Misconception: a wrong idea or impression.
Daryl and Glenn are mistaken about each other.
Daryl
He was headed home to Georgia. Four days in L.A. was about all he could tolerate. Daryl was so far from being a schmoozer by nature that he fell off the chart but a certain amount of suffering for his art was necessary if he wanted to make a living. He missed his son although they talked every day. Keith was 12 and probably didn't miss his old man as much. It was summer and he was staying with his uncle. God knew what bad habits Merle had instilled in only a few days.
Daryl glanced around at a burst of laughter nearby. Asians. An older couple and two young women seemed to be saying goodbye to a kid because after a round of hugs they moved to another gate. The kid sat down, leaving an empty seat between them. Daryl studied him covertly. Not as young as he first thought, maybe 25, but he looked like a college kid in jeans, tee shirt and ball cap. Daryl was 36 but didn't feel like he was closer to 40 than 30. He was in good shape and had his hair and teeth. But not like this kid with pale smooth skin and shiny black hair and a gleaming white smile. He was lean but his arms showed muscle definition and when he leaned back to stretch his shirt rode up on his flat belly. The jeans were low on his hips with no underwear visible. Daryl glimpsed a line of dark hair beginning to arrow down ...
The kid pulled his shirt down and settled back in his seat and Daryl jerked his gaze away so as not to be caught staring. Christ's sake, it had been so long since he got laid that he was checking out guys at the airport.
"Going home?" the kid asked.
"Huh?" Daryl, lost in thought, was caught offguard when the kid spoke.
"Are you going home or going away?"
"Home. To Atlanta."
"Me, too. The rest of my family is going back to Michigan. We've been to Korea for my grandmother's funeral."
"Sorry for your loss."
"Thanks. She was 91 and had been sick for awhile so: full life, blessed release, all that. Plus I'd only seen her for a couple of weeks every few years. Expensive for the whole family to go there very often."
Daryl nodded, not knowing what else to say. His grandparents were barely remembered folks from childhood. This kid seemed able to carry the conversation by himself anyway. Daryl admired that. He'd never been able to talk easily to strangers. Besides, if the kid was talking Daryl had a reason to look at him and the view was pretty damn nice.
When the flight was called he discovered they were both in first class and seated beside each other.
"Do you always fly first class?" the kid asked.
"Last couple of years. I only fly a few times a year."
"I'm usually in coach but all those miles to Korea got me an upgrade coming back. This is good."
Daryl didn't add that his agent made the travel arrangements and insisted on first class for her client. The buyers were paying so why not? Daryl had a feeling maybe he and this kid were meant to meet. He clamped down on that thought. He wasn't sure the kid was gay although there had been some silent signals during their visit in the waiting lounge.
"Are you a member of the mile high club?"
"Wh … wha … what?" Daryl couldn't help stuttering.
"You know what I mean, right?"
"Yeah." Daryl was startled, not stupid.
"So, are you?"
"No. Are you?"
"Nope. Would you like to be?"
"Could be interesting." Daryl couldn't pass this up.
"I think so. We've got four hours to make it happen."
"How do we do that?"
"I go to the toilet. A minute later you're standing outside the door. If no one is around, go in."
"You've given this some thought."
"I've wanted to do it for years."
"Why didn't you?"
"Guess I was waiting for the right person."
"Why me?" Daryl was flattered but couldn't quite believe it.
"We're both gay, right? And we're strangers."
"Has to be a stranger?"
"Yes. We don't know each other's name. It's part of the adventure."
That suited Daryl. An anonymous fuck in an airplane john and then he'd be home with his son. This should fuel his solo fantasies for a long time. He squelched the thought that he'd like to know the kid's name and more. It was better this way.
The sex was managed with a minimum of awkwardness. The toilet was cramped so they opted for front to front frot. The circumstances excited them and it was over pretty fast, leaving them gasping into each other's shoulder. There wasn't much conversation the rest of the flight but the silence wasn't uncomfortable. Not much information could be exchanged if they wanted to remain anonymous. An hour from Atlanta they looked at each other again. Daryl went to the toilet, wondering if the kid would follow. He did. It was a repeat of the first time except they kissed and the kid whispered, "Thanks for helping me cross this off my bucket list." Daryl replied, "My pleasure." Neither of them spoke after that.
