i saw a glimpse of a bed in that back room . or can i call you 'buddy ' now , buddy ? '' he looked around not even knowing why . twenty minutes later , he walked back into the bedroom . it turned out shorter and smarter than hed ever worn it . believe me , if i knew what was going to happen , i never would have followed him onto that construction site . he asked with a kind of wonder . she put my suitcase by the bed , and turned around to face me . 