For a half hour, every school day, for a few months, I was really happy. A friend and I would go to the drainpipe, and we would sit, talk, eat our lunches, and listen to my walkman. It was the perfect place: It was quiet, beautiful, and it was full of peace. It didn't matter whether it was cold or hot, somehow you didn't feel anything sitting on that drainpipe. You would feel the wind on your face, and it made your face cold, but inside, you felt warm and cozy, and you almost felt like you couldn't be harmed. There was something magical about ....