It's important to me."He looked up from his breakfast and looked me in the eye. He probably heard the determination in my voice."Okay" he said "I gues... I could...." GREAT!" I replied. "How does noon at that new place just down the street sound? Let's meet outside at a table." Sure" he said, now losing interest. "I guess that will work."He then finished breakfast and left, kissing me half-heartily on the cheek. Once he was gone, I cleaned up the house and tried to keep busy. 'What was going to. His story continued until it was finally done. Mary had no ideahe was writing it. He reread it four times, each time adding littlebits of information or of action that would fit the story. Finallyhe was happy with it. Now he could tell Mary he had written astory. It was fifteen chapters long. That night at supper he said, "Today I think I finished a story.It isn't as good as the ones you write but I wrote in my own way." "What's it about?" "It's about two friends in the American Civil War. " He walked over to the wall unit with the stereo and turned it down. Then, turning to the others, he paused dramatically before announcing jubilantly, "But listen up guys. I want ya all to keep it dead quiet for the next little while." He continued, with excitement making his voice falter a little, "I gotta treat for everybody here." He glanced over at John and said "Except maybe for you, kiddo, you might want to think of gettin' goin'." Why?" asked John looking in puzzlement at Rick. What the. I don't want you to say a word to me now, just get up and get back in the car and we'll get out of here and I'll take you back to your folks."It took ten minutes to get her back to her folks house. When we got there, the whole front yard was full of blankets and strollers. There were more than twenty blankets, and on each blanket, there had to be at least two or three kids laying there. All my cousins, and all their children, plus Megan's kid. My parent's had also rounded up every stray kid.