BooksBarbecue
Back The Hallows Save as PDF
Chapters (89)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. 67
  72. 68
  73. 69
  74. 70
  75. 71
  76. 72
  77. 73
  78. 74
  79. 75
  80. 76
  81. 77
  82. 78
  83. 79
  84. 80
  85. 81
  86. 82
  87. 83
  88. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  89. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I sat next to him and said, “I remember Mom out here mowing the lawn before it became my chore when I was ten or whatever. Never understood why you let her do it instead of doing it yourself.”

“I tried, but your mother said I didn’t do it right. That the lines on the lawn had to go up and down and be straight and that I went side to side too much. She had to have things a certain way. It would drive her nuts when they weren’t that way. I tried to mow them straight for years, but it was never straight enough.”

I looked to him. “She had OCD?”

“We didn’t have words like that back then. People were just people. We all have our quirks. There’s no reason to give it a name.”

I looked over the grass. “Adam, you have to go back to the hospital. You’re going to die.”

He nodded slowly, not taking his eyes off the lawn, seeing some distant memory there. “I know.”

“You know? What is that supposed to mean? You mean you’re going to accept it and lie back and cough yourself to death?”

“Hey, I am sick of this holier-than-thou attitude from you. I’m an adult, and adults get to make their own decisions. I’m healthy and I’m goin’ to stay healthy until it’s time for me to go. And I ain’t goin’ on some hospital bed with a twenty-year-old doctor tellin’ me how sorry he is for me. This is my home. This is the home I brought my wife to after our wedding and the home my father brought my mother to after their wedding. I ain’t leavin’ it.”

I shook my head and rose. “Well, that’s just great. But I’ll tell you one thing, I’m not going to sit here and watch you slowly die. So you can count me out.”

“Good. Go back to your fancy mansion and easy women, Tatum. You never really belonged in this town anyway.”

“I got news for ya, Adam. Neither did you. Maybe if you had more balls, you would’ve done what I did and left instead of slowly dying here as a ranch hand.”

His eyes widened and he turned away. I knew it was the sorest spot in his life, that spot that everyone feared and wouldn’t look at too closely: the spot that revealed a life that had been wasted, and the realization that it was too late to do anything about it.

“Adam,” I said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

“I’d like to be alone.”

“Look, I get angry and I say—”

“I’d like to be alone, Tatum. Please.”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

55

55