“Who called from the school?”

“Your counselor. He seems to think you might need some help dealing with all of this. With your mother, I mean.”

Parker stared at the clone without expression. Jeremiah couldn’t tell if he was about to hit him or start crying.

“I don’t need any help,” he said finally. “Especially not from that idiot counselor. He’s always on my back about my ‘emotional landscape.’ Every time someone gets a paper cut, he thinks it’s a ‘plea for help.’ I’m not talking to that whack head about Mom. I hate him.”

“Actually,” the clone said, “he thinks it might be a good idea for you to see someone outside of school. You know Meld, right? That’s the medicine my company makes. He thinks it could help for you to take that with a doctor, just to make sure you’re handling everything. I think it might be a good idea. I told him I’d talk to you about it.”

“What?” Jeremiah jumped up from his seat.

“Oh, yeah, that’s a great idea,” Parker said sarcastically. “That’s the stuff everybody takes and then kills themselves. I don’t think so. You might have fooled everyone else about that stuff when you took it on TV, but I don’t want anyone giving it to me.”

Jeremiah could have jumped through the wall and high-fived Parker. At least someone was thinking clearly. The clone didn’t see it in exactly the same way.

“Well, those people weren’t using it properly,” he said. “It’s perfectly safe when you take it with a doctor. And it really can help. Let’s see how you feel in a few days. You have your suit all set for the wake?”

“You already asked me that. I already told you, I do.”

“And your shoes? What shape are they in?”

“It’s not a problem, Dad. My shoes are fine.”

“We don’t want any last-minute surprises. We’ve got to be on time, and we’ve got to look good.”

“I don’t see why it matters what I’m wearing.”

“It’s out of respect, Parker. It’s customary. Wouldn’t you want to make your mother proud?”

“It’s not like she’s going to care. She’s dead. Remember?”

“Parker...” The clone looked at the boy with a mix of pity and shock. “Don’t talk like that.”

“Well, she is dead, Dad. She’s gone. She’s not going to give a single fuck what I’m wearing. She’s not going to be proud of me. Ever again.”

Jeremiah cringed and looked away from the screen. The kid was reaching out for some sort of comfort in the only way he knew how. If his clone saw that, too, he didn’t act on it.

“Parker, watch your mouth,” he said angrily. “There’s no reason for that. How do you think your mother would react to that kind of language? Pull yourself together.”

Parker pushed his food away and got up from his seat noisily.

“I’m gonna take Louie for his walk,” he said. “Someone around here needs to keep things going.”