So I knew down to my soul, nothing ever would.
No, that wasn’t right.
We’d found each other so we had it all.
And I knew, lying in his arms, feeling his long, strong bodybehind mine, smelling him all around me, we always would.
Not long later…
“Malia, honey, come on down.We’ve got togo,” my mom called.
I didn’t want to go.
I really, really didn’t want to go.
But I had to go.
However, I had to do something else first.
I sat at my desk, the paper Duke gave me at Fortnum’s whatseemed like forever ago on top, my notebook open next to it, and I was copyingthe words of the song.
And just like Duke did, I wrote at the bottom:
They’ll cut you ‘til you cry out.
Be the boxer.
Remain.
But I finished mine with:
I’m here for you, forever.
Love you always, Malia
I tore the page out of my notebook, folded it so it waslittle and tucked it into my purse.
Then I walked down the stairs to go with my parents toDarius’s dad’s funeral.
One week later…
I knew Ally didn’t want to, but she did.
She passed the note to me in the hallway at school that day,the look on her face saying it all.
I didn’t need the look.I felt the look.We all did.
Darius’s dad, Morris had been murdered.
It was unthinkable.Unconscionable.
And, no surprise, those two were exactly alike, super close,Darius being the apple who proudly stuck close to Morris’s tree, it had tornDarius apart.
I knew the writing on the outside, the slants and driftsthat spelled my name, so I knew I couldn’t open it, until now.
I was home from school, up in my room.
He was gone from me, which was bad, considering I waspregnant with our child.
