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a sure sign of the beginning of a new project. His eyes would flash
with enthusiasm and eagerness. He said they turned gray when he
was sick. I never saw them gray.

I use to sit for hours watching his strong and steady hands build
a model plane or boat. He always liked boats and seemed destined
for a career with the navy. I heard him say many times that he wanted
to be buried at sea.

This, however, was all some time ago. Now he was back again
visiting his grandmother. When I first saw him go by in his car, I
could hardly believe my eyes. For ten years I had hoped and prayed
to see him again. It seemed unbelievable that he was here.

I was standing in the front yard when he stopped. "Hi, stranger,
long time no see. How are you?"

I thought, "That same blond hair, perhaps a little lighter, and
those same penetrating eyes." He was, needless to say, taller and
heavier and he had changed from the boy I knew so well to a man
who was almost a stranger. We talked about many things but mostly
of the things we had done as kids.

After that, I saw him several times but only for a few minutes.
One evening just before sunset, I decided to take a walk down the
street. I walked for several blocks and then turned to go home. As I
passed his grandparent's house, Norwood's mother, who was standing
in the yard, invited me to come inside. Rather hesitantly, partly from
fear and partly from anticipation, I walked up the drive. I talked to
his mother for a short while when Norwood came in.

Since his grandfather's death, the first floor of the house was not
used. Norwood's mother got a dust cloth and dusted a couple chairs
for us in the downstairs side porch.

As his mother was going upstairs, Norwood and I were sitting
down. To the right of me I could see that the sun was rapidly moving
into oblivion. It was becoming very dark in the porch, partly because
of a long green bamboo curtain that covered the whole side facing
the fading sun. We sat there opposite each other till the sun gave
way to the moon.

Later we walked outside. "When are you leaving?"
"Day after tomorrow."
"So soon?"

"Yes," I started walking down the driveway.
He put his arm around me and with a puzzled look in my eyes
I turned to him. "Shall we walk over here?" I saw where he was
pointing. It was the side garden where we had so often played hide-