| By the time I noticed Billy's letter peeking out from unde rmy keyboard, the Friday morning clouds had begun to drift apart. Rubbing my eyes, I double-checked the blue date and time blinking in the bottom right corner of my computer monitor, after realizing the black, smudged postmark read "San Francisco, CA -- Sept. 8, 1992." Billy mailed it exactly one month ago. Inside, the letter said to meet on the Capitol steps at 7 p.m. 10/9. I caught a commuter flight to D.C. at noon, figuring I could just make the deadline. Crowds were forming; everyone was crying. Crossing the endless lawn, it hit me like a boxing glove to the chin. Billy had gotten there first. Lying beside me on Block H28 panel 4147: Billy Jamison aged 36. |
