“It’s almost like you blame me for killing Mouse except you ain’t even liked me before that. You act like I got no right to hang out with you guys. You know, I spent more time with Mouse last summer than anyone. Why can’t you believe that I really loved him? You know what I think? I think you guys never really loved him yourself ’cause if you did, you’d understand.”

“I do understand,” I said. “And I like you.”

“You got a funny way of showing it, throwing me out of your house last year at 3 P.M. in the morning. You want to know something? I cried when I got home that night because I thought you was such a nice guy before. No wonder you don’t get along with Pop. He’s real people.”

“I get along with Pop all right.”

“He thinks you hate his guts. I told him I met you and he goes, ‘Yeah, he’s a good kid except he hates my guts.’ I couldn’t believe it. I says, ‘Your own son?’”

“I don’t fucking hate his guts.”

“Maybe not, but he thinks so. Just like you might not hate me but I think you do. I wouldn’t leave my worst enemy with that sleazebag you fixed me up with.”

“Listen, he usually ain’t such a bad guy. He must be drunk.”

“That’s no excuse for what he was doing. That guy’s a creep, and you can’t convince me different.”

“I’m sorry.”

Bunny had stopped crying. “I’d like to know what you told him.”

“I didn’t tell him nothing,” I said.

“Oh, fuck off.” Bunny climbed into the car and rolled down the window. “Just take my advice and be more careful who you hang out with.” She started the engine.

“Drive carefully,” I said.

“Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. I don’t need you to tell me what to do.”

She stepped on the gas a few times, throwing exhaust all around me.

“You know, Dunph, sometimes I pray for you. I do. Because I think that deep down inside you’re probably a nice guy. You just got to learn to show it more.”

She rolled up the window and drove off. I stood there until her car blended in with the rest of the city’s groans.

When I got back inside, Jane said, “Sounds like Jack made a friend for life.”

“I don’t know what her prob is,” Jack said.

“What’d you do to her?” I asked.

Jack put his arms around Jane and me, and said, “Nothing that an intelligent chicken wouldn’t have loved.”