Tom nodded.“Yeah, that sounds right.Started screaming because he couldn’t pet Piñata.And Piñata even tried to bite him.”
“I wish he had,” Sam grumbled.
“Yeah, yeah, the kid deserves to get bitten by a donkey.Can we please circle back to the fact that Clyde is your principal’sgrandson?”I said.“No wonder he thinks he’s untouchable at that school.Because he basically is.”I smacked my forehead with my palm again, then shook my head, anger bubbling up hot across my chest.“This makes so much sense now.Otto’s going to let Clyde get away with murder because they’re family.And if Otto agrees that Clyde is problematic, he’s basically admitting guilt that his son or daughter is a shit parent.Which ultimately reflects badly on him.And we all knownothingis ever Otto Pickford’s fault.”
“How’d you get Piñata back?”Sam asked.
Why wasn’t my child more distraught at this massive revelation?We might not know the root of Clyde’s disdain toward my kid, but at least we knewwhyhe continued to be such a terror.I needed to let other parents know.I needed to alert the media.Take out a billboard ad at the ferry terminal.Everyone needed to know this hidden connection and how it was negatively impacting the school—nay—the island.
“Your principal whacked him with a shoehorn, and he ran back home.Dragging me down the porch steps in the process.”He winced just a little.
I glanced down at Tom’s legs.Why did I only notice now that he was limping?
Scraping my fingers through my hair, I brushed it away from my face with both hands, and held it there for a moment, then turned toward the water, allowing the salty breeze to calm my ire.“I wonder how many other people on the island know about Otto and Clyde’s connection?”
Tom shrugged.“They’re a terrible family.Makes me feel less guilty for not meeting my neighbors.The big one, the principal, he basically asked me for my citizenship papers.”
We’d started walking again, reaching the door to the donkey barn, but I stopped and gaped at him.“No.”
“Si.Why would I lie?”
“That’s not … I don’t think you’d lie.It’s more … I just am stunned.”
He merely nodded, held the door open for us, and let us walk ahead of him.“I am glad Piñata ate her tulips.Do you know thisClydechild?”he asked Sam.
Her face went pale, and she glanced down at her feet as the door closed behind us.All the donkeys and ponies were out in the field, but the scent of fresh hay and manure hung heavy in the air.
“Samantha?”Tom probed when she didn’t answer.
“He’s her bully,” I said.“Kid is horrible.And now we know why he gets away with tormenting his classmates.Because he’s untouchable.”
“Nobody is untouchable when they behave like a donkey’s butt,” Tom said.He opened up one of the stalls and pointed to the enormous hole kicked into the back wall.
“Oh my god,” I breathed.
“I love animals, but not that one so much,” he murmured, shaking his head.“He makes my head hurt.”
“Can I go back and see Midnight?”Sam asked.
Tom and I both nodded, then followed her back to the main barn.His speed was slower, and he favored his right side.I could tell he was tryingnotto limp, and winced a little when he didn’t favor his knee the way he should.
“You should go rest,” I said, once we arrived back in the main barn and Sam went in to see Midnight and Raven.“We can help out here, I’m sure.You need to ice your knees.”
“Is but a wound of the flesh; I will live for many years to come.”
Rolling my eyes at his poetic stoicism, I smiled.“And I’m glad for that, but still.You had a rough morning, and need to rest.”Then I remembered the fact that he’d hardly eaten anything yesterday.Was today the same?If Piñata broke free so early in the morning, had Tom been out here since then?Did he forget breakfast and lunch?“Have you eaten?”I asked.
“I had oatmeal and blueberries for breakfast.”
“At what time?”
He shrugged.“Eight?”
“That was ages ago.You need to eat.”
“I will eat.”
“You sure do like to argue.”
