Chapter 13Randy climbed the porch stairs to his parents’ house. The March day had given the area a cruel taste of what spring could be: sunshine and temperatures soaring into the mid-sixties. Now, as Randy felt icy sleet biting at the back of his neck as he searched in the darkness for his keys, he felt glad he didn’t let the capricious weather lift his spirits.
Inside, his parents had the heat much too high and Randy smelled meat loaf made with onion-soup mix lingering in every corner. His parents sat in the living room, their eyes intent on the console color TV (Early American, maple finish). The canned laughter of an I Love Lucy repeat combined with the kitchen odors to make Randy feel nauseated. When Randy’s mother heard the swish of his nylon jacket as he removed it, she took her eye
