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"Michael? What are you doing?"

Michael froze Slowly he turned his head to the side and saw his father in his usual blue business suit stalking toward hihts of Nora, Michael hadn’t even noticed his father had parked across the street

"Nothing," Michael said, crossing his ar on a ride"

His dad stopped and looked down at hi and his rather tall, stocky father standing, his dad would still be looking down at him

"A ride to where?" his father deain

"It’s Thursdayoff Your one the whole su on with ht we put that behind us," his father said in hisbetter than the sucking up At least the anger seeenuine His father’s friendly voice onlyAnswers obviously And Michael wasn’t about to give hi on ht but didn’t say out loud His father could turn anything against him, so Michael wore his silence as a shield

His father’s eyes turned cold andthis summer, or I’llwith some friends this summer That’s all"

Michael’s father stared at hin His dad talked Constantly talked He spouted off about sports teams, about the assles at work, about the president, the job o away if everyone were just more like him

"Didn’t know you had any friends, Michael," his father said with cold suspicion

Michael clenched his jaw and didn’t answer

"What friends are these?" his father asked in a neutral tone Michael didn’t trust for one second

Pulling his knees even tighter to his chest, Michael concentrated on the cold concrete underneath hiry Michael would disappear, pull into himself, let his body become a hard outer shell that protected that part of him only Nora and Father S understood

"Answer me, Michael"

At times like these Michael wished he could talk like Nora did, wished he could say everything he thought What he wanted to say right noas, You assle