Kari

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�Bye Bye Tai!� Kari Kamiya sobbed as hugged her older brother. Her brother, Tai Kamiya hugged her back and patted her little, light brown head, �Dry your eyes pint size, it�s only for three months.� Kari let go and ran to her toy box, which was only a few feet away. �When you come back you have to tell me all about this year at summer camp!� Tai tilted his head and tried to see what she was trying to dig out of her toy box and decided to have a little fun with her, �why should I tell you anything, if you weren�t acting sick you could come.� �I wish I was *sneeze* but I can�t make Mommy and Daddy believe me that I feel good.� �Well when you get as old as I am, even if you are sick you still get to go to summer camp� Tai said still fooling around with his sister. �Really?� Kari said, �I�ll be as old as you in four years� Kari boasted, �then I�ll be caught up to you!� Tai smiled, �Heh, by then I�ll be eight-teen pint size.� �Oh yeah� Kari said and then her shoulders slumped, �I�ll never be big and strong like you, Tai.� Tai reached down and picked up his little ten-year-old sister and set her on his shoulders and gave her a piggyback ride around the room, �Sure you will, don�t be afraid of growing slowly, just be afraid of standing still.� �Yeah I guess so,� Kari said as she slid down her brothers back and then resumed her scramble though her toy-box, �I have something for you!� She pulled out a small box that was wrapped with a bow. She ran up to Tai and placed the box in his hands and then held her hands behind her back and rocked back and fourth on the ball of her feet. Tai unwrapped it quick and fast because that�s always been the way he opened his gifts and it always made Kari laugh. He took the lid off the box and inside was small, handheld, telescope. �Oh man Kari this is awesome!� Tai exclaimed as he examined his new telescope, it looked expensive enough, twenty dollars maybe! �Where did you get the money for this Kari?� Kari smiled a big wide smile, �I used the money the tooth fairy left me!� Tai leaned down on one knee and hugged Kari, �Thank you pint size� and then he reached in to his own pocket and pulled out a box that was slightly smaller then the one in which he had received his telescope and handed it to Kari. �OH WOW� Kari said as she untied the ribbon and placed it on her bed. She opened the box and inside was a brand new steal whistle with a cord, which enabled her to wear it as a necklace. She put it around neck and put it to her mouth but Tai stopped her. �Whoa, whoa wait until I�m gone and then you can whistle all you want because I won�t be here for mom to blame.� Kari nodded and hugged her brother, �Okay, thank you Tai!� Then their dad honked the car horn. �Okay time for me to go� Tai said and then he heaved his backpack over his shoulders. ��Bye bye Tai!� Kari said as she opened her arms. Tai leaned down again and hugged her, �If you get better, I�ll be waiting for you.� Tai ran down to the car where his dad was waiting to drive him to where the bus was waiting to take him the rest of the way. Kari opened her window and yelled a series of �Good byes� and �I�ll miss you�s.� She wished with all her heart that she could go, but that wasn�t going to happen.   She looked at her own little backpack that had a tag that said �Highton View Terrace Summer Camp.�   Then the car turned out of the driveway and Kari could she Tai waving from the passenger seat. Kari put her whistle to her mouth and blew as hard as she could, she didn�t stop to catch her breath until the car was completely out of site.   Then she caught her breath and examined her whistle, that�s when she noticed the engraving that read �Together at Summer Camp.�   Kari nodded her head and let a few tears flow down her cheeks.

Tai sat in the passenger seat and looked ahead of him. Somehow he knew that Kari had gotten the message.

But we would never be together at summer camp because of an unscheduled trip to a place I never dreamed existed, a place where danger is a local resident and a place where our hopes arose. I don�t think I can some it up in a few words today, maybe tomorrow. Now that I�m here I don�t know if I�ll ever see Kari or anyone besides the other kids here ever again. But life is a river and I�ll just keep paddling. I suppose the others and I are here for a reason. Hmm, this must be what they call destiny.