Shattered Lives

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Book: Read Shattered Lives for Free Online
Authors: Joseph Lewis
Tags: Fiction, thriller, Mystery & Detective, Retail
Billy and golf with both boys.  We go to Billy’s baseball games.  Randy and I find things to do together.  But honestly, I think I need to spend more time with you.”
    George turned to look at Jeremy and wiped some tears off his face and dried his hands on the sheets.
    “George, love isn’t like a cake you divide up into pieces.  Love is magical in that the more you give it away, the more you end up having. Randy finds time to be with me.  Billy spends time with me.  They will find time to be with each other and with you.  You and I will spend time together.  And much of the time, just like any family, the four of us will spend time all together.” George shrugged but didn’t say anything. “I have an idea, Kiddo, but I need you to hear me out before you say anything, okay?”
    The boy nodded.
    “Don’t make any decision yet.  Later this morning, my friend Jeff Limbach and his son, Danny, will pick you guys up, and you’ll drive to Chicago to meet me.  Just like we planned, we’ll travel to Arizona so you can see your cousin and make peace with your family.
    It will take ten days, maybe longer, and along the way, we’ll spend time together and see parts of the country you and the twins have never seen.  Jeff has to drive Danny back to Omaha because that was the arrangement he had with Danny’s mother, but I’d like you to come back with us for the rest of the summer.  Make your decision then, after you get to know us.  It’s a big decision, and you shouldn’t rush it.  Take your time.  Get to know us.”
    He stopped, and George didn’t say anything.  Jeremy stroked George’s hair and kissed the side of his head again.
    “George, I promise whatever decision you make, the boys and I will support it.  If you decide to live in Arizona with your people, I hope you’ll stay with us during the summer and for some of our holidays.  If you decide to live with us, we’ll make sure you get to visit your people and your cousin.  That’s a promise.”
    George turned towards Jeremy, pulled a leg up under him, faced him, and pushed his hair behind his ear.
    “If I live here, I might lose who I am.  My grandfather warned me about living with the biligaana , white people, because Navajos who do lose their way.  I’m Navajo.”
    Jeremy took hold of George’s hand and smiled.
    “Absolutely.  You’re Navajo, but being a Navajo is more than just a name.  It’s a way of life.  It’s being .” Jeremy tapped George’s bare chest. “Being a Navajo is in your heart.”  Jeremy tapped George’s head.  “Being a Navajo is in what you believe.  It’s in your blood, your skin.  It’s a way of life.”  He paused and asked, “How many mornings did you miss practicing with your knife in the backyard or saying your morning prayers facing the rising sun?”
    George frowned and said, “None.”
    Jeremy smiled and said, “Exactly.  Even though you’re two thousand miles away and living with people you just met, you still kept up the Navajo traditions your grandfather taught you.” George nodded. “I think you’ve learned more from your grandfather than you give yourself credit for, George.  No matter where you live, you’ll always be Navajo.  That’s something to be proud of, something to share and teach others . . . like Randy, and Billy, and me.  We can learn from you, and I think you can learn from us.  That’s what being a family’s all about.”
    George nodded again. Jeremy thumbed some tears out of George’s eyes and held his face gently.
    “Don’t make your decision yet.  You’re not ready.  When you are, you’ll know.”  He tapped George on his chest.  “When it’s time, you’ll know.”
    George didn’t say anything.  He didn’t nod and didn’t attempt to move.  He had a distant look in his dark eyes, and Jeremy thought he could hear gears spinning.
    “What are you thinking?”
    He had thought about sharing the dream with Jeremy, but instead, George shook

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