"Uncle Soda, this is Macaroni."

Soda got down on the floor beside Emily and the new cat he was meeting for the first time. He put his hand out, petting the kitty's head when it came closer. "Hi there, kitty cat. I know someone was mighty happy to bring you home."

Emily picked the kitten up, rubbing her face against his. "Yep, I sure was. I've been calling him Mac too, just like you said."

"Oh yeah? You think he likes his name?"

Emily felt Macaroni's paws begin to bat at her pigtails, giggling, as she set him back on the floor. "I hope so. Did you know he's adopted just like me?"

"Yeah, sweetie. That makes sense. He's your baby now."

"He's got a mommy cat too. I saw her. She even had five more kittens!"

Soda smiled, as Emily held up five fingers to emphasize her enthusiasm. "Wow! That's a lot of brothers and sisters."

"I know! I've only got one brother, but he's with God. Daddy says he's watching over me. Do you think he is?"

"I definitely think so. And now, he can see Mac too."

"What do you think Heaven is like, Uncle Soda? It's where my brother is."

"I think it must be real pretty, Emily Beth. And happy. I bet everybody smiles all the time, and no one ever cries cause there's nothin' to be sad about."

"I want to go there one day, so I can see Matthew."

"Me too. But not for a long, long time. There's no hurry cause Heaven will last forever and ever."

"Yeah, it would've given me chills to hear her talking about that kind of stuff too."

Soda still felt a shiver in his bones, as he sat with Steve, the two men in the latter's bedroom. "Yeah. I'm glad she knows about Matthew and all. But she's too little to really get what death means or to understand Heaven's not a place you can just go."

Steve sat at his desk, stapling some papers together that he then put in a binder. "Right, and she doesn't know about your parents, my mom, or our friends that we want to see again too."

"Yeah. She doesn't know I ever looked up at Heaven and decided I might try to go ahead and go there either."

"Or that I did try, and Samuel wasn't far from the same."

Soda sat on the edge of Steve's bed, watching as his best friend closed a binder, then seemed to search for something in one of his textbooks. "Am I gettin' in the way of your focus, Stevie? If I am-"

"No, buddy. You're good. I want to talk to you. Besides, you're going to be gone tomorrow night."

"Yeah. It'll sure be somethin' to see Penny graduate college."

"You always knew she'd do it though."

"I did. I know you will too."

Steve turned around in his chair, watching the expression on Soda's face. "Hey, what are you thinking about over there?"

"Just ya'll and what you've been able to do. Pony and Darry too."

"You got your GED, buddy, and you have a pretty great job. We're all just as proud of you as you are of us. I think I can speak for everybody on that one."

"You never miss a beat, do you?"

"Huh?"

"You never miss a chance to build me up. Even before I can realize I need it, you say the words. I wish I had a way to say how much I appreciate that."

"I already know, man. The fact that you take it all to heart and you listen, that's the best way. And you're here for me too."

Soda started to laugh, earning a puzzled look from Steve. "Sorry. I just could swear everything's turnin' into a heart-to-heart between us lately."

Steve smiled, as he used a sheet of paper to mark his place in the textbook. "Yeah, I guess it has been." He then moved from the desk to the bed, his arm going around Soda. "So speaking of that, how are you with the flashbacks now?"

"They haven't happened anymore. I guess my head just got in that place, you know? And the worst part wasn't even the memories, it was thinkin' I wouldn't get better. That the flashbacks would keep happening all the time and pull me down too far."

"I get it, brother. I've been scared of that too. Remember a couple years ago when I had those flashbacks for a few days?"

"Yeah. Of course. Cause it scared me too. How are you with that stuff? Have you had any more nightmares?"

"No. Nothing else has been bothering me. Not yet. I admit I'm expecting it to though."

"Cause of you and Katie?"

"Yeah. I mean, even if I don't tell her about the abuse anytime soon, it's still there. I'm sure those feelings and memories are bound to get triggered. It's just a matter of when and how."

"When it happens, please tell me, all right, Stevie?"

"I will. Cause I know I'll need you. What time do you plan on leaving tomorrow?"

"Not early. Just sometime in the morning, so I'll be with Penny for a while before the ceremony."

