…Looking at her as the watched the clouds turn their nightly colors, I thought about the times she had been there for me. She'd never let me down before; why shouldn't she know? I felt awful; keeping this secret from her was something I had never intended to do. But it was too terrible, too humiliating. She could never understand. But then, maybe she had all along…

            Janie sat on Danny's couch, watching him play solitaire on the wooden coffee table; they were fifteen now. Evelyn, his mother, swooped in every now and then to dust the bookshelves and clean off the picture frames that were scattered about the McCawley living room. One picture had always intrigued her for it's sheer charm. It was black and white and framed in Teak. Three people smiled back at her from the photograph. Two of them were Danny's parents, the other she had never seen before. He was handsome and simple at the same time, his chiseled features and deep-set eyes enticing her. The two men wore Air Force uniforms from during the war. Evelyn wore a black dress that brought out her beautiful pale skin.

            "Danny?" Janie asked, intrigued.

            "Yea?" he responded, looking up from his cards.

            "Who is he?" She picked up the picture and sat back down next to him, on leg folded under her.

            "He's…uh, well, he's my daddy's best friend."

            "I've never seen him around here before. What's his name?"

            "Danny. Danny Walker. See, he died a long time ago, in the war. I never met him."

            "You're pa musta been heartbroken," she sighed. "So that's his grave out there then…they look real happy together here."

            "They grew up together on this farm. Went into the force together. When everyone thought dad died, he stayed behind in Hawaii and…looked after things for him. Then when pa came back they fought at Pearl Harbor together, and then they got shipped to Tokyo for a raid. That's where he died." Danny looked down at the carpet.

            "How?"

            "I dunno, they never told me."

            "He looks a lot like you, Danny. Did they name you after him?"

            "Yea, he was real special to them. I don't think I look like him though."

            "Well you do, maybe he made it that way, so they'd never forget him."

            "Ahh Janie, that's just wishful thinking."

            "Even so…"

            Evelyn came bustling in, and looked over the kids' shoulders.

            "Oh," she gasped, seeing the photo. "That's Danny," she whispered with a small, peaceful smile.

            "Do you miss him?" Janie questioned as Danny quietly resumed his game.

            "Of course," Evelyn answered, sighing wistfully. "We both do." She paused for a moment. "I guess I only wish that Danny could've met him, at least once."

            Danny suddenly stood up and stormed up to his room. Janie stood up to follow.

            "No, sweetheart," Evelyn reassured her, placing her hand gently on Janie's shoulder. "Let him be. He must be having a bad day. Come on, we'll make some lemonade in the kitchen, okay?"

            They smiled at each other and walked out of the room, not noticing as Danny descended the stairs quietly. He walked over to the picture that lay on the sofa and gingerly picked it up.

            "I hate you," he whispered, glaring at the older Danny. "This is your fault. Your fault."

            He placed the frame back on the table and wandered into the kitchen to help Janie and his mother.

^^^^^^^

            …So it wasn't his fault. I know that now. But could she handle it, knowing that I had kept this from her for so long? She's been my best friend through thick and thin, but this is a lot to take in. I looked down at her and saw that her eyes were on me.

            "Danny," she whispered, "You don't have to tell me now. We have all the time in the world."

            God, I loved her more than anything right then. Even more reason that she should know.