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

More of the shouts that woke him echoed through the basement. Without thinking, Ronnie pushed back the sleeping bag and stood, ignoring the twinges in his leg as he headed for the stairs. The shroud of his dreams fell away. His single-minded focus now was on finding out what was going on.


He opened the door to a storm of another making. Mom stood with her back to the sink, her knuckles bone-white where she gripped the edge of the counter. Her skin was pale, except for the red splotch mottling the left side of her trembling jaw. Scattered on the floor next to her were glass shards, the curve of a handle telling him it had once been a coffee cup. The splatters on her skirt were still wet.


Chapter 13