anything more beautiful on this earth?
‘Well, the more time I spend with you, the more I realize how wrong I was, because there is something more beautiful than your face.” He paused. “And that is … your heart, Silver.”
Silver melted from the depth of his sincerity as she explored every feature in his amazing face.
“Never would I ever have imagined that something as lovely as you would come into my life and bring a glimmer of happiness into the world of a smelly, broken bum like me and make me feel so complete.”Tears welled up in his eyes. “I never believed that after all I've been through that I would ever trust or feel for anyone again. But you changed that, Silver. You did all that by simply being a friend to me, and for that, I just want to say … I will forever love you.”
She was overwhelmed, and for a moment the air seemed to have been removed from her entire body. Finally she gasped, “Oh, Chance … I love you, too!”
Caught in the grip of such intense emotions, they hugged each other tightly. As they pulled apart, they gazed into each other's eyes, and it seemed as if nothing else in the world existed or mattered anymore. Slowly, they moved back in to kiss for the first time.
A mysterious and overwhelming calm embraced Silver's young soul, for at that very moment she had found unequivocal love—the kind of love that many people searched for their whole lives but were never able to find. Silver knew that she would forever be a part of Chance's life, as he would forever be a part of hers, for their two worlds had aligned at precisely the right moment, and from then on they truly and forever would be one.
Chapter 9
A MINUTE TO PRAY, A SECOND TO DIE
B irdie tried his very best to keep Silver's spirits up. He even walked with her to school on occasion. Today Birdie was dressed as a man to spare Silver any embarrassment in front of her friends. Birdie knew just how cruel other kids could be. They spotted the ever-familiar Mitts, the dope fiend, nodding as he begged people passing by for change. As Birdie and Silver approached, he straightened and grimly stared at them.
When they'd passed him, Silver turned around and noticed that he was still watching.
“Auntie, why didn't you give him some money like my mother does?” Silver asked.
“Because that nigga ain't shit!” Birdie snapped. “The more you give those types some money, the more you help them kill themselves, and that nigger back there done killed himself long time ago.”
“So is that how my mother is going to end up?”
Birdie stopped in his tracks. “Baby, your momma is far from what he is,” he tried to assure her. “That won't ever happen to your mother because she is too strong.” He nodded as if trying to convince himself. “You know as well as I that your motherbeen through this before and she always pulled herself together. Just you wait and see.”
Silver was not convinced. “But why doesn't she come home anymore? I miss her, Birdie.”
“I know you miss her, baby,” Birdie said. “I miss her, too, but all we can do is wait for her to be willing to stop on her own. As bad as it may sound, that's the only way for her to see.”
Silver looked up at Birdie. “What do you mean by the only way for her to see?”
Pondering the question, Birdie bit his lip. “Well … it's sort of like when a mother eagle teaches her baby eagles how to fly to survive. See, when they are born the mother eagle flies out all day getting them food. As they get older, the mother eagle knows that they will die from starvation if they don't learn how to fly and learn to feed themselves. The problem is they get so comfortable having their mother hunt for them they don't want to leave their nest. So the mother eagle takes them out one by one, high in the air, and drops them.”
Silver gasped in shock. “That's cold.”
Birdie nodded in agreement. “Yes, it is, but guess what happens after she drops them.”
“They learn to
‘Well, the more time I spend with you, the more I realize how wrong I was, because there is something more beautiful than your face.” He paused. “And that is … your heart, Silver.”
Silver melted from the depth of his sincerity as she explored every feature in his amazing face.
“Never would I ever have imagined that something as lovely as you would come into my life and bring a glimmer of happiness into the world of a smelly, broken bum like me and make me feel so complete.”Tears welled up in his eyes. “I never believed that after all I've been through that I would ever trust or feel for anyone again. But you changed that, Silver. You did all that by simply being a friend to me, and for that, I just want to say … I will forever love you.”
She was overwhelmed, and for a moment the air seemed to have been removed from her entire body. Finally she gasped, “Oh, Chance … I love you, too!”
Caught in the grip of such intense emotions, they hugged each other tightly. As they pulled apart, they gazed into each other's eyes, and it seemed as if nothing else in the world existed or mattered anymore. Slowly, they moved back in to kiss for the first time.
A mysterious and overwhelming calm embraced Silver's young soul, for at that very moment she had found unequivocal love—the kind of love that many people searched for their whole lives but were never able to find. Silver knew that she would forever be a part of Chance's life, as he would forever be a part of hers, for their two worlds had aligned at precisely the right moment, and from then on they truly and forever would be one.
Chapter 9
A MINUTE TO PRAY, A SECOND TO DIE
B irdie tried his very best to keep Silver's spirits up. He even walked with her to school on occasion. Today Birdie was dressed as a man to spare Silver any embarrassment in front of her friends. Birdie knew just how cruel other kids could be. They spotted the ever-familiar Mitts, the dope fiend, nodding as he begged people passing by for change. As Birdie and Silver approached, he straightened and grimly stared at them.
When they'd passed him, Silver turned around and noticed that he was still watching.
“Auntie, why didn't you give him some money like my mother does?” Silver asked.
“Because that nigga ain't shit!” Birdie snapped. “The more you give those types some money, the more you help them kill themselves, and that nigger back there done killed himself long time ago.”
“So is that how my mother is going to end up?”
Birdie stopped in his tracks. “Baby, your momma is far from what he is,” he tried to assure her. “That won't ever happen to your mother because she is too strong.” He nodded as if trying to convince himself. “You know as well as I that your motherbeen through this before and she always pulled herself together. Just you wait and see.”
Silver was not convinced. “But why doesn't she come home anymore? I miss her, Birdie.”
“I know you miss her, baby,” Birdie said. “I miss her, too, but all we can do is wait for her to be willing to stop on her own. As bad as it may sound, that's the only way for her to see.”
Silver looked up at Birdie. “What do you mean by the only way for her to see?”
Pondering the question, Birdie bit his lip. “Well … it's sort of like when a mother eagle teaches her baby eagles how to fly to survive. See, when they are born the mother eagle flies out all day getting them food. As they get older, the mother eagle knows that they will die from starvation if they don't learn how to fly and learn to feed themselves. The problem is they get so comfortable having their mother hunt for them they don't want to leave their nest. So the mother eagle takes them out one by one, high in the air, and drops them.”
Silver gasped in shock. “That's cold.”
Birdie nodded in agreement. “Yes, it is, but guess what happens after she drops them.”
“They learn to
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