I Heard My Uncle in the Hall Before I Saw What He’d Brought

coat off. Rain darkened the shoulders of it. His cufflinks were still on. Tiny gold bars. He looked like he’d walked out of one life and straight into another.

“What did he say?” I asked.

Thomas folded his hands.

“At first, he thought he could bully me the same way he always has. That lasted maybe fifteen seconds.”

Despite everything, a small ugly part continue reading …