Gerred Lee

Elijah rubbed his head. There were times in his life when he would have dismissed such optimism and gullibility as complete ignorance. In fact, most of his adult life. But for the first time in many years, he actually wanted to find some way to believe Jared’s hopeful version of reality. Some way to believe that Reggie’s act wasn’t in vain. Some way to hope that he and his mom would be reunited one day in a heaven filled with infinite light and brilliant color. Some way to lessen the searing sting of death and the utter desperateness of eternal darkness. Pg. 169

Elijah stood from the swing and dusted more dirt from his jeans. Then he walked by a teeter-totter on his way back to his apartment. If things didn’t work out with this exhibit he wondered how long he would stay here continuing to do the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result. Insanity and pride, back and forth, teeter and totter. What they all had in common was that they created an illusion of motion on a playground while its rider actually went nowhere. Pg. 163

As Elijah sipped on some orange juice, he recalled earlier feeling like an explorer who’d just returned back to civilization after weeks in the wilderness. But suddenly civilization seemed less civilized as the beautiful couple, who finally found in the trespassers a transgression upon which they could collectively align their disgust, got up and left. Others did the same. Apparently, there was unfinished business outside of Mississippi as well. Although here, offense was triggered by a completely different set of unacceptable affronts. Pg. 161