“I got a game on Saturday,” I say. “Well, can’t you miss just one?” she says. “No way.” My father clears his throat. “Is it a morning game?” “No,” I say. “It’s at one.” “Hmmm,” Dad says. He turns to Mom. “It would hardly be worth going if we waited until after the game.” “Let him stay home,” Tommy says. “What’s the big deal?” Mom frowns. “It is a big deal,” she says, looking at me. “You’ve never been alone overnight in this house.” I shrug. “So what? I can’t miss that game. Or any game. We could win the league.” She sighs. “We’ll see.” Nobody says anything for about a minute. “Where you going?” I ask. “Well,” she says, “we’d planned to go to upstate New York and visit Colgate, Binghamton, and Ithaca. It would be good for you, too, not just for Tommy.” “He’ll be all right,” Tommy says. “Don’t make him miss his game.” “You’ll be missing a cross-country race,” she says. “No comparison,”
