CHAPTER 24
The family sat together for lunch, but Little Joe barely ate anything on his plate. He drank all of his drink – a can of Coke, but only picked at the chicken and rice lovingly served to him by his mother. As he sat through lunch, he felt awkward sitting with the family. He felt as a stranger would, dining on a foreign table, listening to unfamiliar voices, responding to trivial conversations. His thoughts were astray in another world he had created. He kept his eyes away from his dad -- he did not want his eyes to lay upon those of the man he was responsible for causing the pain and misery in his life. His feelings were of great guilt and extreme anger with himself. He had kept that ring hidden from his dad -- even though he knew how much it meant to him. If he had the
