Theo And Reed's School Blues

Chapter Twenty Six

The rest of the memorial was pretty memorable but how could you top meeting the president?  To Theo the whole thing seemed more an opportunity for local political movers and shakers to network, meet and greet than actually mourn. Most hadn't even mentioned the dead woman's name except for a skinny young woman in a rainbow tee shirt and torn jeans who started chanting " Ding Dong the witch is dead " over and over again until security dragged her out. Theo and Matt found out she was a grad student at American University studying political science and the founder of a local LGBTQA organization in the city. Her name was Lia Lewis and they saw her outside the cathedral as they were leaving. She was vaping and it smelled like pancakes. Lia was still angry but not so angry she didn't get an appointment with Saint next week to discuss discrimination issues with the MPD. Afterwards Saint went back to city hall while Theo gave Matt a lift home in his Corvette. Of course they discussed everything they had seen and heard at the very odd service.

Once Theo was home he found Reed in the living room lecturing their son about fighting at school. Theo was alarmed to see the bloodied lip and blackening eye on Benji who shrugged it off as nothing. He had not only gotten into a fistfight but he had apparently lost and Miquel had given him a two day in school suspension. Reed also had just grounded him for a week ( no phone, come home directly from school, no seeing Livvie and Sam and Chandra , no video games). Reed seemed more upset that their son wouldn't tell them exactly why he had been fighting. Benji stumped off to his bedroom where they heard the door slam.

Reed was heading for the bedroom but Theo asked him to let him talk to their son. In the bedroom Benji was tossing a baseball up in the air and catching it. He looked as mad as Reed had. Like father like son.

" So what happened, Ben ? ," Theo asked. " Come on. You can tell me. Your punishment won't get worse. You don't fight at school. "

Benji kept tossing the ball up. " It doesn't matter! "

" Of course it matters, son. If you're upset enough to fight it matters. Look. You don't have to tell me or your Dad. It's your secret to keep. But it might help to get it off your chest. "

The boy sighed deeply. Like he had the weight of the world on his preteen shoulders. " Papa , why are people bigots ? Why do they hate ?"

Theo thought he knew what happened. Benji and Baylee had nontraditional parents. And Benji was dark skinned and getting bigger by the day. He was hoping they would never have to have this talk with him but you didn't always get what you want.

" Are they giving you hell about me and Dad ? Or ..... Something else? "

Benji stopped tossing the ball up. " I don't want to talk about it! Ok ! Just leave me alone! "

Theo reached out to touch Benji's arm and the boy jerked away.

" Leave me alone," Benji whispered. " Sometimes I hate you both. "

Theo felt like his heart was breaking.