Chapter 65

“I appreciate that, Matt. We tried.” When he paused, I could hear him sip coffee, undoubtedly from the “World’s Greatest Father” mug that he toted around the house with him like a trophy. “Well, to answer your question, it started years before the ‘garage roof incident,’ probably when he was in his early twenties, after he’d endured some heavy pressure.”

“What do you mean?”

“Clarence was generally a decent student, but my father—your grandfather—really pushed him to work even harder, being the firstborn son and all. Anyway, during his junior year in college, his grades kept sliding lower and lower. Your grandfather went ballistic. But that just seemed to make matters worse, and eventually Clarence dropped out of school, and he never quite seemed the same after that.”

“How so?”