Tim got to Albert's home a little early, but no one seemed to mind. Albert was very glad to see him and Albert's parents looked equally happy! They all oohhed and aahhed over the pie he brought for desert, saying it was the biggest one any of them had ever seen. That made Tim feel good as he warmed to this family. After everyone got comfortable, Albert's Mom went back into the kitchen to finish the preparations for dinner. She turned out to be an excellent cook. Most of the items on the menu were home grown, from vegetables to the fried chicken which was out-of-this-world delicious. Best Tim had ever eaten. They all had a huge piece of the cherry pie for desert and almost had to be carried away from the dinner table. Tim insisted on helping clean up afterward, much to Albert's Mom's surprise and delight. Of course Albert got into the act and they had everything cleaned up, ship shape and put away before you knew it. They spent the rest of the afternoon and evening visiting and learning more about each other. Tim was curious about the old Chevy in the front yard. Albert's grandfather had bought it brand new and had run the wheels off it, so to speak, traveling around the country in his later years, before he passed away. Albert's Dad had used it for several years as well and chalked up another couple hundred thousand miles before it started to cost more in repairs than they could afford. That was shortly before Albert's Dad had the accident at his town job. He broke his back falling off a scaffolding and was paralyized from the waist down. They didn't have any insurance so they got socked with a huge hospital bill they were still paying on even after all these years. Had to sell some of the farm as well just to keep the bill collectors from knocking down the door. Tim left before 10. He had classes to attend the next day. They invited him to come back anytime. As time went by, Tim began showing up at Albert's folks farm on a more regular basis. Everyone took a shine to him and he and Albert's friendship only became better with time. Albert even helped Tim with some of his more difficult classes. Turns out, Albert was very gifted in math and biology and didn't even know it. As Tim began to realize this, he talked Albert into trying out for a scholarship at the college. At first, Albert just laughed thinking it would be a waste of time. He had never even considered doing such a thing before. But finally, he took some of the tests and aced them all with ease, got a full scholarship and wound up graduating with Tim a couple years later. Well, there is probably a lot more that could be told about this story. I think you can guess that Tim and Albert became strong and fast friends for life. They are still out their living their lives, doing what they do best and taking each day as it comes. What more can anyone do? Oh, I almost forgot, Tim never did forget about that old Chevy in the front yard. He eventually helped Albert restore it to vintage condition. Albert just loves driving it and has chalked up another 100,000 or so miles on it just for good measure! Thank you for taking a peek! Your support is greatly appreciated!