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Show 7 IS him out of his self-consciousness as r e a d i l y as she jibed my father out of his s e l f - r i g h t e o u s n e s s. We didn't speak much of my f a t h e r , for a change. I was discovering her t a l e n t s and p e c u l i a r i t i e s , her g i f t s of memory and logic, and I wanted to confine the conversation to her point of view - so fresh and human ifrw&»emoA whew | compared tit to s t u f f i e r perspectives in the group. "The group up here i s having a fund-raiser - a dinner with a program - t o n i g h t . We'd be privileged to have you kids join u s ." I gazed at my l a p , half-hoping Brian would accept. At the same time, I was as nervous as a f i s h in shallows. Part of me wanted him to be exposed to these people, to grow near and accept t h e i r love and t h e i r values. I felt he needed something to compensate for having grown without a father's guidance. Perhaps he needed a stronger sense of family to help him discover his destiny and nurture his growth. Another p a r t of me was t e r r i f i e d beyond reason. I imagined the s k e p t i c a l looks of c e r t a i n close-minded people and the barbed words of others. I imagined Brian's anger, his repartee. " I t ' d be our p r i v i l e g e , " Brian was saying. "I've never felt more love or sincere dedication anywhere than with these People. But we have to push on. We've made reservations in Missoula." I sighed and fought t e a r s as we missed A u n t ^ g o o d - h y e. We stopped to see my younger brojt-hv. e~r ics. hhnonuqsee . He smiled and strutted, showing i t off - he had put together every stick of i t by himself. |