Daryl wondered why they had to remain strangers. The sex was fun but talking would be nice, too. He didn't think he had imagined their ease with each other. They were separated by other passengers when they left the plane and then he saw Keith and Merle waiting. Keith was too old to make a big deal of greeting his father but there was real feeling in their hug. Merle slapped Daryl on the back. Heading for the exit, he looked around and suddenly understood why the kid wanted to remain strangers. He was hugging a pretty woman who kissed him. The woman was white so she wasn't a blood relative. Did the kid have a het marriage but liked a helping of gay on the side? Or maybe they were engaged and the kid was bi and wanted to fulfill a fantasy before settling down to the straight life. Daryl didn't like either option because the kid had seemed open and honest and Daryl didn't want to think him capable of such betrayal.
He put it out of his mind with some regret and focused on his son. Keith had gone to elementary school in Benford but was going to a new school in Atlanta for seventh grade. "We gotta get you ready for school next week."
Keith scrunched up his face. "I guess." He looked at Merle. "Are you coming with us to the open house?"
"Hell yes. And I hope all your teachers ain't men."
"Merle, you are not going to hit on Keith's teachers."
"We'll see. Might raise the boy's grade point average."
"He'll do fine without that kind of help."
Glenn
I had sex with a stranger on an airplane. Twice. I'd like to say grief over my halmoni's death clouded my judgment but the truth is I met a man at the departure gate that I really liked the look of and since we were also seatmates it was too good an opportunity to resist.
By the time we land I wish we could see each other again but earlier when I said our encounter should be anonymous that seemed fine with him and now I don't know how to retract it. I glance around, hoping for a last chance to fix this. I see him but I don't want to fix it after all because he's a cheater! He's hugging a boy and a big man's hand is on his back. I wonder if they adopted or if one of them is the biological father. No wonder he was okay with not exchanging names.
Maggie came to pick me up. She kisses me and says she sorry about my grandmother.
I have to stop thinking about blue eyes, brown hair and broad shoulders.
Daryl
On the evening of the open house, Merle, who still lived in the family home near Benford, came to the loft in Atlanta that Daryl and his son had occupied for four years. While they waited for Keith, Merle told Daryl it was time to pay attention to himself now that his kid was growing up.
"You've never dated. Folks around Benford say you're such a good daddy, devoted to your son after the boy's mama died. I ain't deceived. Another way to look at it is, why didn't you find a nice woman so your kid had a mama and a daddy? And the reason is you didn't want a woman. So why didn't you try a man?"
"I was afraid Keith would get taken away."
"Daryl, they don't take kids away from fags anymore, they give 'em to fags. Look at that Elton John and his man adopting like they were competing with Brad and Angie." Merle's eyes narrowed. "Your head ain't so far up in the art cloud that you didn't know that. So I gotta ask myself why you're using it as an excuse. I can see not wanting to be caught sniffing around local gay bars. But you travel some. If you never took advantage it must be 'cause you never met anybody worth the trouble."
"I met somebody on the flight home last week." Despite his disgust Daryl hadn't been able to get that kid out of his head or his crotch.
"You gonna see him?"
"No." Daryl wasn't going to mention the wife or girlfriend. "I don't know his name."
Merle stared. "You are the sorriest sumbitch I know. Why not?"
"He wanted to stay anonymous."
Merle shook his head. "I'm glad I don't understand how the homo mind works. That sounds queer in more than one way."
"It was an adventure to him. Strangers on a plane."
"Knowing your name would ruin the conversation?"
"It wasn't just talk. We ... uh ... in the toilet ..."
"You did the deed with a dude on an airplane? I thought you was sexually backward. I ain't even joined the mile high club. Yet. Now I gotta fly someplace quick so I can catch up."
Keith came out of his room, ready to go. "Why do you have a tie, Merle? It's not that formal."
Merle was wearing jeans, a shirt and a jacket with a tie draped over his shoulders. "Thought I'd raise the tone of this event."
"It's a prop," Daryl said. He'd seen this move of Merle's before.
Glenn
The Horvath Academy is a small private day school with a great reputation and impeccable credentials. The open house is in the gymnasium which doubles as an auditorium for assemblies and plays. Parents and kids are in the bleachers with teachers and staff on the stage. The floor is left free for mingling later. The founder, Dale Horvath, says a few words of welcome then turns it over to the principal, Rick Grimes. Rick used to be in law enforcement and believes in structure and discipline but he's not rigid about it. He's a good guy. He introduces each of us:
Andrea Harrison, social studies
Sasha Williams, mathematics
Eugene Porter, science
Glenn Rhee, English and Korean foreign language
Maggie Greene, family and home life
Rosita Espinosa, art and Spanish foreign language
Michonne Gurira, PE and sports coach
Tyreese Williams, PE and sports coach
Abraham Ford, security and maintenance
Bob Stookey, cafeteria services
And last but not least – Nurse Jacqui!
