"On my honor, I will do my best. To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight," the boys recite in unison. "Great job, boys," Mr. Malone says. After reciting the Boy Scout pledge, the boys sit in their colorful plastic chairs. Caris’s chair is yellow, his favorite color. He also likes red because those are the colors of Iron Man’s suit. The legs squeak against the linoleum floor of the church basement. Everyone is too excited to learn what their next badge will be. "Okay, before we begin, I would just like to say a couple words," Mr. Malone says, his voice quiet. "We all know Mr. Evans was a great man, a great friend, and most of all, a great Boy Scout. He will no longer be coming to help us, so our next badge will be to honor him with his favorite one: whittling." Caris raises his hand. “Why isn’t Mr. Evans com...
"Once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right" - Grateful Dead, Scarlet Begonias