Chapter 44: Dan’s Little Talk with Ray
Dinner is Chinese—a few dozen little take-out containers scattered across the kitchen table like a buffet. A good foot taller than the hungry kids who clamor for the food, Dan stands at the edge of the crowd and simply reaches over the children’s heads—he snags two closed boxes, starts to move back but thinks better of it and grabs a third, smaller container that can be nothing but rice. I stand by the back door with a beer in either hand. No soda for me—I suspect that a beer or two now might help me sleep through the night. The funeral’s tomorrow. I’m going to need all the help I can get.
When Dan clears the table, I step out onto the porch and hold the screen door open for him, as well. It’s cold out here but the wind has died down and by the hous
