Chapter 45

But Xavier couldn’t help it. How could he not be protective of the most precious thing life had ever given him?

Finally, it was his turn to order, but then suddenly, he forgot what it was he’d been planning to get Billy. Chicken burgers, right.

“Yes?” the girl at the cash asked, impatiently.

“Uh, two chicken burgers and—”

“You want the Apache sauce on that, or the spicy Buffalo Bill?”

“What? Uh—I guess the spicy one, yeah.”

“And are those tangy Cherokee onions or—”

“No. No onions.” He gave her the rest of the order, paid, and then stood aside. Staring up at the lighted menu above the open kitchen, Xavier read some of the dish choices. Most of them were inspired by Native American culture, straight from the mainstream’s ideas of what that culture was. All that was missing, Xavier mused, was a bucket of General Custerfried chicken to add to the insult.

But what could he do about it?