Mancave (Wild Men 3)

“I need to buy them food, like Melissa said. I can’t drive like this. Plus, I’m left-handed. Makes everything harder.”

He closes his eyes, bowing his head, and I notice white lines of pain around his mouth. “Do you need painkillers?”

“I’m fine.”

“Doc said he should be resting, but he isn’t,” Melissa rats on him, her smile gone once more. “Like, in bed.”

“And leave you alone in the house? You’ll wreck it,” Evan mutters, blinking down at his cast.

“Very funny, Uncle Evan. And when Mom picks me up, what will you do?” She toys with the sleeve of her sweater. “Who will take care of you?”

“I’ll take care of myself. That’s what adults do. Now go play. Go on. I need to talk to my friends.”

She looks like she wants to say something more, but she pouts instead and slides out of the chair and runs out of the room.

“Cute,” I say. “How old is she?”

“Eight.”

“Like Mary.” Matt is staring at the door through which the girl vanished. “She looks younger. Does she stay with you often?”

“Often enough. Her mom… she isn’t around much. And I like having Melissa around. She’s a good kid.”

“Evan, you also mentioned problems with Jasper.” Matt leans forward, placing an elbow on the table. “What sort of problems did you mean?”

“With Jasper?” I lean forward too. “My father?”

Evan looks startled. “That’s right, he’s your father. I keep forgetting that.”

“Don’t worry, I sometimes forget it, too. Not like he ever acted like a father to me.”

“Or to anyone,” Evan mutters.

A weight presses down on my chest. “You’re talking about Ross.”

Evan shrugs.

I can’t tell you why I am worried about Ross. I mean, Mom told me worrisome things about him, but the guy we’re talking about is a bully. My own personal nemesis all through high school. Matt is right. I shouldn’t care if he ends up on the streets or rots in prison. Serves him right.

Mom was only relaying gossip. She has her friends in Destiny, and they talk for hours on end on the phone. It makes sense their talk would include her former lover and our father, Jasper, and his son Ross. Not that she actually thought I might be glad to hear of their troubles. After all, she loved Jasper back then, it seems, and never managed to turn those feelings to hatred. But she never thought I’d be so affected. Maybe it’s the pregnancy. Would I be so concerned if my body wasn’t flooded with hormones? I mean, nowadays I cry at the drop of a hat. Just this morning I bawled like a baby because we ran out of milk for my Fruit Loops.

Still…

With a father like Jasper Jones, he sure didn’t have a good model in his life. His mom left town when we were still little, as I recall. What kindness has he seen in life?

It makes me sad.

Matt scowls. “Enough about Ross. What did Jasper do, man? And why the fuck didn’t you come to me sooner?”

Jasper did something to Evan?

He lifts his head, gives Matt a bleak look. “It’s complicated.”

Matt slams his fist into the table top, rattling the mugs. “Stop being so damn vague!”

I flinch back.

Matt looks instantly contrite. “Sorry, Tay.”