“How can you be so sure?”
“Well, obviously, I don’t know for certain, but if you believe there’s an afterlife, then you have to also believe it’s where everyone knows the truth about what happened in this life. It’s where they set the record straight.”
“You really think that’s what happens?”
“Would be nice if it did, right?”
“Yeah, that’d be cool.”
“Look, what happened to you and your friends was horrible. But it wasn’t your fault. An adult man who’s been a waste of space his whole life and his equally useless son were responsible for it. The way I see it, you’ve got a choice about what you do now.”
“I do?”
“Uh-huh. You can let those assholes ruin your life, too, or you can decide not to let them win. You can decide to survive it and to do good in the world. My dad says all the time that we get to choose our destinies, and yours could have something to do with protecting kids from people like those Mayfield guys.”
“How do you do it, though? Every time I think of her… I want to die myself.”
“When I first went to live with Mrs. Littlefield, it was right after my mom and grandfather died really close together. I was left with no one, and it was super scary. I didn’t know what was going to happen to me. I asked her if I’d always feel so sad and scared, and she promised me I wouldn’t. She said there was a great big, beautiful life waiting for me to find it. She said my mom and grandfather would always be with me, and they wouldn’t want me to suffer forever because they were gone. I bet Luna wouldn’t want that for you either.”
“I didn’t know her well enough to be sure of that.”
“I’m pretty sure she was probably a good kid who’d want the best for you.”
“Why’d this have to happen?”
“I don’t know, bud. I really don’t get why bad things have to happen to good people. But one thing I know for sure is that you’ve got a lot of people who care about you, and if you let us, we’ll get you through it.”
“Thanks for talking to me.”
“I’m here any time you need me. And I mean that.”
“I know. My mom is really mad with my dad because he let me go out with my friends. She said it was too soon. I wish I’d listened to her.”
“I’m sure they’ll figure it out, but that’s not your fault either. That’s between them.”
Ethan cracked the first hint of a grin. “How’d you get so smart, anyway?”
“Life, man. It does that to ya.”
* * *
Sam retreated from the doorway back into the kitchen, where her sisters were talking at the kitchen table. She’d wanted to check on the boys and had overheard their conversation. “You guys… I just heard Scotty talking to Ethan, and… my heart can’t handle it.”
She returned to her seat at the table, reaching for a napkin to dab at her eyes.
“What were they saying?” Tracy asked.
“Scotty was giving him advice about how to handle bad things, and it was just so… It was lovely.”
“That’s just what Ethan needs right now.”
“Sometimes I forget what Scotty went through before we knew him,” Sam said. “He’s so well adjusted to his new life, but the trauma is always there.”
“And now Ethan has trauma to carry as well.”
“Scotty gave him some good advice on how to handle it, and Ethan seemed really open to it.”
“It’s nice of Scotty to try.”
