As soon as theywere off the road and stopped Melody Cousins was racing across theblacktop of the parking lot toward the pair. When the little girl and...Melody were close, the older woman dropped to her knees sliding the lastfew feet as their arms wrapped around each other."Who would have ever thought a hardened Delta Force Sniper could have asoft spot?" commented someone."Oaks, they've not seen each other in over a year. And if you even thinkabout teasing my wife about shedding tears I'll stake. ?We got a jack, a jill, everything. You go sit in our car while we change tires for you. You do have a spare, don?t you.??Yes,? the Wizard said. ?It?s in a wrack on the back right door of the van.? He did a quick scan of both boys? minds. Normally, Charlie and Wes would have driven past, laughing at his problem. They were the sort who were sometimes actually _improved_ by alcohol and other drugs. If they fixed his car ? and they did know how to change a tire ? he would see if he could do. Wearying even. But it’s still ... let me tell you, when it’s new in your hands it’s a cold fast rush.I grew up a really straight-laced girl in a fly speck town that was essentially a suburb of a slightly bigger fly speck town. I grew up really happy, but really insulated. Same group of people, same group of kids all growing up together. Same church. Same straight-laced church. Same witheringly regimented, suffocating church. But I didn’t know that then so I was very happy.I knew I was a pretty. " Keep it up," Gallahad grunted back. "You pussy out now and I'll kick your ass." You'll kick my ass in your dreams," was the obligatory reply.Gallahad gave the obligatory laugh in response and they ran on, their sports shoes lifting up and pounding down on the neatly manicured grass. Soon the phenomenon of the second wind kicked in, easing Jeff's suffering a little. Endorphins flooded into his body, quieting the stitch in his side and imparting him with a gentle sense of well-being, a sense.