Chad, Eddy, and he stepped inside the church, leaving Shawn alone with his thoughts. Reverend Jacobs asked how Shawn was doing, and told how much the community missed him. Chad promised to send him newspapers and magazines chronicling the boy's accomplishments.

When they stepped outside the church again, Shawn was prepared to go. He expressed his gratitude to the Reverend, and he, Chad, and Eddy leisurely strolled back to Irma's. After expressing their good-byes, they climbed into their car and drove a few blocks to the Broken Eagle Trading Post, Maluk's only store and gas station. Christmas was barely a few days away, and Shawn thought his friends might appreciate items from Alaska. Selecting things for Jason, Riley, Cindy, and Sheryl was easy—they would like furry Native American artifacts. For Jennifer, he took his time and finally chose a beautiful piece of handcrafted jewelry.

Chad and Eddy strolled around the Post, fascinated by the endless variety of hardware, crafts, and outdoor items, many of which they had never seen before. They were puzzled by what some of them could be used for. There were, of course, numerous guns, hunting supplies, snowshoes, groceries, clothing, and stacks of furs.

They then began their long drive back to Anchorage, detouring briefly to gaze at the house where Shawn grew up. It now belonged to another family.

As they walked around it, Shawn reminisced. "I may never see it again," he said wistfully. Chad placed his arms around the boy and held him, saying nothing. Sometimes silence is more elegant than spoken words.

The flight back to Tallahassee replicated the first time Shawn made it—a two-and-a-half-hour change of planes in Seattle and a two-hour wait in Atlanta—arriving finally at 11:33 p.m.

* * * * *

Chapter 5