because of this gay nonsense, and I for one was done with it.
“I think it is time for you to leave,” she said after a few seconds of composing herself.
“Haven’t we paid enough?” I asked her, not budging. “Hasn’t there been enough death for something to change? The people who killed Riley, the people who taunted Kelly to the point that he killed himself, don’t you think these people need to see that as a town, as a people, we aren’t going to take this anymore? We made a mistake when we shut Charlotte down, and you know it.” She just sat there and said nothing. “We buried our boys because of this,” I cried at her, my tears now falling freely. “We held them as babies and swore we would take care of them, and then we put them in boxes and covered them with dirt. Things have to change, Dolores. You have to change them.”
I sounded crazy, and maybe I was. Foster had taken the most important thing in my life, and I was angry at it. I wanted to punish it, teach it a lesson, but there was no way to do that. Kyle wasn’t giving up; he was still fighting to change it, and maybe he had the right idea.
“Is that all?” she asked me.
“The school board meeting is tomorrow,” I said, standing up. “If you want to find a way to respect Riley, if you want a way to make things right… you’ll be there too.”
I took my coat and thanked her for the tea.
There was nothing left to say.
I T WAS strangely comforting to know that after all these years, school board meetings were just as unpleasant as I remembered them.
Mr. Raymond had welcomed me with open arms, assuming I had shown up to be present when they voted Kelly’s Laws into school policy. He was a spineless man who I had disliked for years. A midlevel bureaucrat, he had risen to the position of principal simply because he’d somehow managed to attain a master’s in supervision and because everyone else who had had the job or might be in line for it had left for greener pastures than Foster.
Jeff Raymond also held deep religious beliefs, so long as his beliefs and the beliefs stated in the Bible were identical or could be interpreted that way. He used God as a shield to protect and justify his own pettiness and vengeful nature. He’d bugged the hell out of me when I had been on the board, and he bugged me now.
“Is William joining us?” he asked me as I found a seat.
I smiled at him and replied in a sweet voice, “I dearly hope not.” I was rewarded by a confused look as he walked away.
“This seat taken?” a voice asked me from the aisle.
I looked over and saw Susan Greymark standing there.
“Susan!” I exclaimed, getting up to hug her.
She hugged me back. “How you doing?” she asked me quietly.
Susan and I had been friends for years, since our boys were so close. Her husband Nathan was a real asshole, but then William was no catch, so I couldn’t talk. “I’m here” was all I said. It wasn’t an answer but then again, maybe it was.
There was a woman behind her, and she turned and caught her left elbow to encourage a step forward to stand beside her. “Have you met Linda Stilleno? She’s Kyle’s mom.”
Linda gave me a sad smile and reached over to shake my hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
“Your son is incredible,” I told her, shaking it back. “You must be very proud of him.”
I saw her blush slightly, and I could tell she was. “He was torn up about Kelly. I am so sorry.”
She meant well, but I was getting tired of people telling me they were sorry. “You two want to join me?”
They took seats to the left of me, leaving me on the aisle, and we sat there waiting for the meeting to start. “I can’t believe they are finally doing something about the attitude at the school,” Linda said, looking around at people as they wandered in and found places to plant themselves. “I personally think the school board needs a two-by-four upside its head.”
“I used to be on the school board,” I
“I think it is time for you to leave,” she said after a few seconds of composing herself.
“Haven’t we paid enough?” I asked her, not budging. “Hasn’t there been enough death for something to change? The people who killed Riley, the people who taunted Kelly to the point that he killed himself, don’t you think these people need to see that as a town, as a people, we aren’t going to take this anymore? We made a mistake when we shut Charlotte down, and you know it.” She just sat there and said nothing. “We buried our boys because of this,” I cried at her, my tears now falling freely. “We held them as babies and swore we would take care of them, and then we put them in boxes and covered them with dirt. Things have to change, Dolores. You have to change them.”
I sounded crazy, and maybe I was. Foster had taken the most important thing in my life, and I was angry at it. I wanted to punish it, teach it a lesson, but there was no way to do that. Kyle wasn’t giving up; he was still fighting to change it, and maybe he had the right idea.
“Is that all?” she asked me.
“The school board meeting is tomorrow,” I said, standing up. “If you want to find a way to respect Riley, if you want a way to make things right… you’ll be there too.”
I took my coat and thanked her for the tea.
There was nothing left to say.
I T WAS strangely comforting to know that after all these years, school board meetings were just as unpleasant as I remembered them.
Mr. Raymond had welcomed me with open arms, assuming I had shown up to be present when they voted Kelly’s Laws into school policy. He was a spineless man who I had disliked for years. A midlevel bureaucrat, he had risen to the position of principal simply because he’d somehow managed to attain a master’s in supervision and because everyone else who had had the job or might be in line for it had left for greener pastures than Foster.
Jeff Raymond also held deep religious beliefs, so long as his beliefs and the beliefs stated in the Bible were identical or could be interpreted that way. He used God as a shield to protect and justify his own pettiness and vengeful nature. He’d bugged the hell out of me when I had been on the board, and he bugged me now.
“Is William joining us?” he asked me as I found a seat.
I smiled at him and replied in a sweet voice, “I dearly hope not.” I was rewarded by a confused look as he walked away.
“This seat taken?” a voice asked me from the aisle.
I looked over and saw Susan Greymark standing there.
“Susan!” I exclaimed, getting up to hug her.
She hugged me back. “How you doing?” she asked me quietly.
Susan and I had been friends for years, since our boys were so close. Her husband Nathan was a real asshole, but then William was no catch, so I couldn’t talk. “I’m here” was all I said. It wasn’t an answer but then again, maybe it was.
There was a woman behind her, and she turned and caught her left elbow to encourage a step forward to stand beside her. “Have you met Linda Stilleno? She’s Kyle’s mom.”
Linda gave me a sad smile and reached over to shake my hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
“Your son is incredible,” I told her, shaking it back. “You must be very proud of him.”
I saw her blush slightly, and I could tell she was. “He was torn up about Kelly. I am so sorry.”
She meant well, but I was getting tired of people telling me they were sorry. “You two want to join me?”
They took seats to the left of me, leaving me on the aisle, and we sat there waiting for the meeting to start. “I can’t believe they are finally doing something about the attitude at the school,” Linda said, looking around at people as they wandered in and found places to plant themselves. “I personally think the school board needs a two-by-four upside its head.”
“I used to be on the school board,” I
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