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Show 27-4 He turned to look at the shed again. "I wish he could help me fix the shed. He was so good with wood." Then he turned to me again. "Annie, he's gone, I can accept that, and I'll go on without him. I'll miss him every day I have left to live but I'll not give up the rest of my life for him, as your gram is doing. That does him no good." He shook his head. "No good. You remember that, Annie. Don't go living your life around Andrew and wasting your young life. He loves you because you are living and whole and happy." He reached out and patted my hand. "Grandpa," I asked suddenly, "did John tell you about Paul? How he died?" "Yes, he did. He was real upset. I'm just glad he found me first and not your grandmother." He shook his head. "I don't know how she'd ..." "Are you sad about it?" He looked at me with a frown. "Sad? No." He shook his head. "No more than before. Thankful, maybe, that he didn't suffer much. That has worried me." "Is John still mad at Mother?" "Oh, he never was mad at her, Annie. Just shocked. He worshipped Paul and thought Paul had let him down a bit by dying that way." He put his arm around me and we stood in the darkening afternoon, the cold air pushing us closer together. "No, he'll soon come to see your mother is right about this monument business." "You think she's right?" I looked up at him. "Of course, I do, Annie. Your mother is my daughter. She gets her good sense from me." "Andrew said they'd do better to buy all the men at St. John's a good cigar." Grandfather chuckled and then put his head back and laughed out loud. I could feel his body shake against mine. |