"Sounds good, man. If you aren't up, I'll wake you before I go to class. You said I never miss a beat when it comes to building you up, and I also don't like the idea of missing the chance to tell you goodbye."

"Do you think it'll happen soon?"

Darry lie in bed beside Maryanne, his arm wrapped around her waist that was covered only by a red silk nightgown. "Yes. I do."

Maryanne felt Darry's lips touch hers, her arms wrapping around to hold him closer. "You'll be an amazing dad."

Darry rested his forehead against his wife's as he smiled at her. "And you'll be an amazing mom. Let's see if we can make it happen tonight."

"Mornin', Stevie. What are you makin'?"

Steve looked away from the stove to see Soda had entered the kitchen. "I thought I'd have to wake you up. I'm cooking pancakes for us."

Soda got out the milk and poured himself a glass, as Steve was pouring pancake mix into a heated pan. "You gotta make sure I start with a good breakfast, huh?"

"Of course, buddy. And my first class isn't til 9:30, so I've got time to sit down with you and eat before I have to head to school."

"I ain't going to be gone that long, you know. I'll come home tomorrow."

"Yeah. But I still want to hang out a little bit. You better call me tonight too."

"Won't you be busy with Katie?"

"Yeah, but we'll be here. So I want to know you got there all right and stuff."

"And stuff?"

"Yep." Steve used the spatula to move a cooked pancake to the plate beside the stove. "Just want to check in too."

"Steve?"

Steve's eyes looked up from the pan, as more pancake mix filled it and began to bubble. "What?"

"What are you worried about?"

"Who says I'm worried?"

"Every word that's come out of your mouth since I got up."

"Is it so bad to want to make sure my best friend is okay?"

"Of course it's not bad. I'm just wonderin'. That's all. I've gone to Norman before to see Penny, and it wasn't a big deal."

"I never said it was a big deal. I'm only saying I want to know you're safe. And I want to know that you-"

"That I what? I'll call you, okay? I always do when I go there, right? I'm sorry if I'm giving you a hard time or gettin' on your case about this. I can just kind of sense when you're worried, and I don't want you to be."

Steve scooped the last pancake onto the plate and turned off the burner, his hand then reaching out to grasp Soda's arm. "Come here for a second, man."

Soda followed Steve to the table, sitting down along with him. "So what is it? Please tell me, so I can help you get past it. No matter what you're worried about or why, that's what I'll do."

"It's just everything, Soda. I get scared, even if I don't need to be. I've seen you starting to struggle with stuff sometimes lately, so it makes me feel better if I can talk to you when you're away."

"And you will, Stevie. But I'm all right. I know I've had some bad moments this past week, but that's all they were. They don't mean I'm going to drive two hours away, then have a breakdown. I'll call you, and you'll have Penny's number, so you can call me too. If that will give you peace of mind, I want you to do it."

"It's so crazy, man. Cause you're leaving for a day and a half, and I act like it's forever or far away."

"It's okay though. I understand. We've never really been apart when either of us was havin' a tough time, and it doesn't feel good to think about that happening. If somethin' does come up with me when I'm gone, I'll tell you. I promise I will. Cause I'd want you to do the same."

Steve glanced over at the pancakes, his eyes then moving back to meet Soda's, as he squeezed his arm. "All right, brother. That's all I needed. So, enough with the sappiness, and let's dig into our breakfast."

"Okay, Sodapop. Drive safely, and I'll see you at my apartment when you get here."

Soda spoke into the phone receiver, the sound of Penny's voice making him smile. "All right. I love you, Penny. I'll see you in a few hours. Bye."

Steve picked up his car keys and books, as Soda hung up the phone. "I'm about to be late for class, man. So I'll see you sometime tomorrow afternoon, right?"

"Yeah, and I'll call you later, just like I said."

Steve put his hand on the door knob, about to turn it when he felt Soda touch his shoulder, his best friend's arms then pulling him into a hug. "Hey, I thought we were done with the sappiness."

"We were, but after what you said earlier, I can't leave without givin' you a hug."

Steve used his one free arm to return the embrace, a few moments passing before both friends let go. "Okay. I'll see you later then. Love you, buddy, and when you see Penny, tell her congratulations for me."