Homer Winant wheeled himself into the Recreation Center atrium, the big, high-roofed arena that held all the center’s equipment, the weight machines, the gymnastics area, the pool, and the volleyball court, with an oval track running around everything.  He liked to come here every once in a while, as he did now on this cloudy late winter evening, to see if everything was in order, the equipment in shape, the heat on.           He wheeled with his hands, hating those mechanize

It was a little before four o’clock when Angela saw Kai-Kai again, in the Student Union lobby. She had been concerned about him but apparently all was well now, or at least not a crisis. He was leaning on his backpack, bracing himself with one foot flat against the rough brick wall behind him, chatting with Marikit and a very white-skinned woman who looked about 35. The woman was strange looking for this campus and Angela figured she must be a P-3 or a P-4 here for the week.

After a decent interval Mr. Alkaras resumed with the few questions he had left for Ms. Korov. He said, “Let’s close the record. Thanks to you all.” “It’s 7:25,” Mr. Schreiber said. “Kai-Kai, you need some time to recover from that.” The four assistants helped the boy get off the horse, slowly and stiffly. He stretched his arms and legs, then looked around at everyone. “I’m going to go to the library lounge and tell those --elders -- that the impreg will be here,” Kai-Kai’s

Angela, having some uncommitted time, was going to go to her dorm room for a bit but decided to walk along with Kai-Kai as they went down the hall. In the lobby was a tall, heavy-set black woman of about 45, carefully and elegantly dressed in well-arranged graying dredlocks, a coat covering a long print dress, and heels. She looked like she was going to church. She had a beautiful, large face and a wide, warm smile. The Sire said, “Good afternoon, Mrs. Hatwood.” Mrs. Hatwoo

It was around 11 p.m. when Angela, back in her dorm room after a stint in the library, went through her things and discovered she didn’t have her cell phone. Playing the day back in her mind she realized she must have left it at the Schreibers’. She remembered putting it back in her pocket after she dropped it in Kai-Kai’s closet, trying to get her arms around those big feathers. She must have dropped it a second time. It was late but she had to go back. She was greeted at t

The band milled around in the track area, between the Dad’s Club stand and the end zone, waiting for the signal from Sarge to get into formation for the halftime show.  They had gotten used to the clear plastic ponchos that covered them.  It was a struggle at first, but once they were fully on down to your knees, and you got your instrument organized under it, they were not so bad.         The band was trying to relax.  But the mobile camera truck loomed over them like it was