Sweetie's Diamonds (54 page)

Nick also told us that he's lined up a heart specialist for me to see in New York.
 
As soon as we're settled, I'll arrange to get my operation.
 
I used to be scared about having it, but after all that's happened to me in the past couple of weeks, that'll be nothing!
 

The last thing we did before leaving town was go to a funeral service for my Aunt Dana.
 
It was at this little funeral home not far from our apartment.
 
The only people there were Mom, Mr. Lewis, and me.
 
Mom decided to have Aunt Dana cremated, so they gave her this metal thing called an urn that was full of her ashes.
 
Pretty yucky.
 
I looked inside but it didn't look like the kind of ashes you see in an ashtray.
 
They were whiter and finer.
 
Mom said she'd take the urn with us to New York and then find someplace cool to dump the ashes.
 
Central Park or something like that.
 

The drive to New York is going to be fun.
 
We'll play car games and sing along to the radio, like old times.
 
I've already noticed a big change in Mom.
 
She's not as moody as she used to be and she seems happier.
 
I'm really glad about that.
 
Leaving Lincoln Grove is the best thing we could have done.
 
And living in New York City will be so damn cool, I can't wait!
 

Mom just turned on the radio and there was a song on that she liked.
 
It was an oldie (for me) by Paul Simon called “Mother and Child Reunion.”
 
Mom started singing along with it.
 
I knew the chorus so I joined in—“I would not give you false hope on this strange and mournful day.
 
But the mother and child reunion is only a moment away.”

It fit the mood.

Raymond Benson is the author of six original James Bond novels, including the three recently re-printed in the 2008 anthology
The Union Trilogy—High Time to Kill, DoubleShot,
and
Never Dream of Dying.
  
He also novelized the screenplays for three 007 films.
 
His Bond short stories have been published in
Playboy
and
TV Guide
magazines.
 
He wrote the non-fiction books
The Pocket Essentials Guide to Jethro Tull
and
The James Bond Bedside Companion
(the latter was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Biographical/Critical Work in 1984).
 
As “David Michaels,” Raymond penned the first two
NY Times
best-selling action/adventure novels in the
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
series.
 
More recently, Raymond has written original suspense thrillers such as
Sweetie's Diamonds
,
Face Blind
, and
Evil Hours
.
 
His best-selling novelization of Konami's popular videogame,
Metal Gear Solid
, was published in 2008.
 
In addition to his work as an author, Raymond has extensive experience directing stage plays, composing music, teaching film studies, and designing and writing adventure computer games.
 
And he performs on piano at a cocktail lounge on Mondays and Tuesdays.
 

www.raymondbenson.com