Chapter 4: Aftershocks
I am insulated from the inquisitive, the intrusive, the interlopers.
Dee takes messages. Kerrick opens mail. Potsy lies a lot.
Others, like LezbyAnn, try to busy me with excursions. She invites me to a grocery Dumpster to help catch fresh rats for her new python. As appealing as rabies sounds, I still say “no.” Tracy and Matt invite me over for game night. I don’t feel real lucky these days; I beg off. I finally leave the house when Stan takes me to the southern part of the state to shop for gourds and pumpkins and walk among the fall colors. A recent chemical peel has left his face vaguely feminized, almost like he’s wearing a rubber mask. He has brought a new Protégé. Fade describes both the boy’s haircut and the way he finishes most sentences.
“Indian corn’s f
