BooksBarbecue
Back Southernmost Save as PDF
Chapters (77)
  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Also by Silas House
  4. Dedication
  5. Epigraph
  6. Contents
  7. Part One
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. Part Two
  27. 1
  28. 2
  29. 3
  30. 4
  31. 5
  32. 6
  33. 7
  34. 8
  35. 9
  36. 10
  37. Part Three
  38. 1
  39. 2
  40. 3
  41. 4
  42. 5
  43. 6
  44. 7
  45. 8
  46. 9
  47. 10
  48. 11
  49. 12
  50. 13
  51. 14
  52. 15
  53. 16
  54. 17
  55. 18
  56. 19
  57. 20
  58. 21
  59. 22
  60. 23
  61. 24
  62. 25
  63. 26
  64. 27
  65. 28
  66. 29
  67. 30
  68. 31
  69. Part Four
  70. 1
  71. 2
  72. 3
  73. Epilogue: The Everything
  74. Acknowledgments
  75. About the Author
  76. About Algonquin
  77. Copyright

But then: “Your daddy’s a queer-lover,” Rabbit whispered into his ear, his breath wet and hot, and Justin could see again, he could hear all the other kids hollering and laughing. Some of them were chanting “Fight fight fight” but their voices trailed away and then Justin was aware of the boy’s weight being sucked away as the teacher plucked Rabbit off him.

Justin felt like he couldn’t breathe. He willed himself to roll over onto his back and the white light of the winter sky caused him to squint. Someone was bending down over him.

“Are you okay, Justin?” his teacher was saying. “Honey, can you catch your breath?”

He managed to roll over onto his side just in time to let a pinkish-orange ribbon of vomit burst out of his mouth and slide down his jaw and neck, running down into the collar of his shirt.

Nobody was laughing now. Everyone was very quiet.

After a time Justin stood, without help. He could see Rabbit being hustled away to the principal’s office by one of the other teachers. And Mrs. Sherman was at his arm, asking if he was okay, but he didn’t answer her. He was thinking that he hated Rabbit. He knew you weren’t supposed to hate anybody. His daddy had been telling him that his whole damn life. But he hated them all. He hated all the other kids, too. Not laughing anymore, but trying not to, their hands over their mouths, all those eyes on him. He looked away from them and more than anything he was thinking this: I’m stronger than you.

16

16

Asher was stacking cans of PET milk on a shelf when he caught sight of his son making his way up the aisle toward him. He squatted down and Justin hugged him. He drew in his son’s foresty scent. Over Justin’s shoulder he could see Zelda hovering at the end of the aisle like a lookout. She had to know she was breaking the law by allowing Asher to see him without the supervisor present.

“Can’t you just come back home now?” Justin said.

“No, buddy. I wish I could. But I can’t. From now on you’ll have two homes. My house and your Mom’s. Alright?”

“Things would be so much easier if you’d just come home,” Justin said, and Asher wished that it could be that simple. He put his hand out to smooth his thumb down the side of his boy’s face and then Justin said he had to go and trotted back down the aisle. Zelda raised her hand in a wave, and they were gone.

“You ought not allow her to do that again, Asher,” Kathi said, standing behind him. “It’ll only cause you trouble if they find out before the custody hearing.”

Asher bristled but just nodded to her.