to say t to put it mildly. tty muc to do. but because of jamies presence, it really became somet mucs. e finis performance a c evening even more people s. even eric came up to me afterulated me, wer w o me before was somew of a surprise.

  “t; ;im proud of you, buddy.”

  , miss garber , “marvelous!“ to anyone o o be , repeating it over and over so muc i kept on long after i to bed t niger ains closed for time, and spotted o tears in  time id ever seen into ime. roking ;my angel,“ to myself choking up.

  t;rig; i realized, so bad after all.

  after t go of eac proudly motioned for o visit of t, and s a boatload of congratulations from everyone backstage. s on telling people s kno. s ty, it came across in a totally different ood in tting , and ill admit t of me t felt like old . i couldnt be tle proud as o one side, sopping when she was close.

  looking up at me, s;t you did. you made my father very happy.”

  “youre ; i said, meaning it.

  trange t, i realized t y to walk here.

  t ting off because of all tting tty ion at nig to bed. even so, i couldnt t jamie.

  jamies transformation during tartling, to say t, and i assumed it kno i did, and so i was amazed w moing back dressed like er, , and all.

  one look took, and i couldnt feel sorry for  s it slip ale nicer to talked to told a good job soo, but i could tell rig it going to last. attitudes forged since co break, and part of me mig people actually knew s even become more less.

  i ed to talk to my impressions, i really did, but i o do so after t only did i to do, but i ed a little time to t o tell o be , i ill feeling a little guilty about to  just because tued out great. it o do t in all our time toget kind, and i kne id been wrong.

  i didnt ted to talk to me, eito tell you trut lunc off in t so as i o tell about my ts, i agreed. for old times sake, you see.

  a minute later jamie got doo business.

  “do you remember t walk ; she asked.

  i nodded, wis broug up.

  “you promised to make it up to me,“ she said.

  for a moment i id done t already on.

  “ell, ive been t ; sinued letting me get a ;and t ive come up h.”

  s mind gat out in businesses all over to on ters, usually near ters, so t people could drop to go to ted to ask people straig for ted to give voluntarily. t, in ian to do.

  i remembered seeing tainers in places like cecils diner and ter. my friends and i used to toss paper clips and slugs in t looking, since t of like a coin being dropped inside, to ourselves about ting someto joke about ing somet, and s out and find not slugs and paper clips. sometimes, makes you s exactly w i did.

  jamie sahe look on my face.

  “you dont o do it,“ sed. “i t since cmas is coming up so quickly and i dont ll simply take me too long to collect them all. . . .”

  “no,“ i said cutting ;ill do it. i dont o do anyway.”

  so ts arting ednesday, even tests to study for, even application needing to be finis of every place sarted at to out about sixty cans in all, and i figured t it ake only a day to collect to putting t, it aken jamie almost six o do because s o find sixty empty jars and cans and t out only t a time. arted out, i felt sort of funny about being t it , but i kept telling myself t jamie o help.

  i from business to business, collecting t day i realized it o take a little longer t.

  id picked up only about ty containers or so, because id forgotten one simple fact of life in beaufort. in a small to o simply run inside and grab t cting or or saying o someone else you mig just done. so id sit talking about t fall, or tion t ted my opinion on ore. jamie, i kneried to act like i t s me to. it er all.

  to keep t stop to cake in bet dumped one jar or can into t, combining t along. by t day all to my room. i sa too many-but i actually nervous until i emptied tents onto my floor and sa ted primarily of pennies. t nearly as many slugs or paper clips as id t t be, i ill disened  a lot of money, especially wy kids.

  i didnt get discouraged, t it ake, i out t day, ted y proprietors ake: $23.89.

  ter counting up t believe it. terfront, s and teenagers like me . e  think.

  seeing tle ed in all-$55.73-made me feel a t for almost a imes. t nigo call jamie to tell id collected, but i just couldnt do it. sold me ed sometra special t going to do it-even i kne. instead i lied to old i going to count total until t toget mine. it too depressing. i promised to bring over teoon, after sc out. t day est day of tmas was only four days away.

  “landon,“ so me after counting it up, “this is a miracle!”

  “; i asked. i knely was.

  “t t in ts acked in neat little piles all over t all quarters and dimes. c table, ing ued he sound of her voice.

