BooksBarbecue
Back Early Departures
Chapters (122)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. Facts
  5. 101
  6. 100
  7. 23 Months After the Funeral
  8. 99
  9. 98
  10. 97
  11. 96
  12. 95
  13. 94
  14. 93
  15. 92
  16. 91
  17. 90
  18. 89
  19. 88
  20. 87
  21. 86
  22. 85
  23. 84
  24. 83
  25. 82
  26. 81
  27. 80
  28. 79
  29. 78
  30. 77
  31. 76
  32. 75
  33. 74
  34. 73
  35. 72
  36. 71
  37. 70
  38. 69
  39. 68
  40. 67
  41. 66
  42. 65
  43. 64
  44. 63
  45. 62
  46. 61
  47. 60
  48. 59
  49. 58
  50. Postreanimation Day 1
  51. 57
  52. 56
  53. 55
  54. 54
  55. 53
  56. 52
  57. 51
  58. 50
  59. 49
  60. 48
  61. 47
  62. Day 2
  63. 46
  64. 45
  65. 44
  66. 43
  67. 42
  68. 41
  69. 40
  70. 39
  71. 38
  72. 37
  73. 36
  74. Day 3
  75. 35
  76. 34
  77. 33
  78. 32
  79. 31
  80. 30
  81. Day 4
  82. 29
  83. 28
  84. 27
  85. 26
  86. Quincy
  87. 25
  88. Jamal
  89. 24
  90. 23
  91. 22
  92. 21
  93. 20
  94. Day 4
  95. 19
  96. 18
  97. 17
  98. Day 5
  99. 16
  100. 15
  101. 14
  102. 13
  103. 12
  104. 11
  105. 10
  106. Day 6
  107. 9
  108. 8
  109. 7
  110. 6
  111. 5
  112. 4
  113. 14 Days Postreanimation
  114. 3
  115. 2
  116. 1
  117. 0
  118. Acknowledgments
  119. About the Author
  120. Books by Justin A. Reynolds
  121. Back Ad
  122. About the Publisher

Q: Tell Whit thank you but I sorta think me and Mom both need some mother-son time

Jamal: Yeah, ok

Jamal: Listen, I don’t quite know how to say this but like, I wanna make what I did right. Or at least make it up to you, to your mom

Q: Yeah? What are you proposing?

Jamal: I have no idea lol

Jamal: Yet! YET! I’m working on it

Jamal: but when I figure it out you’re gonna love it

Q: Yeah, well, don’t take too much time

Jamal: shit man I can’t tell if you’re being funny or introspective right now

Q: def funny

Q: lol

Jamal: image

Q: gotta get you back right lol

Jamal: image not cool man

Q: oh you mean like lying to your friend not cool lol

Jamal: well played sir

Jamal: lol

Q: TY!

Q: But do me a favor j

Jamal: Yeah?

Q: Next time I die just tell me right away okay image

Jamal: image I got you

Q: J?

Jamal: Yeah?

Q: you know what the worst thing about being dead is

Jamal: what

Q: I was just starting to live

21

I consider calling.

Or even texting.

But in the end, I know I have to fix things the same way I broke them.

Face-to-face.

Mano a mom-o.

Q lets me into the house, and we hug tighter than probably we’ve ever hugged.

Stay that way for longer than the last fifty hugs I’ve been a part of combined.

We don’t even talk.

She’s in the kitchen, her back to me.

I clear my throat and say her name softly—hi, Ms. Barrantes—and she pauses for a second, but she doesn’t stop doing the dishes, she doesn’t turn around.

“I’m sorry I went against your wishes. I know that was wrong even if I thought it was right. I know you were trying to protect Q. That you love him more than anything. That you’d do anything to keep him safe. I respect you even though it doesn’t probably feel that way to you. And I don’t think I ever thanked you. For the stuff you did for me and Whit when Mom and Dad . . .”

Ms. B snaps the water off.

“For the casseroles. And for the cards. And for doing our laundry. And for talking to my teachers and helping Whit figure out the tax stuff and . . . for all of it.”

And she just stands there, sopping dish towel in her hand.

So I do what I would’ve done to my own mom.

I close the gap.

I rest my head against her shoulder.

And she rubs the side of my scalp. “You’re still a knucklehead.”

“I love you too.”

20

“So, even though I basically bungled this whole thing . . .”

Whit interrupts me. “It coulda been way worse!”