That gets a big laugh because of the TV series with the same name but different spelling. Jacqui says that Dr. Edwin Jenner couldn't be here tonight but he'll be performing sports physicals for the students the first week of school.
Everyone mills around afterward. Bob is manning the refreshment table with coffee, punch and cookies. We'll all take turns helping him. Sasha goes first. Little romance brewing there. Her brother Tyreese is talking with Carol Peletier. I met Carol when she enrolled her daughter Sophia, who is speaking with Maggie. Andrea and Michonne are friends, they're making the rounds together. Eugene looks odd with his mullet and bow tie but he's very smart. He doesn't always interact well with people so Abraham is playing wingman. Rosita is talking with the man whose cock was rubbing against mine last week. I'm stunned to see him again even though I've thought about him. A lot. I didn't see him from the stage but that's not surprising, it was a blur of faces. I glance around and see the big man and the boy from the airport. The big man looks amiable at the moment but I bet he could cause serious damage when angry. Their son going to this school is the worst coincidence in history.
It's my turn to help Bob.
Daryl
From the bleachers he watched the teachers file on stage and sit down. He hadn't met all of them when he enrolled Keith. That was obvious when the kid and his girl from the airport showed up. Could he switch Keith to another school? Not without a good reason and he sure couldn't explain the real one. Did their encounter make the kid unfit to mold young minds? Not necessarily. Daryl didn't suppose the kid would be bragging about it in class or suggesting it to seventh graders.
He learned the kid's name soon enough. The girl had a different last name but she might be using her maiden name. The kid had worn no wedding ring and he couldn't see the girl's hand. Afterward the art teacher Rosita Espinosa came over and he was glad to be distracted. He had seen her portfolio when he toured the school and thought she was clever and creative. She said she admired his work and was delighted his son would be attending. Daryl didn't tell her that Keith wasn't very interested in art.
Carol, his agent, stopped to say hello. Carol had recommended the Horvath Academy. Daryl told her if Keith liked the school he would donate one of his pieces or make something special for the school. Carol said it would be good publicity and a great tax deduction.
After Carol moved on, Daryl saw his son getting a cup of punch from the kid. He reached the refreshment table in time to hear Keith introduce himself. "And this is my dad," he added when he saw his father.
"Daryl Dixon."
"Glenn Rhee."
Keith wandered off.
"We should talk," Glenn said. He wrote an address on the back of a napkin and handed it to Daryl. "I have an apartment. Eight tomorrow night?"
Daryl nodded, stuffed the napkin in his pocket and walked away. Unbelievable. Did this kid keep a separate apartment for his activities? Daryl tried not to think about Glenn Rhee and that interlude on the plane.
Keith popped up beside him and they watched Andrea Harrison pour coffee for Merle. He said something and she laughed and came around the table to tie his tie.
"Is that what you meant when you called Merle's tie a prop?" Keith asked.
"Yep. He says women like to do little things for a man. It's his ice breaker."
Merle ambled over.
"Dad said you think women like to do stuff for guys."
"True. But mostly at the start of a relationship. It tends to fade over time so use it sparingly."
"Maybe it wears off because women like men to do stuff for them sometimes."
"Well, I can't say 'Like father like son' but if you figured that out about women already, maybe you'll be 'Like uncle like nephew'."
Glenn
Keith Dixon is blond but has the same blue eyes as his father and it looks like his shoulders will widen in the next few years. I want to know more about Daryl Dixon before tomorrow night so after Andrea takes over helping Bob, I catch Rosita and casually ask about the man she was talking with earlier. She tells me he's a well-known artist. I google him when I get home and learn that he's the real deal and considered a big talent nationally. I can't decide if I'm proud or ashamed of knowing him biblically.
I'm nervous when he arrives. On the plane and at the open house he was in dark dress pants and shirt with good shoes but now he's wearing work pants and shirt and work boots. He looks like the big man and him belong together.
"I don't think anyone suspects we met before. I assume you want to keep it that way?" My voice is cool and calm. I don't want to give Daryl Dixon the satisfaction of knowing I haven't been able to forget him.