  “do you ts enoug; i asked innocently.

  little tears believing of er t been nearly t at me.

  “its . . . ; sion t;last year, i only collected seventy dollars.”

  “im glad it better t; i said t . “if you placed t so early in t not ed nearly as much.”

  i kno i didnt care. for once, it to do.

  i didnt toys-i figured ster any sed t i go o tmas eve so t i could be ts.

  “please, landon,“ sed and all, i just didnt to tu her down.

  so ter, y at toot and my best tie and o my moms car beneat my last feer because t o get exactly t person to shop for.

  i o be at t seven, but ty port, and i o until an outbound freigs , i arrived a fees late. t door time, and i o pound on it until mr. jenkins finally of keys until one, and a moment later epped inside, patting my arms to he chill.

  “a; ;eve been ing for you. cmon, ill take you to where everyone is.”

  o t a moment to exhale deeply before finally heading in.

  it ter than id imagined.

  in ter of t tree, decorated insel and colored lig s. beneatree, spread in all directions, s of every size and sting close toget clote collared ss, , and most of t.

  on table beside tters of cookies, smas trees and sprinkled s sitting ting on ts laps, t tention as tened to “ t before cmas.”

  i didnt see jamie, t least not rig. it . sory, and i finally located ting on t of tree beneath her.

  to my surprise, i sa tonig as it of tead of times, ser t someuated t blue eyes. even sparkles in e flo of ing. it even noticing it, id been me out of trying to regain control.

  jamie paused only once to look up from tory. siced me standing in t back to reading to t took e or so to finisood up and smoot, to make o knoo go, i stayed where i was.

  by then mr. jenkins had slipped away.

  “im sorry arted you,“ s;but t so excited.”

  “its okay,“ i said, smiling, thinking how nice she looked.

  “im so glad you could come.”

  “so am i.”

  jamie smiled and reaco lead t;cmon ; she said.

  “ ts.”

  e spent t t, and cos t ts t jamie boug t some tossed around ted frenzy, t every least, it seemed t all of ted, and t thanking jamie over and over.

  by time t tled and all ts mospo calm doidied up by mr. jenkins and a , and some of to fall asleep beneatree. some of to ts, and ts on t tree lig an et;silent nig; played softly on a p up in till sitting on t to jamie, alk, not t eit ts on tree, and i rutold, i didnt kno sender look about -no,i kne it cmas eve id ever spent.

  i glanced at s gloy as anyone id ever seen.

  “i boug; i finally said to ;a gift, i mean.“ i spoke softly so i tle girl, and i would he nervousness in my voice.

  sued from tree to face me, smiling softly. “you didnt o do t.“ s oo, and it sounded almost musical.

  “i kno; i said. “but i ed to.“ id kept t off to one side, and i reac, -o her.

  “could you open it for me? my no; s ttle girl, to me.

  “you dont o open it no,“ i said, s;its really not t big of a deal.”

  “dont be silly,“ s;i in front of you.”

  to clear my mind, i looked at t and started opening it, picking at tape so t it make mucil i reacer setting to ted t ter, up to s i figured she could use a new one.

  compared expect mucion.

  “see, ts all. i told you it muc; i said. i disappointed in it.

  “its beautiful, landon,“ sly. “ill t time i see you. thank you.”

  e sat quietly for a moment, and once again i began to look at ts.

  “i brougoo,“ jamie finally ree, and my eyes folloill beneatree, partially and, and i reac. it angular, flexible, and a little it to my lap and t even trying to open it.

  “open it,“ s at me.

  “you cant give to me,“ i said breat believe remble.

  “please,“ so me voice id ever ;open it. i you to .”

  reluctantly i slo gently, afraid to damage it. i stared at it, mesmerized, and sloed .

  i glanced at knoo say.

  jamie had given me her bible.

  “t you did,“ so me. “it cmas ive ever had.”

  i tued a responding and reaco t my glass of punc;silent nig; ill playing, and took a sip of trying to soot. as i drank, all times id spent o my mind. i t about t s nig about t about times id he orphans.

  as t still. i looked at jamie, to t to keep my composure, to jamie again. s me and i smiled at h a girl like jamie sullivan.