“Remember,” Reggie said, “you promised I could go with you on the first run in the new RV. It’s not exactly a limo but, like you said, I plan on having my own one day.”

“Mr. Mayor,” Junie said. “Things are slowing down a little now. Would you like to come out and see the new RV you helped us raise money to purchase?”

“I’d like that very much,” the mayor said.

Together, Jillian, Junie, Reggie, and Nick guided the mayor to the street where the two vans were parked. Second Chance, leashed to the steering wheel, greeted them proudly.

“This is my dog, Chance,” Reggie said. “Chance, this is the mayor.”

The mayor toured the new RV briefly and thanked them before heading off. For a time the four of them stood quietly, looking at a glass-enclosed display on one wall. In it was a poster-size version of the picture of Umberto Vasquez that Nick had carried from street to street for four years, and beside it was the photo of a beautiful young woman reading a book beneath a tree.

Michael Palmer