I didn’t refuse the offer. “Thank you for letting me into your life,â€? I replied. “Thanks for helping me appreciate life,â€? Casimir responded.
I sat on the bed and continued to read. I read about his accounts of our summer through Casimir’s eyes. I felt as if I were looking into his heart and mind.

August 21, 1989

Dear Mother,

We both know that I have some very bad habits. Essie knows it too. The time she discovered the knife in my drawer and the day she found me on the bathroom floor are two occasions that neither of us will ever forget. The matter is, I’m not the strongest, most confident person. However, I may be one of the luckiest. I’m still alive and breathing, and my heart is still beating. I now know that I am strong enough to overpower weakness, and I am determined to get better. And I know Essie.