"Fine with me. I can see why you don't want anybody to know."
He sounds testy, like he's the injured party. Maybe he blames me for propositioning him instead of himself for accepting. "I don't want to get beat up, if that's what you mean."
"Maggie would throw a punch?" He sounds amused. "You deserve it, cheating on her."
"You're the cheater."
"I'm not the one with a girlfriend."
"Your partner doesn't count as cheating?" I pause and frown. "Maggie's not my girlfriend."
"What partner?" Daryl stops. "Wait a minute. Merle is my brother."
Uh oh. I may have misread the situation. "It looked like a different relationship when I saw you at the airport."
"I saw you, too. You and Maggie were pretty friendly."
"Because we're friends."
"She kissed you."
"Friends do that sometimes. Like when you get home from your grandmother's funeral."
"You're really not with anybody?"
"Nope. You?"
"No."
We look at each other for a minute.
"You still into sex with strangers?" Daryl asks.
"Just that once. It was something I always wanted to do. And don't tell me you didn't enjoy it."
"It wasn't terrible."
"Maybe we could get together again."
"If you're sure knowing our names won't spoil it."
"Is this how it's going to be? You're going to keep bringing that up?"
"I might occasionally."
"Well, it is kind of funny now. And we both jumped to conclusions in the airport."
"I only jumped to a conclusion because I figured Maggie was the reason you didn't want any names."
"There you go again."
"What's the deal with Maggie?"
"We met when I came here to university. I spend holidays at her family's farm if I don't go to Michigan. She's my best friend."
"Anything more?"
"Okay, yes, we slept together once."
"I knew it."
"We were 20 and I'd never been with a girl. I wanted to try it and she offered. It worked but it was nothing either of us wanted to repeat."
"Good."
"Were you ... jealous?"
"Just wanted to be sure you weren't going to want a threesome. Or that you go back and forth between men and women."
"Says the man with a son!"
"I slept with one woman once, too."
"Maggie and I used protection."
"You got me there. But I don't regret it."
"Of course not. Keith seems like a great kid."
"He is."
"He looks like you. Is his mother blonde?"
"Yeah."
"If his hair hasn't started to darken by now it'll probably stay light."
"Do you have a thing for blonds? Is my brown hair going to be a problem?"
"No, I like that the three of us have blond, brown and black hair."
"You really are gay, to notice that."
"Maggie's a redhead – natural I might add – and your brother is mostly gray so we've got those covered."
"Stop now."
"Okay. Would you like to see my apartment?"
Daryl looks around the small space. "I can see everything from here except the bedroom and bathroom."
"Would you like to see them?"
"Are you suggesting sex again? Because we've already done it in a bathroom."
"Bedroom it is, then."
Daryl
He was angry with himself for the images in his mind as he approached Glenn Rhee's apartment. Then he was pissed off because the kid went on the offense which made Daryl feel defensive when he wasn't the one in the wrong. After that the misunderstandings got cleared up and the conversation turned flirtatious. Pretty soon Glenn suggested sex and it was no use pretending it hadn't been on his mind as well. Good to know they'd both been thinking the same thing. But Keith was home alone.
"I gotta make arrangements."
Glenn tactfully left the room while Daryl called Merle. Merle didn't mind staying over with Keith. The loft was like a boys club and Merle was a big kid. He didn't demand an explanation but Daryl knew he owed his brother some details eventually, especially if this thing with Glenn continued.
Which seemed likely after they finished with each other hours later. Daryl was satisfied for the moment but didn't think he'd ever get his fill of this kid.
After awhile Glenn said, "I'd like to know about Keith's mother. And how you became an artist."
"It's kind of connected."
"Tell me."
Daryl settled back against the pillows, remembering ...
He'd been creative even as a child mixing water with red Georgia clay and baking it in the hot sun. Most kids liked messing with mud but Daryl was serious about it. No simple mud pies for him. He made all kinds of things, some recognizable – a vase for mama, an ashtray for daddy – others were shapes that existed only in his imagination. He collected smooth stones, rough rocks, colorful quartz, bits of glass and metal. This was boy-stuff and tolerated by daddy until Daryl reached an age when such foolishness should have passed. Daryl was canny enough to know daddy didn't like 'different' so Daryl took up whittling which was an acceptable pastime. Even daddy carved up a corn cob upon occasion when he wasn't too drunk to cut himself.
