Chapter 24: Vivian and Victor

The babies came two days apart, in the Jones Center, in a room Noah had designed himself.

Raven's daughter arrived first, at four in the morning, furious and loud, with a full head of black hair.

Noah's son arrived on Thursday, and he was calm and wide-eyed, with soft honey-brown fuzz.

Noah and Raven spent the next six weeks learning how to hold them, and learned it badly, just as Noah had promised.

On the first Saturday in June the Grandwell lawn was set with white chairs again, and Benjamin had laminated the programs.

The naming ceremony was small.

Benjamin and Gracy were there as grandparents to both babies, and Gracy had told every guest so twice.

Thompson sat in the front row in a pale blue shirt, with a clear bottle on his knee.

Beside him sat the freshman guard, now a junior, who had a patch on his neck and a scholarship in his pocket.

Coach had come with his whistle, in a tie.

The dean was there, in her reading glasses, and she brought a gift wrapped in paper with small sneakers on it.

Raven stood at the end of the lawn, under the white roses, with his daughter in his arms.

She was six weeks old, and she weighed almost nothing, and she was wearing a tiny jersey.

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