Between Heaven and Earth Read Online Free

finished. It would take no more than seven or eight sleeps. That made me sound like a toddler, but that’s how I always counted being away from home.
    â€œIt’s going to be strange with both you and your brother gone. I’m going to be worried.”
    â€œThere’s nothing to be worried about,” I offered. “Remember, Steve is just going to Spain.”
    â€œSo I should be worried about you and that mountain?” she asked.
    â€œYou don’t need to be worried about either of us. It’s going to be a walk in the park.”
    â€œClimbing a mountain is hardly a walk in the park,” she said.
    â€œNo, actually it is. Kilimanjaro is in a national park. How dangerous can a park be?” I joked. She didn’t laugh, so obviously she didn’t think my little joke was funny.
    â€œSteve leaves soon, right?”
    â€œThe day after you.” My mother chuckled. “Your brother reminds me so much of your grandpa.”
    â€œSteve? He’s nothing like Grandpa.”
    â€œYour grandpa mellowed with age, but think of the stories he told from when he was young. I think that’s why the two of them never got along as well as he did with the others. Your grandpa saw too much of himself in Steve and wanted to try to change him so he wouldn’t go through the same grief.”
    â€œGrief?” I asked.
    â€œI often wonder what all those adventures of Grandpa’s were about. I know the war was hard on him, and I wonder if he was trying to find himself,” she said.
    â€œAnd what is Steve trying to find?”
    â€œMaybe the same thing. Peace.”
    I didn’t think Steve would ever find anything except more grief. Well, at least he was an expert at finding and giving it. He was my twin brother, and I loved him, but there were times I could have killed him. We were so different—even physically. I towered over him and must have outweighed him by ten kilograms. I loved sports, and he had no interest in them whatsoever. History was one of his passions, and the only history I cared about was the score in yesterday’s games.
    â€œI’ll try to keep in touch by texting you when I’m gone. Can you keep an eye on everybody for me?” I asked. “You know—all the guys—to make sure they follow their tasks.”
    â€œDon’t worry, I’m sure everybody will be fine.” She paused. “Are you going to contact Rennie?”
    â€œThat’s what Grandpa asked us to do, so I’ll do it. It’s just so…so…”
    â€œYes, it is. I can only imagine the shock your grandfather felt when he found out he had another daughter and a seventh grandson.”
    â€œYeah, I guess.” I didn’t want to think about that right now. “I just want to make sure they’ll all be okay,” I said. “I’m a little worried about Bernie.”
    â€œBunny will do just fine.”
    â€œ Please don’t call him that,” I said.
    â€œBunny is what he calls himself. It’s cute.”
    â€œIt was cute when he was four. He’s fifteen and in high school.”
    â€œWell, I remember somebody who used to walk around in a little tiger suit,” my mother said.
    â€œI was three, not fifteen. How cute would it have been if I wore it to high school? And at least I wanted to be a tiger and not a bunny.”
    â€œHe likes being called Bunny,” she said.
    â€œIt doesn’t matter what he likes. Being called Bunny is the sort of thing that gets him picked on all the time.”
    â€œI know your aunt is grateful for the help you’ve given him.”
    â€œI’ve tried. As long as I’m there, nobody really dares to pick on him much, but next year I’m not gonna be around. It’s not like Spencer is going to step in.” Spencer was Bunny’s “big” brother, but he wasn’t very big and wasn’t much less of a target than Bunny.
    â€œHe