Daryl learned to hide the bits and pieces he couldn't help noticing and picking up. He was an indifferent student except in art class. Painting, sculpting, even a simple paper collage – he liked it all. This could have led to him getting beat up on a regular basis by male classmates who considered art was for girls but Daryl also enjoyed woodworking and mechanical arts like the other boys and that was enough for him to escape notice. He wasn't much of a team player and didn't care a lot about sports but he was a decent athlete so he played football and that also set him apart from the math nerds and science geeks who were as likely to get beat up as sissies who liked art instead of sports. In short, Daryl was smart enough to keep a low profile.
Daryl's folks passed within a year of each other when he was 17. After high school he took part-time work that allowed him time in the shed housing his odd collections. Merle was exasperated that Daryl didn't get a full-time job and make some real money but left him alone as long as he paid his share of expenses. Which Daryl did but just barely. It was a struggle. Daryl had tried to give up his compulsion but it wouldn't leave him alone.
At 20 Daryl sold his first piece to the local postmistress. Mrs. Hattel's husband was a successful farmer so they had more money than the average family in Benford. Daryl had displayed a few things at a craft fair, including a waterfall a foot high. The water was chips of quartz and glass imbedded as a mosaic and surrounded by the small stones and pieces of rock he'd gathered years before. Daryl considered it the best thing he'd ever done and was pleased that Mrs. Hattel thought it was worth $100. She came to look at it three times before finally sighing and laying down cash, saying she'd save on gas and shoe leather if she just took it home with her. As Daryl wrapped it carefully he asked if her husband would mind her buying it.
"I earn my own money," Mrs. Hattel said with a glint in her eye. "But I might make his favorite supper tonight. And maybe we'll go to bed early."
Daryl suppressed a grin. He guessed Mrs. Hattel knew her man pretty well. The next few years he continued to sell an occasional piece. It was just enough to keep him going.
Daryl's five year reunion was a turning point. Joyce came back for it. She and her folks had moved to Georgia because her dad was a big deal in some corporation. She'd gone to the consolidated high school near Benford but moved to Chicago for college because her dad got transferred again. She and Daryl hadn't been close but they'd known each other well enough that they were glad to meet up again. She hadn't brought a spouse or a date and neither did Daryl so they hung out together. Daryl never talked much, especially about himself, but after a few drinks Joyce confided a split with her boyfriend. It had been several months and it was time to move on. When the reunion broke up she suggested spending the night together and Daryl agreed. Joyce wasn't drunk but her judgment was questionable. In other circumstances Daryl wouldn't have taken advantage but this was an offer he didn't want to refuse. He was a virgin at 23. It had just never happened for him. He was at ease with boys but shy with girls. He had wondered if he was gay when towel snapping and rough-housing in the locker room was uncomfortably arousing. There was an incident with another boy when he was 18 but he was too uncertain and embarrassed to pursue it so he shut down that part of life and took care of himself. This was his chance to find out if he was attracted to women.
It went okay. Daryl performed as required but when it was over he knew he didn't want it to happen again. But he was still too closed off to explore the other option. He didn't want to cruise gay bars and he rarely went anywhere he might meet somebody. And then, three years later, came the call from Joyce's mother.
"Daryl Dixon?"
"Yeah."
"This is Beverly Taylor. You may not remember me but I'm Joyce's mother." The woman's voice broke.
"Uh, sure, Mrs. Taylor, I remember." Daryl immediately felt guilty about sleeping with her daughter.
"This will be a shock. She was going to tell you soon but now she's dead ..." Mrs. Taylor sobbed.
"You're saying Joyce is dead?" Daryl was certainly shocked but didn't know what it had to do with him.
"This morning in a car crash. An early snow here in Chicago and the streets are icy." Mrs. Taylor was still having trouble talking.
"I'm sorry," Daryl said, at a loss for words. "I ... uh ... I'm just really sorry."
"I didn't want to tell you over the phone like this but there's no other way. Joyce has a little boy. Your son."
Daryl swayed. His eyes and ears weren't working and his legs were about to stop, too. Merle had been listening without much interest. Now he pushed Daryl onto the sofa and took the phone.
"This is Daryl's brother Merle. What's goin' on?"
Merle hung up a few minutes later. "Well, Daddy, you got some splainin' to do but I don't suppose you're in any shape right now."
