Chapter 1
Prologue
West Bumfuck, AR
CHRIS BOTTOMS HAD undergone colorectal surgery, which left him wearing an ostomy bag. The surgeon who performed the procedure had accidentally cut a nerve, leaving Chris unable to relieve himself normally—he now has to catheterize himself to accomplish that simple task.
Chris and his partner Mickey O’Donovan have just journeyed to Arkansas to visit Chris’s mother, from whom he’d been estranged for more than half of his life. Chris agreed to make the trip only because his mother was on her deathbed. To his surprise, he learned that not only had his mother been sober for nearly eleven years, he had a half brother, who was nine, going on ten.
His mother asked Chris to take custody of his brother and raise him, and with Mickey’s enthusiastic consent, he’d agreed to do so. After his mother’s funeral, Chris and Mickey flew home to Florida, taking his brother Teddy with them.
Jacksonville, FL
AFTER TEDDY’S BAGS had been unpacked and his room organized, Chris and Mickey decided to take him to The Loop for a late supper, and the three of them sat on the deck for a long time, enjoying their food and getting better acquainted.
Teddy surprised them by saying, “What should I call you guys?”
“That’s a good question,” Chris said. “I’m your brother, but I’ve also adopted you, so you can call me Chris, or you can call me Dad, if you like.”
“I never had a dad,” Teddy said.
“Don’t you remember him?” Chris said.
“I was real little when he left. Nobody stayed with Ma more than a couple of years. Some of them even less.”
Our mother was nothing if not consistent, Chris thought. That was exactly the pattern of her life after my father died when I was Teddy’s age
“So what’s it going to be—Chris or Dad?” Chris said.
“I sort of like Papa,” Teddy said. “If it’s okay with you.”
“It’s fine with me, kiddo. What about you, Mickey?”
“Mickey will do, or Uncle Mickey, if Teddy likes that,” Mickey said. “That’s entirely up to him.”
“I’m not supposed to call grown-ups by their first names, so maybe I’ll call you Uncle Mickey.”
“That works for me, kiddo,” Mickey said.
“Do you guys have to go to work tomorrow?” Teddy said.
“I do,” Mickey said, “but Chris has a couple more days off.”
“What am I going to do?” Teddy said.
“I think I have an answer to that,” Mickey said.
“What?” Teddy said.
“The bank where I work has some sort of day care program for the children of people who work there. Technically, you’re not my kid, but you certainly qualify for the program. I’ll check into it in the morning.”
“And I’ll talk to some friends of ours who have kids,” Chris said.
“How many of them are there?” Teddy said.
“We know three couples who have sons. One of the boys is close to your age, and the others are maybe a year or two younger than you. We’ll figure something out, don’t worry.”
“Okay,” Teddy said. “Can we go home now? I’m kind of tired.”
“Now that you mention it, so am I,” Chris said.
“Me too,” Mickey said.
When they returned home, Teddy took a shower and dressed for bed. He was out like a light almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. Chris and Mickey stepped into their shower together for a few minutes, then toweled themselves dry while standing in front of the vanity mirror as usual. They dressed in boxers and tees, went to the porch just off their second-floor master bedroom and settled down in the swing, wineglasses in hand. They sat quietly for a long time, sipping their wine.
Finally, Chris said, “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure you can. What’s the question?”
“Simply this—what the fuck do we do now?”
1
Jacksonville, FL
“WHAT DO WE DO about what?” Mickey said.
Chris pointed in the general direction of Teddy’s room.
“Oh, that,” Mickey said.
“Yes, that. When it comes to raising a child, neither of us knows shit about shit.”
“Neither do brand-new parents who’ve just had a baby. They learn on the job, so to speak, and so will we.”
“You make it sound so easy,” Chris said.
“Babe! I know it isn’t going to be easy, but I think it’ll be fun.”
“I’ll hold you to that and remind you of it from time to time when the going gets rough.”
“Christopher Bottoms! Are you having second thoughts about this? Because if you are, it’s way too late for that.”
“Of course not. Teddy is my brother—well, half brother, if you must. I fully intend to see that he has a better chance at life than I did at his age.”
“That’s a good attitude,” Mickey said, “as long as you don’t go overboard and spoil him.”
“Yeah. We need to make a list.”
“A list of what?”
“Things we need to do and/or buy. You know—find a school; buy school supplies; Grandma said that he needs clothes, and I agree. He’ll need a computer, and—”
Mickey put a finger to Chris’s lips to silence him. “We’ll deal with that in the morning.”
“Mickey! Wewon’t be here in the morning. You’ll go to work, and I’ll have to deal with things.”
“And you’ll deal with them just fine. Why don’t you take Teddy for a ride and show him the neighborhood? Maybe even go to the beach?”
“I can’t go to the beach with him by myself,” Chris said.