The Bear in a Muddy Tutu Read Online Free Page B

ready.
    “Relax, ” Billy Wayne whispered to himself, holding the legal pad tightly in his left hand while attempting to keep his right hand dry by wiping it on his pant leg as he walked.
    The boy sat in the shade of the enormous lighthouse. The lower third of the Barnegat Light was painted white ; the rest, up to the metal crow’s nest that surrounded its large windows , a rich burgundy . The sand walkway leading to the base of the building was deep and white, with an old, sun-bleached split rail fence to keep visitors off the dunes. Small trees and grasses held the dunes together , despite th e harsh weather this exposed area endured . Most of the vegetation was a healthy green, showing new growth from the mild spring and recent rains.
    “I have a ten dollar bill if you’d be willin g to hear me out for a few minutes . ” Bill Wayne offered his hand for a shake. The boy, no older than fifteen, looked up at him , scoping out the best escape route at the same instant, but held fast.
    “My name’s Reverend Billy Wayne. ” H e di splay ed his whitest and brightest smile, pulling his hand back casually to show there was no offense taken. “I s ’ pose in this day and age a young person needs to be especially vigilant ’ bout who he lets near, am I right? World’s gettin’ crazier and crazier, it seems. ”
    The boy shrugged his shoulders and Billy Wayne relaxed a little . S o far so good. Take it slow , Billy Wayne reminded himself and then did a quick mental review of step number twenty-four of his book: “Most young people respond to the ‘ Us versus Them ’ scenario. A child is alone for a reason ; either he’s escaping an angry parent or older sibling or he’s having trouble with a teacher or the kids at school. Show you understand, and that you , too, hav e suffered the same unfair persecution. Soon you’ll develop a bond that will lead to loyalty and dedication. ”
    “You remind me of myself when I was your age, ” Billy Wayne began, but the kid’s bulging eyes at the im possibility of this statement made him backtrack . “I mean, I spent a lot of time alone when I was young. My dad used to drink and beat the pants off me. ”
    “You ain’t a homo are you? ” the boy asked earnestly.
    “Ah, no, son , I ain’t a homo , last I checked. ” Billy Wayne r egroup ed his fake smile. Why did people keep asking him that? “If I swear I ain’t a homo, can I take a load off? ”
    “Yeah, whatever . ”
    Billy Wayne dropped to the sand with a grunt, leaning back against the white cinderblocks of the lighthouse foundation.
    O kay, this is good, this is very, very good , Billy Wayne thought, although both his shoes were now half-filled with goddamn sand.
    “I’m Tommy, ” the kid said.
    “Nice meetin’ ya, Tommy. ” Billy Wayne a djust ed his coat to proudly display his belly while trying to hide the fact that his legal pad was blank. He’d have to write some things down and busy it up for the next time. Maybe some math problems would look good.
    “Tommy, you believe in God? ”
    “My mom does. ” Tommy pu ll ed a crumpled green soft-pack of Marlboro Menthols from the back pocket of his cutoff jeans. “She believes God is who put my good - for - nothing father and her piece of shit son on this earth to torture her each and every day . ”
    Us versus Th em , Billy Wayne thought as the boy lit a cigarette and blew a stream of smoke out both nostrils, then turned his head away. Billy Wayne had read that when someone turn ed just their head away from you, it meant a level of trust had been achieved.
    “Wow, so you know what I’m saying about my dad, huh? ” Billy Wayne said. “Parents can be pretty screwed up. ”
    “You can say that again. ”
    “My mother was pretty tough, too . I couldn’t hang out with my friends. Seemed like I always had to be doing homework and never got to watch TV. ”
    Billy Wayne didn’t blush one bit at these lies. He , of course , ne ver had any friends to go