When they graduated from high school in 1962, best friends and secret lovers Jim McCutcheon and Ronnie Mayer had high expectations for the rest of their lives. Six years later, both are back in the small Nebraska town they called home, and worse, no longer together.<br><br>Once the golden boy, Jim now works on his grandfather's farm, away from the town's disappointment he didn't end up at NASA. Ronnie lives in his parents' basement, recovering from the blast that sent him home from Vietnam. Neither is where they want to be, but it takes a special request from Ronnie's mom for Jim to swallow his pride and visit.<br><br>Though it doesn't go well, it opens the door for the two young men to start communicating. One question haunts them, though. Have they changed too much to find their way back to each other again?

Silences of Fallen Stars

Ronnie’s amusement faltered. “They’ve still got The Green Berets. I guess if you really don’t want to see Eggroll, we could go to that.”


Before, Jim would’ve jumped at that plan. They both liked John Wayne. But he’d seen the movie when it came out, and its pro-Vietnam stance had been tough enough to stomach before he’d seen firsthand what the war had done to Ronnie. No way was he going to subject Ronnie to it now.


“I can’t believe you’re dragging me to a Doris Day movie,” he groused, resuming his pace.


As Jim came up beside him, Ronnie threw a loose arm over his shoulder and squeezed. “Just watch Brian Keith. That’s what I plan on doing.”


Chapter 10