Hetton House

*image copied from Wikipedia

This is where Clayton Blaisedell, Jr. a.k.a. Blaze spent most of his childhood.

John was his best friend here.  So far, they've been through a lot together.  They became friends when John asked Blaze to save him from the bullies in exchange offered his help on his assignment and recitations, because Blaze is slow, especially in Arithmetic. "He had been able to get back the hang of adding two apples, but only with great effort, and a quarter of an apple plus half an apple was always going to be beyond him.  So far as he knew, apples only came in bites." You wouldn't believe how John thought of a way to get through with recitation through hand signals.  Believe me, I couldn't figure out how they did it and didn't spend time to figure it out.  At this point, I knew that somehow, Blaze got talent he only has to figure it out, to realize it.

Then, Blaze met George.  And his life was never the same.

Although George calls him stupid, I think he loves George more than anyone.  George reminds him of most of the things he forgot; until he died.  I think Blaze couldn't face this fact that's why George existed in his life all throughout.  I think he couldn't believe that he's capable of remembering and thinking because he depended on George on everything.  But so far, I know that Blaze has a talent, he just wasn't given a chance to discover it and be confident about it.

Probably to make George happy, he executed George's long-time plan of kidnapping Joe - the son of one of the richest man of their time.  I can't believe the tension and rush I felt as I read through how he was able to snatch Joe from their heavily guarded place.  At one point, when he got in the baby's room, my heart broke; but not for the baby.  My heart broke for Blaze that he was very amazed with the richness of the room of the baby.   That his childhood is trash compared to this infant's.

At this point, he's had the baby for only a few days.  But I feel that Blaze likes him.  I kinda feel sad that Blaze might be attached with the baby because he seems to bring him joy.  How long does this joy would last?  Would it be worth the $1 million ransom he is asking if he's going to be attached with the baby?

Probably not.

Probably yes.

As Wireman often  says to Edgar at the Big Pink, "Maybe si, maybe no."

BETWEEN THE LINES:

It was funny how little things could be so perfect and no one ever saw them.

It's funny, too - how your sense of things could change.

George is like the fox who couldn't reach the grapes and told everyone they are sour.

He knows the difference between what was dreams and what was real, but in the dark the difference seemed thinner.