horizon, and across the sky night lurked ever closer. The two sat in silence for a moment in complete comfort. There were no awkward moments between them, as though they tacitly understood each other inside and out. Then they went in for the night, Joey didn't need to curl up with Old Bill that night. He felt safe and comfortable already.
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