Pieces of Hope Read Online Free PDF Page B

side, and the boy collapsed beside
him, the two of them exhausted.
    The girl
ran to comfort the boy, afraid to touch his bruised face. Her face left no
doubt that she thought it looked painful. “You’re going to have quite a
shiner,” she said proudly. “I like it. It makes you look tough.”
    The boy
leaned up on one elbow. “Are you saying I usually don’t?”
    She
laughed. “You almost have a prettier face than I do.”
    “No one
could ever be prettier than you,” he said, smiling and wincing.
    “All
right, love birds—I think it’s time for my exit.” Finn took his time getting to
his feet, the swelling of his cheek already causing his right eye to close.
“For once, you did good, baby brother. Guess I’ll make a man out of you yet.”
    “You
were molding my character?” the boy said disbelievingly. Standing up now, he
reached for the girl’s hand. “Funny. I thought you were taking your personal
frustrations out on my face.”     
    “Of
course not,” Finn said wryly. “Like Lu said, your face was too pretty. That
broken nose gives it some character.” He started to walk away. Without looking
back, he called, “Bet no one ever sucker punches you again. Let that be a
lesson to you. Never look away in a fight—especially at a girl.”
    When
Finn was gone, the boy and girl sat beside the lake. Lu’s eyes, alive with
adoration, never left his. And, despite the persistent throbbing that made my
eyes water, the boy was happy. Deliriously so. I could feel his adrenaline
rushing and, in turn, mine rushed too. As his heart raced, a sticky swirl of
emotions coursed through me. I could taste them on my tongue.       
    “I’m
going to spend the rest of my life with you, you know that, don’t you?” Lu
said. For looking all of fifteen, I was surprised at her boldness. But the boy
wasn’t.
    “I’d do
anything for your happiness, Lu,” the boy replied with a laugh. “Anything at
all—even if it means me having to marry you someday.”
    “Not
everyone could put up with me,” she replied. “I have a tendency to speak my
mind. That’s not the way women are supposed to be—I’m supposed to stay home,
cook dinner, have babies. You won’t be marrying that woman.”
    Really?
That didn’t sound right—cook, clean, have babies? But then I thought of her
clothing. What—what year was this?  
    “I know
I won’t be marrying that woman.” He looked into her eyes and sighed. “I want to
marry you —feisty, outspoken, and
unconventional. I’d marry you in this lifetime or any lifetime. You’re my girl,
Lu. Always will be.” He kissed her gently. She returned it more forcefully and
he winced again.
    “Sorry,
sorry!” She stood and reached for his hand. “Let’s get back to the house and
put some ice on that.”
    He
pulled her back down and she fell across his lap. “Not yet.” He planted a long,
slow kiss on her lips. It left me a little dizzy. And, strangely, jealous. He
loved this girl in a way I had never been loved.
    The
dream jumped.
    “Coming
in?” the girl called. I heard a splash, and the boy turned in time to catch
sight of her dress lying in a heap on the grass. She was almost halfway across
the lake by now, her light blond hair trailing behind her.
    His
heart sped up. Mine did, too. He gave an appreciative laugh and began to pull
off his clothes. “You don’t have to ask me twice!”
    “It’s
one of the things I love about you,” she replied as she reached the other side.
“I barely have to ask once!”
    Again,
the dream jumped. Now they were lying side by side, staring up at the sky. His
emotions were changing quickly, dipping into a darker place. It left a bitter
taste in my mouth, and a hard knot in my stomach.
    “I guess
you heard the news.” His voice was low. “It was all over the radio this
morning. The Germans have invaded Poland,
and Britain
has declared war.”
    World
War II? The 1940’s? I wondered, was he dreaming of another time?
    “Maybe
it