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Over the
next two weeks Jack keeps mostly to himself while his father does his
best to take care of the funeral arrangements and put on a strong face
for the family. Not once does Jack leave the safety of his room to greet
a beloved uncle or even a low-maintenance aunt. Every trip to the bathroom
is carefully staked by an ear to the door and a pair of eyes through the
crack. He might as well be sending coded messages to France.
Despite Jack’s reclusive behavior, his father never finds the time
to confront him. He doesn’t even say a word on the day of her funeral.
He simply offers him a ride, and shuts the door on his way out.
It’s not that Sidney is prescribing this solitude to help his son,
it’s that he himself can’t come to grips with his wife’s
passing. In fact, he can’t come to grips about much these days,
but he keeps the freezer packed with microwavable dinners and carries
on.
Even in times of crisis, the father must still provide.
In Jack’s room, a hurricane of thought surrounds just a few subjects,
most of which are shrouded in confusion. The first concern is that Jack
is unable to rouse any memories from his school or classes. Nor is he
able to understand how his house became so empty all of a sudden. Hiding
from the activity of his mother’s funeral has been his only distraction.
This is not to say the boy is hopeless. In fact he is very adamant about
forming a direction. Being that he witnessed his mother’s death
immediately after satisfying an uncontrollable whim definitely suggests
a fantastic model. And in Jack’s mind there is little doubt that
the events to follow will hold extreme significance. That’s why
it’s puzzling that after all this time he’s still held up
in his room practicing his joust with an umbrella.
[B]
BACK | NEXT
Dedication
Chapter 1 - Two Bookends
On A Couch
Chapter 2 - Battery Fluid
Chapter 3 - Whose Fuse Is The Muse
Chapter 4 - Why Widows Sing The Blues
Chapter 5 - Welcome to Sears
Chapter 6 - Fortress of Solitude
Chapter 7 - Rite of Passage
Chapter 8 - Letters of Arrival
Chapter 9 - Keeping Busy
Chapter 10 - You Can’t Teach a Gorilla
to Golf
Chapter 11 - Satellite
of Love
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