now that you know

Dustin could hardly believe it was Alec.

"He's so big." Dustin smiled as if this was pure love at his finger tips. Alec was a little man now. Going places, and so mature. He was even talking. Well, maybe it was bit and a struggle to figure it all out, but Halie's baby was so grownup.

Dustin was so happy to be with him. And it was good to see Gage, again.

They could be friends. Honestly, they were friends.

Dustin thanked him for inviting them.

"Maybe, next time, we..we could go to the zoo." Dustin offered.

"Yeah, we've got time for that." Gage talked about the falls here. It didn't really get to be winter, sometimes..until after Christmas.

Gage turned the steaks over on the charcoal grill. Dustin hadn't figured for such a luxurious meal. Sometimes, he and Holly would go to a buffet on weekends and eat perhaps lunch and dinner at once. Usually, it was casseroles at the boarding house.

"So, do you know... how much longer you'll be here?" Gage wanted to know.

"I dunno. I keep turning up in the top of my class. Looks like it could be a while." Dustin smiled brightly.

"That's great." Gage smiled as if he liked the sound of that.

If only it was this easy to talk to Halie. As it was, she'd barely said hello.