Part 1 (2/2)

He looked over the fence at the crowd ”Big turnout”

”Yeah”

”He had to be the greatest,” he said adot nine dollars a week for the sa, an' I'm pullin' down a hunnert and ninety-five per He was the best friend a workingman ever h”

”He was a shi+t,” I said ”All the woricingman ever meant to him was power”

”Wait a ot no right to say things like that”

”I have every right in the world,” I said ”He was e look came over his face Then his fist relaxed ”I'm sorry, kid,” he said, and went back to his truck

I watched him climb into the cab and start off, then turned back to look over the fence Mother and DJ were coet their pictures I turned and walked away down the alley just as they were getting into the limousine

'Thafs no way to talk about your father'

Go away, Old Man You're dead'

”/'w not dead Fll be alive as long as you're alivey as long as your children and their children are alive There is so of et rid of me'

You're dead, dead, dead'

''You're seventeen and you don't believe in anything, do you?”

''No”

”Would you really like to knohat happened in that plane before it crashed?”

”Yes”

”You already do You told that garbageman

”Imade that up”

”No, you didn't I put the words into your et your brain is made up of cells too”

”I don't believe you You're lying to me You've always lied to me”

”I never lied to you There was no way I could You were part of me You were my truth You were not like your brother He is a copy of me But you - you are yourself You are rave doesn't stop you'

That is nothing they are carrying to the grave A body, an empty shell I am here Inside you”

'7 don't feel you, Father I never felt you I don't feel you now”

'In time you will”

''Never”

''Jonathan, my son”

”Go away Old Man You're dead”

I turned the co I saas the cars parked in front ofthere in the shade of the trees Reporters Yd thought they would be gone by now But they aiting Apparently Big Dan was news even after he was dead and buried

I cut back to the street behind h the Forbeses' driveway Our back door was right behind the fence that separated the two houses

I was carefully stepping over the flower bed against the fence, knowing that Mrs Forbes was hysterical about her flowers I had one foot on the fence when Anne called ain and turned She was sitting on the back porch, a glass of wine in her hand

”I thought you'd be at the funeral,” she said

'I went to the service,” I said ”I didn't go out to the ce I came this way because the reporters are still out front and I didn't want to talk to them”

”I know,” she said 'They ca They wanted to knohat kind of a neighbor your father was”

''What did you tell them?”

”I didn't talk to theled ”They told thereat man he was You know”

I had to smile at that There was no love lost between the Forbeses and hborhood, the Forbeses had led the fight against hi their clean Westchester air ”Where are your folks?” I asked

She giggled again ”At the funeral Where did you think they would be?”

I laughed The whole world was full of shi+t and hypocrites

”Want a glass of wine?” she asked

”No But I'll take a can of beer if you got one”

”I got one” She disappeared through the kitchen door as I climbed up on the porch She was back in a moment with a cold can of Miller's