Once again, Nettie and JD were on a bus, traveling the last few miles to Las Vegas.

Though Nettie had been trying, JD remained quiet, and Nettie was sure now, deeply depressed. Not once had she seen a spark in his hazel eyes, they were dull. He couldn't sleep well, barely ate, and drank water only at her insistence. Her concern grew deeper and deeper as the time passed.

"Have you ever been to Las Vegas?" she began as he stared out of the bus window, still not seeing the view.

"Oh, no , , , no," he stammered.

"Not here to gamble?" Nettie teased.

He shook his head no.

"Son . . . I know you don't like me calling you that, but after two buses and a long Amtrak ride, I don't know your name. As I have told you, I am Nettie Wells. There isn't any harm in me knowing yours, is there?"

"JD," the boy said softly. "For John Daniel."

"Nice to know you, JD."

"Too many boys named John in my school," he said, smiling a little. "I like being called JD."

"I think it suits you, JD." Nettie got another tiny smile for that. "Do you have relatives in Las Vegas?"

"I'm . . . I'm not sure," JD stammered. "Mom had a cousin in Las Vegas, I thought I would look her up. And maybe a man who might be my D. . ." and JD stopped abruptly and bit his lip.

Nettie could have sworn the boy was about to said, "Dad," and her curiosity grew.

Making up her mind, she gave JD her card, with her name and address. "If you ever need someone, please don't hesitate to call me, young man."

"Oh, I'll be . . . I'll be fine."

"This is a hard city, JD. Has a lot of crime along with gambling and prostitution. It's legal here. This is a hard city," she repeated.

JD said softly, "So is Boston."

The bus pulled to a stop in downtown Las Vegas and the passengers departed. JD helped Nettie down as she said, "These old legs of mine are not as steady as they used to be."

As she stood, holding his hands as they were facing each other. "JD, I can't thank you enough for taking care of me on this journey. I would love to do something for you, would you like to dine with me? I can show you around a little, tell you what to avoid. If you need a place to stay, I have a house with three bedrooms and you'd be welcome to stay with me until you can call your cousin. What do you say?"

"I . . . yes, thank you, I could eat dinner with you."

"Good. I know a really good place that my niece loves. I'll call a taxi and we'll go to the

Eiffel Tower restaurant."

She was pleased to see a spark of interest in the boy's eyes. Things seemed to be working out after all.