`` you are ... kind to think of me , but ... pray forgive me . `` she 's getting better , '' he said , closing out the cash register . he did n't shy away from a curse word but he also did n't use them very often . they gather at a table with a hole in the center . the feeling of the grief vibrating through his throat was still fresh . i stayed where i was , face down on the grass . flashes danced through his eyes , the color of newly turned autumn leaves , burnt gold . 