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“Your son’s been quiet,” the randpa eyes his grandson he’s about to tickle

My father smiles warmly my way “Oh, he’s just a bit intro—”

“Let your dang boy talk on his own,” Rayht?” He faces ain? Donnie, was it? Same as my brother’s name, that is”

I wipe my hands off on my napkin, then turn my attention to him “Donovan”

“But you go by Donnie, right? ‘Bout tis his right into one, slathering the rest of his dinner roll in it “Your father here’s told me a lot about you You’re an actor, huh?”

“For now”

The er answer than that, lets abutter into a dinner roll with his knife Then he eyestalker, huh?” He chomps off a bite

My dad chuckles “He’s been cast as the lead in the play at his school He’s also an artist He won an award for an illustration he—”

“I heard about that play,” clips Raymond He shakes his head “Delilah Joy always presses my buttons every year with her tastes in so-called Theatre Nothing against the gays, I love theay sons, but is all that roh school production? These are teenagers!”

The shter by the second “It’s certainly a mature choice!”

“Mature” Rayo for another snow crab leg with his greasy, buttery fingers, digging for it on his plate next to the carcass that remains of his lobster “I think she should’ve stuck with Wizard Of Oz, or Our Town, or a play that givesabout the Theatre Arts prograe things up with this weird lovebird show?”

My father opens his mouth to cheerily reply

But I’ that teens see and feel a lot iven credit for We have issues We have opinions We have libidos We aren’t a bunch of puppets made to just entertain crowds of simpleminded people like you”

Everyone’s eyes at the table turn tothe mayor’s wife’s

Thelook Then, as sudden as a firework, he explodes with riotous laughter “Your son! HA!” He drops his crab leg onto his plate with a crash, then shakes his head at ot a lip on him! I like this one! Sihter rips out of his big belly so potently, his wife can only join in, giggling as loud as she can, though her eyes carry a hint of worry in them

My father seerabs the reins of the conversation and steers it away froone, and wait for this stupid dinner to end Would it have been so bad if the hing it off? He practically proved ers are not empty-minded, innocent children—not in the way people like Mayor Raymond think We have probleo unheard and ignored, too—and get worse

And the longer I think on it, the more I fume

In the car ride back to Spruce, the atmosphere is drastically different than it was on the way to the restaurant My dad is tired and sullen as he drives, likely exhausted froether upset, but seeazes out at the road Not a word is uttered by any of us, despiteto the mayor that way Is it crazy to wonder if a part of her liked my jab at him?

When we’re back in Spruce, my dad stops by the corner store because he needs to pick so up After as pu by

Thendinner?”