K-Pax (73 page)
I
tol
d
he
r
abou
t
prot'
s
(Pete's
)
fathe
r
an
d
th
e
slaughterhouse
.
"Ha!
"
sh
e
replied
.
"
I
wonde
r
ho
w
many
o
f
thos
e
thing
s
ther
e
ar
e
i
n
th
e
United
,
States?"
"
I
don'
t
know."
"I'l
l
fin
d
out,
"
sh
e
sai
d
wit
h
a
wave.
"Wai
t
a
minute,
"
I
calle
d
afte
r
her
.
"H
e
wa
s
bor
n
i
n
1957."
"Ho
w
di
d
yo
u
fin
d
thi
s
stuf
f
out?
"
sh
e
demande
d
t
o
know.
"V
e
haf
f
arrr
r
vays
,
mei
n
Madchen."
Sh
e
ra
n
bac
k
an
d
kisse
d
m
e
o
n
th
e
mout
h
(almost
)
befor
e
dashin
g
out
.
I
fel
t
abou
t
thirtee
n
year
s
old
again.
KARE
N
an
d
I
wer
e
inseparabl
e
afte
r
m
y
father'
s
funeral
.
I
f
w
e
could'v
e
live
d
together
,
w
e
would
have
.
I
especiall
y
love
d
he
r
fat
,
pin
k
cheeks
,
whic
h
becam
e
re
d
an
d
shiny
,
lik
e
littl
e
apples
,
i
n
the
wintertime
.
Bu
t
i
t
too
k
m
e
anothe
r
yea
r
t
o
ge
t
u
p
th
e
nerv
e
t
o
kis
s
her.
I
studie
d
th
e
wa
y
the
y
di
d
i
t
i
n
th
e
movies
,
practice
d
fo
r
month
s
o
n
th
e
bac
k
o
f
m
y
hand
.
The
proble
m
was
,
I
wasn'
t
sur
e
sh
e
wante
d
m
e
to
.
No
t
tha
t
sh
e
turne
d
awa
y
wheneve
r
ou
r
face
s
wer
e
close together
,
bu
t
sh
e
neve
r
indicate
d
i
n
an
y
clea
r
wa
y
tha
t
sh
e
wa
s
interested
.
Finall
y
I
decide
d
t
o
d
o
it
.
With
al
l
thos
e
movie
s
i
t
seeme
d
abnorma
l
no
t
to.
W
e
wer
e
sittin
g
o
n
th
e
sof
a
a
t
he
r
hous
e
readin
g
Donal
d
Duc
k
comics
,
an
d
I
ha
d
bee
n
thinkin
g
about
i
t
al
l
morning
.
I
kne
w
yo
u
wer
e
suppose
d
t
o
kis
s
sor
t
o
f
sideway
s
s
o
you
r
nose
s
wouldn'
t
ban
g
together,
an
d
whe
n
sh
e
turne
d
towar
d
m
e
t
o
sho
w
m
e
Donald'
s
nephew
s
carryin
g
picke
t
sign
s
reading
:
"Unca Donal
d
i
s
stewped,
"
I
mad
e
m
y
move
.
I
missed
,
o
f
course
,
a
s
firs
t
kisse
s
ofte
n
do
,
a
s
Giselle'
s
did
befor
e
sh
e
ra
n
out.
THA
T
afternoo
n
I
foun
d
Gisell
e
i
n
th
e
exercis
e
roo
m
talkin
g
animatedl
y
wit
h
prot
.
L
a
Bell
e
was aslee
p
i
n
hi
s
lap
.
Bot
h
wer
e
jottin
g
thing
s
dow
n
i
n
thei
r
respectiv
e
notebooks
,
an
d
pro
t
seeme
d
quite comfortabl
e
wit
h
her
.
I
didn'
t
hav
e
tim
e
t
o
joi
n
them
,
bu
t
sh
e
tol
d
m
e
late
r
som
e
o
f
th
e
thing
s
the
y
had
discussed
.
Fo
r
instance
,
the
y
ha
d
bee
n
comparin
g
th
e
Eart
h
wit
h
K-PAX
,
an
d
on
e
o
f
th
e
question
s
she
ha
d
aske
d
him
,
i
n
a
bras
h
attemp
t
t
o
trac
k
dow
n
m
y
patient'
s
origins
,
wa
s
wher
e
h
e
woul
d
lik
e
t
o
liv
e
if
h
e
coul
d
liv
e
anywher
e
o
n
Earth
.
Sh
e
wa
s
hopin
g
h
e
woul
d
sa
y
"Olympia
,
Washington,
"
o
r
som
e
such
tow
n
i
n
th
e
uppe
r
West
.
Instead
,
h
e
answered
,
"sweden."
"Wh
y
Sweden?
"
sh
e
wante
d
t
o
know.
"Becaus
e
it'
s
th
e
countr
y
mos
t
lik
e
K-PAX."