Dancing Tides (40 page)

“
P
r
ob
a
b
l
y
.
I
think
E
th
a
n
hop
e
s sp
e
nding
t
h
e
ni
g
ht
in the
d
r
unk t
a
nk
w
ill
w
a
ke
Co
r
d up.
B
ut
w
h
a
t
e
v
e
r
time
he
h
a
s t
here
,
Co
r
d
w
ill h
a
ve
s
o
me
d
ec
isions to m
a
k
e
.
T
he
b
a
ll
’
s in his
c
ou
r
t.”

Tw
o hou
r
s l
a
t
e
r
Co
r
d
h
a
d b
ee
n
f
i
n
g
e
r
p
r
int
e
d, bo
o
k
e
d
a
nd st
r
ipp
e
d.
H
e
f
o
u
nd hims
e
lf d
re
ss
e
d in
a
n o
r
a
n
g
e
ju
m
psuit
a
nd lo
c
k
e
d
aw
a
y
in
a
solit
a
r
y
ce
ll und
e
r
su
i
c
ide
wa
t
c
h. C
a
m
e
ras
hung
a
bo
v
e
his bunk,
w
a
t
c
hing
e
v
e
r
y
move
h
e
m
a
d
e
,
w
hi
c
h in
c
lud
e
d t
a
ki
n
g
a
piss.

H
e
sp
e
nt the
f
i
r
st
c
oup
l
e
of
hou
r
s in
r
a
g
e
mo
d
e
,
a
n
g
r
y
w
ith the
w
o
r
ld,
w
hi
c
h of
c
ou
r
se did him lit
t
le
g
ood.
B
ut
godd
a
mn it, he
wa
s
not
w
a
llo
w
ing
in s
e
l
f-
pi
t
y
.
F
o
r
G
od
’
s
s
a
k
e
s h
e
’
d lost som
e
one
he
lov
e
d in a
v
i
ol
e
nt shootin
g
.
He
ll, h
e’
d
wa
t
c
h
e
d
h
e
r
not t
we
n
t
y
f
ee
t
a
w
a
y
a
s she
l
a
y
d
y
i
n
g
,
wa
t
c
h
e
d
a
s s
h
e
h
a
d t
ake
n
h
e
r
l
a
st b
r
ea
th.

A
nd
w
h
a
t the
g
odd
a
mn
h
e
ll h
a
d he
done
a
bout i
t
?

A
n im
a
ge
of
his b
ea
uti
f
ul
C
a
ssie
a
s she
wa
s in li
f
e
smil
e
d do
w
n
a
t him.
L
y
i
n
g
th
e
r
e d
r
unk
a
nd si
c
k on his b
u
nk, he
wa
nt
e
d to b
e
li
e
v
e
,
no, he
n
ee
d
e
d to b
e
li
e
ve
h
e
r
a
pp
e
a
r
a
n
c
e
wa
s
rea
l.
I
nst
e
a
d of
the
ca
m
e
r
a
,
he
s
a
w
h
e
r
a
n
g
e
lic
f
ac
e.

“
W
hat ha
v
e
y
ou done
to
y
ours
e
lf, Cord?
Y
ou don
’
t
eve
n look
li
k
e
t
h
e
sa
m
e
m
an I
f
e
ll in lo
v
e
with.
W
hat
’
s with the
hair?
I
f
y
ou w
e
re
ba
c
k
in L
ee
sburg…Daddy
would gi
v
e
y
ou gri
e
f about w
e
aring it that lo
n
g and insist
y
ou g
e
t it
c
ut.”

Cord dis
m
iss
e
d the
c
riti
c
ism
as he
alwa
y
s had. “I
m
iss
y
ou. I
want
y
ou ba
c
k
.
Y
ou w
e
re the
only
good thing that
eve
r happ
e
n
e
d to
m
e
in
m
y
whole
m
is
e
rable
lif
e
.
Y
ou
k
now th
a
t.”

“
Y
e
s, I
k
now that.
B
ut
I’
m
gone
now, Cord.
Y
ou
’
r
e
still h
e
re
a
m
ong the
li
v
ing.
Ge
t on with
y
our lif
e
.
Y
ou n
ee
d to stop wishing
y
ou w
e
re
d
e
ad and find what
y
ou
’
re
m
issing.
I
t won
’
t be
me
.
I
t will n
eve
r be
m
e
.
B
ut that
’
s o
k
a
y
.
I’
m
hap
p
y
h
e
r
e
, Cord.
A
nd r
em
e
m
b
e
r,
y
ou
m
ade
m
e happy
while
I
was th
e
r
e
—with
y
ou. Life
was too
short for
m
e
but
y
ou,
y
ou
still ha
v
e
a
c
han
c
e
at what
y
ou want.
D
on
’
t blow it, o
k
a
y
?”