“I’m ready,” Annie called cheerfully as she came into the hallway dressed to go. She fixed her hair in the mirror and waved Alex along. “Come on, Alex. Let’s get moving. Mom will catch up with us outside.”
The two of them rode the elevator down and headed toward the car parked by the curb. Near the sandbox, a neighborhood boy with trouble written all over him was poking at the dirt with a stick. When he saw Alex limping beside Annie, he shouted out a nasty little rhyme.
“Hey, gimpy, what happened—run out of gas?” he yelled.
“Wait here one minute,” Annie said to Alex in a voice so calm it was almost cold. She clenched her fists and walked straight over to the boy.
In the next instant, Alex saw her pivot fast. There was one clean move, and the kid landed flat in the sandbox with a yelp.
“Okay—wow,” the boy blurted, staring up at her from the sand. “I was kidding.”
“Try your jokes somewhere else,” Annie said evenly. “Not here.”
The air base was bright with flags and balloons that day. Mike met them near the gate in full dress uniform, beaming. He took Alex by the hand and, with unmistakable pride, led him straight to the aircraft he worked on.
Alex could hardly breathe when he saw the huge silver plane up close. He was overwhelmed by the sheer size and power of it. Later there was a concert, family activities, and finally the air show itself…
