i let my past screw up everything i have in the present and possibly my future . hope said , `` yeah , that 's gon na help . the sherbet was a cool end to a warm day . `` not much farther , '' he promised , pointing vaguely ahead . i throw the card into the garbage and force myself to get back to work . nick only hoped his sister came back afterward . another cupboard door she opens and reaches in for the cereal box . i buried my head in the hollow of his neck . 