“Far from home, in a strange land, Garo lies awake. He agonizes about his kicking problems with the unfamiliar oval shaped American football. In that moment when the brain is neither awake nor asleep Garo’s imagination is so vivid it becomes an out-of-body experience. His disembodied spirit is on the practice field. He sees a technicolor scene — a multitude of the living and the dead. His mother and father are there with is long-dead grandfather and grandmother and uncountable numbers of others he perceives to be the displaced Armenians of history. The field glows with the radiant energy of an almighty celestial power. The people murmur words of encouragement.”
“The air is filled with the smell of burning oak wood. Oil of roses is mixed in the smoke. It is a comfortable feeling of being at peace with the world. Garo watches himself approach the ball. His head and shoulders thrust forward and his powerful left leg swings in a graceful arc — a vision of perfect kicking technique. The football soars thru the goal posts. The faces in the crowd fill with joy. Their thunderous shouts echo from the hilltops. He leaps in victory. Slowly, the colors dim and sounds fade away. Garo is asleep.”