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been there. Watching. But…”
     
    “But what, Mike?”
     
    “We were at the lake. I was eighteen and Bobby was seventeen. There was beer there, but I left with my girlfriend in her car. Her parents were gone and I wanted to spend some time alone with her. Anyway, I left Bobby the keys to my truck, so he could get home. He crashed it. Ran off the road and rolled it before it hit a tree. Killed four of our friends that were riding in the back. Two guys and their girlfriends. Bobby’s girlfriend was in the cab with him. She was such a pretty girl. She lived, but she’s a vegetable. She just stares out the window at her parents’ home.”
     
    “Oh my God, Mike! I’m so sorry.” Mike looks haunted by the memories.
     
    “Mom and Dad, they couldn’t cope. They said I was the oldest, the adult. Two of those killed were just sixteen. The others were only seventeen. I should have known better than to leave them there, especially with alcohol. I did know, but all I could think about was getting away to be alone with Lisa.”
     
    “Mike,” I say softly. “What happened wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known that was going to happen.”
     
    “Yeah? My folks don’t see it that way.”
     
    “When did you talk to them last?”
     
    Mike smiles sadly. I can feel my tears well up in sympathy. “The day they threw me out.”
     
    “Have you tried to call them?”
     
    “Not in the last couple of years. I called them once every few month after I joined the Army. I wanted to tell them how sorry I was. I would leave messages, but they never called me back. Mom answered the phone once, but as soon as she knew it was me, she told me to never call again and hung up. I haven’t called since.”
     
    “You joined after they threw you out?”
     
    “Yeah. I had nowhere to go. I stayed with the family of a friend until I was accepted.”
     
    I take Mike into my arms and just hold him. He’s had so much pain, so much suffering. “I’m so sorry, Mike. I’m so very sorry for you; but, you must know, it’s not your fault.”
     
    “I don’t know. I know better than to drink and drive. If I had been there, I would have been driving. Then, none of this would have happened.”
     
    I feel so terribly sad for Mike. Suddenly, my loss pales in comparison. I miss my parents, but I’m not being eaten from inside with guilt. Just looking at Mike, I can see in his eyes that he carries the guilt for that day still. I silently damn his parents. Kids have been drinking beer at lakes during the summer forever. It’s not Mike’s fault this tragedy happened. It’s not fair that he should be held responsible for the actions of others who were old enough to know better.
     
    Mike pushes me away gently. “I’m sorry. Some date, huh?”
     
    “I’ve had worse,” I say with a small smile at our role reversal.
     
    “Uh-huh,” Mike says. “I suppose you picked up this dude that was a chick?”
     
    “What? Were you there?” I ask.
     
    Mike looks at me a moment. Then, he chuckles, as he bends to kiss me.
     
    “I’m sorry for dumping all that shit on you,” Mike says, as we pull apart.
     
    “Thank you for sharing it,” I say. I mean it. I suddenly feel closer to Mike than any other man I have been with, even though I have known him for only a few days.
     

 
    CHAPTER FOUR
     
    We finish cleaning the kitchen. Then, we move to the couch while the dishwasher does its thing. As we sit and watch an old movie on the television, I realize that what I want, more than anything else in this world, is to take away Mike’s pain. It hurts me that his parents treat him so unfairly, especially since I would give so much to have mine back.
     
    We watch the entire movie, saying little. Each of us lost in our own thoughts. As the credits begin to roll, I look to Mike. He is staring at the television, but I know he is seeing past events. “Mike,” I whisper. “Are you okay?”
     
    Mike looks as me and smiles softly. “Yeah.