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Show Inside Out, 84 "That's true," he said. Still cheerful. I wanted to hit him. I wanted to smash his stupid bowl of cereal up his nose. Mom sighed. "Ineed..." She took a breath. "I need to know that you 're safe. I can't live like this." Joe kept eating without looking up. "Oon 't worry about me," he said. It was silent for a moment. Then Mom said, "Please..." And without looking at her I could hear the sob she was trying to keep from coming. Joe said, "Oid Oad sleep here last night?" Mom said, "That's not your business, Joseph." Joe stood up so fast his chair hit the floor. "How can you do it, Mom? How can you sit here and pester me about being out with my friends when you put up with that from him? What's wrong with you, woman?" That was the first time I realized that something was seriously wrong with Oad and Mom. I wondered how Joe seemed to know so much more about what was going on than I did. Joe banged the door going out again, and Mom put her face in her hands and sobbed. I didn't know what to do, so I left for school. |