Daniel’s grandpa was waiting for him on the front porch when he arrived. He was sitting in the rocking chair. Daniel walked up the front steps and stopped at the head of the stairs. He looked squarely at his grandpa.

“You okay?” his grandpa asked.

“A hover-car exploded,” he said slowly.

“I heard. Horrible.”

Should he tell his grandpa? Was that the right thing to do? He thought that it was but the words would not come.

“They were bound to malfunction one day,” his grandfather said.

“Really?” Daniel replied, a little too hopeful.

“Yeah. Nothing’s perfect. Had to happen eventually. Everybody putting so much faith into something they don’t even understand.”

“Oh… yeah,” Daniel said. That possibility had never even occurred to him.

“Pretty shook up—huh, Daniel?”

“Yeah. And I failed my test.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Probably can’t be… Well, I mean, it’s gonna be pretty tough to…” he started but couldn’t say anymore. Saying it made it real. He was silent for a moment as his grandpa put it together.

“There are other things to be, Daniel.”

“But I don’t want to be any of them,” Daniel blurted. He was ashamed but he knew was better than those other suggestions—the half-hearted back-up ideas.

“You need to rein in that big head of yours, boy.”

Daniel flushed red but it didn’t matter—it didn’t change what he thought. He was better—he knew it. “Do you think Mom would be disappointed—that I failed my test?”

His grandfather looked at him. Daniel hated reminding his grandpa about his dead mother but he couldn’t stop himself. His grandfather looked at Daniel in silence.

“I don’t know, Daniel. Maybe. Maybe not. You can’t let that weigh on you, son. Your mother is gone. You’re alive. You understand?”

“Yeah,” Daniel murmured.

“Good. Now—you okay?”

“Yeah, “ Daniel said. “I’m okay.”

“Okay,” his grandpa said. “Better get ready for dinner.”

Daniel rushed into the house, through the living room and into the back to his tiny room. From his window, Daniel could see their backyard. It was small but big enough for a round grill, a couple of chairs and a table. The grill was filled with charcoal. Daniel could smell the fire and his grandpa had put two steaks on—which was strange because tonight was a school night and they usually waited for Friday. One Friday a month because meat was rare. Even deer meat.

Daniel put his book bag down on his bed and threw his jacket off. On his wall were the drawings he did of hover-cars and Champions. His favorite showed a hover-car blasting off with Daniel in the driver’s seat. Very small, in the corner, and the buildings of Territory Five disappeared in the distance. Daniel couldn’t even look at it now. He raced to the kitchen where his grandfather was already getting the salad prepared. His grandfather cooked everything and Daniel had to set the table. He started putting plates on the table.

“We’re eating outside tonight, Danny,” his grandpa said. “In the backyard.”

“Okay,” Daniel said surprised.

Sitting at the outside table, Daniel’s grandpa gave him a plate full of steak and salad. His grandpa then put his own plate on the table and went back into the kitchen. Daniel could smell the coals on the grill. He loved that smell. And he loved sitting in the backyard. It wasn’t much really—the grass was almost non-existent. They had a small tree. And of course there were the cats. The fence was only about five feet high so you could see into the neighbor’s yards. But it wasn’t bad and they kept it clean—much cleaner than the other neighbors’ house that looked like a junk heap. He looked at the collection of garbage—things that they would never use but couldn’t bear to throw away. He wondered how long before the backyard got filled up and overflowed into his yard.

Daniel suddenly noticed that the ice in his water was shaking and then he heard the roar. The whole house shook as another hover-car raced overheard. He stood up immediately. He was so afraid. He only caught a quick glimpse but it was bigger than the other one—much bigger. And it was landing somewhere close.

“Danny!” his grandpa shouted as he ran out the back door into the porch. “Jeez!”

“I’m okay! I’m okay!” Daniel yelled, shaking.

Daniel’s grandpa put his hand on Daniel’s shoulder and stood looking up in the sky at the nothingness. He paused for a good long time, looked down and then up again. He went back inside the house.

Daniel’s grandpa came out holding two glasses. He went back inside and came back again with a bottle. It was grandpa’s bourbon.

“Daniel, give me your glass,” the old man said.

This was new, Daniel thought.

“Don’t act like you’ve never tried it before.”

His grandpa filled Daniel’s glass first and then his own. He sat down, picked up his glass and motioned for Daniel to pick up his.

“Danny, today a bad thing happened. And I think it’s just the beginning of a lot of bad things that are about to happen. But, son, I learned something when I was in the war: in between the bad things — no matter how close together they are— you gotta enjoy yourself. Otherwise, it’s all gonna suck.”

He raised his glass.

“Danny, raise your glass.”

Daniel picked up the glass and his grandfather clinked his own glass to Daniel’s.

“That’s called a toast, son—now drink.”

Daniel took a swig a little too big. It seemed to burn and he coughed. His grandfather laughed.

“How can you drink that?” Daniel coughed.

“Well, the more you drink, the more you get used to it. You may even start to like it so it’s probably best if you don’t drink it at all.”

Daniel pushed the glass back, relieved. His grandfather smiled at him.

“Good boy—now eat.”