Big Guy by Robin Stevenson Page A

“Your mom would know how to handle this.”
    He just doesn’t get it. “Mom’s gone,” I tell him. “She’s gone. When are you going to get it through your head that she’s not coming back?”
    Dad stares at me. His face is pale and he has dark baggy circles under his eyes. He looks like hell. I feel a flicker of pity and, beneath it, some crazy mixture of feelings, anger and sadness and I don’t know what else, all bubbling up inside me and threatening to spill over.
    I take a deep breath. “It’s just us now, Dad,” I say, more softly. “It’s just you and me.”
    â€œI’m tired,” he says. “I’m going to bed.” He starts to turn away. Then he hesitates and looks back at me. “If you decide to forget about the gay thing, I guess you could move back in.”
    It’s so stupid I almost laugh, except I feel more like crying. So I just nod and keep on packing.

Chapter Fourteen
    After a few days of having me in the spare room, Gabi’s folks ask if I’d like to stay with them more permanently. They’ve got a basement suite and they’ve been thinking about renting it out but don’t really want a stranger living there.
    The amount they want to charge me is ridiculously low. Pocket change. I know what they’re doing. They don’t want me to go back to my dad’s place unless things between him and me change a whole lot, and they knowme well enough to know that I’m starting to worry about overstaying my welcome. It’s exactly the kind of thing that Gabi’s parents would do.
    I think it over for about three seconds before I accept.
    Gabi’s mom gives me a big hug. To her, I’m still the little kid who fell out of Gabi’s tree fort in the second grade. She’s still trying to put Band-Aids on my scraped knees.
    I squirm away, but not too quickly. The truth is, her hugs feel pretty good.
    Mom used to hug me like that
. I usually try not to think about Mom, but the thought just pops into my mind. Maybe, I think, I will try to find her after all. Not hitchhike to California or anything too crazy, but just make some calls. You never know. Maybe I’ll get lucky.
    And maybe Dad will change.
    But I’m not holding my breath. For now, I’m pretty happy to stay right here.
    That night, my mind keeps drifting back to Aaliyah. It’s bad enough to be stuck in abody that doesn’t work the way it should, the way it used to. But to be stuck in another prison as well, with someone like Francine controlling every little thing about your life... The thought makes my stomach twist with angry frustration.
    I can’t sleep. Finally I get up and go to the computer. For once, I’m not thinking about Ethan.
    A few minutes later I’ve found a web page for the local health authority. Residential programs, housing, assisted living. Program manager.
    Francine’s boss.
    When I sneak up to see Aaliyah after my next shift, I tell her I’ve made a complaint about Francine. I don’t know what reaction I expected, but it wasn’t this.
    â€œWhat the hell did you think you were doing?” she snaps, spitting the words out like they taste bad.
    I step back, startled. “I just...I don’t know. I just thought it wasn’t right, the way she treats you.”
    Aaliyah’s eyes are narrowed. “How she treats me is my business, not yours.”
    â€œIt’s my business too. Francine accused me of, you know, being involved with you.”
    She spins her chair around to look out the window. Her back is stiff, shoulders drawn up tightly, sharp prickles all over.
    â€œDon’t lie to me, Derek. That’s not why you did it.”
    â€œSure it is.” I’m feeling a bit lost here. “I didn’t mean to upset you.” A little late, a thought occurs to me. “Will it...are you worried that it’ll make things worse for