Merle did the explaining. Joyce had a son with Daryl listed as the father on the birth certificate. She was dead and her mom was asking Daryl to come to Chicago. Joyce's dad had been sick for a year and due to die soon and the shock of his daughter's death was likely to take him right away. Beverly had been taking care of her husband but there were money troubles and she couldn't cope with her grandson on her own.
Daryl told Merle about the reunion. The baby's date of birth was right.
"I have to get on a bus," Daryl said.
"You gotta be there quicker than that," Merle replied, but he knew Daryl didn't have money for airfare. "Go pack a bag. I'll drive you."
At ATL Merle paid for the ticket and waited with Daryl who was finally getting his head together. He had been surprised to hear about the Taylor's finances because they had been rich when they were in Georgia. Merle told him Mrs. Taylor said something about bad investments and medical expenses. She hoped Daryl would take his son. She loved him but she couldn't raise him. Daryl remembered that Joyce had been a late baby because the Taylors were in their 60's when they were in Georgia. They'd be in their 70's now.
"Get a DNA test to be sure," Merle advised. "If he's yours, bring him home."
The snow had stopped when Daryl landed at O'Hare. He took a taxi to the address Beverly had given Merle. He was shaking with nerves and excitement and fear. He calmed down when Beverly came to the door. He hadn't been thinking much about Joyce but seeing her mother's grief made him remember the pretty young girl Joyce had been in school and later the woman he'd carelessly had unprotected sex with.
Daryl didn't want to sound accusing but he did ask Beverly why Joyce hadn't let him know she was pregnant.
"I don't know. I said she should but she wanted to think about it. And then Keith was born and time passed and she said she would wait until he started asking about his daddy. And he did. He's two and a half now. Joyce mentioned last week that it was time."
Beverly took Daryl upstairs where Keith was playing in his room. Daryl's nerves were back. His heart was pounding. Beverly opened the door and went in first then stood aside and Daryl saw a little boy sitting on the floor. His first thought was the DNA test wouldn't be necessary. There was a picture back home of Daryl and Merle one Christmas when Daryl was three. Keith was almost identical.
Beverly spoke to Keith. "Remember I said your daddy was coming? Here he is. His name is Daryl Dixon."
The little boy looked solemnly at Daryl then turned to his grandmother. "Where's Mommy?"
Beverly's eyes filled with tears. "She's gone to heaven, sweetie. Remember we talked about it?" She left the room and shut the door.
"I didn't know I had a daddy," Keith said.
"I didn't know I had a son." It was hard to swallow and Daryl's chest felt tight. "I guess we both got a surprise." Daryl sat down.
"Grandma said I'm going to live with you."
"Yeah. It's a sad thing about your mama and it'll be a big change for you but I hope you'll like Georgia. I have a brother there. He's your Uncle Merle."
"Will Mommy visit?"
"No. She got hurt bad and can't be with you anymore. So she sent me to take care of you." It was all Daryl could think of to say. It seemed likely there would be similar conversations in the future. It was a lot for a little kid to take in and he didn't understand what death meant yet.
"It's sunny and warm in Georgia most all the year. You can play outside without a coat." Looking out the window at the slushy street, this was the most encouraging thing Daryl could think of.
They didn't talk for awhile but it wasn't a painful silence. Keith showed Daryl his toys. Daryl was already thinking of things he could make for his son. Beverly came back and they all went down and had supper but nobody ate much. Then it was Keith's bedtime. Beverly put him to bed and Daryl watched closely so he could remember what to do. The room had a twin bed and a crib. Beverly said they had moved in the twin bed in anticipation of switching Keith from crib to bed soon. Daryl could use the bed if he didn't mind sharing a room. Daryl didn't mind.
Keith woke up in the night calling for his mama. He was tearful when Daryl explained once more. Daryl picked him up, realizing this was the first time he had held his son. He brought him into the bed and Keith settled back to sleep. Daryl didn't. Too much had happened in too short a time. He lay awake thinking until exhaustion took him.
Daryl watched the morning ritual which was pretty much bedtime in reverse. After breakfast Beverly took Keith in to see his grandfather. Daryl went in later. He hadn't really known Joyce's parents but he remembered them vaguely. Her father was an old ill man now. He seemed comforted by Daryl's willingness to take his son. He died the next day and there was a double funeral for father and daughter two days later. Beverly's sister Barbara came up from Florida. Beverly would be selling the house in Chicago and moving in with her sister. After the bills were paid there would be just enough left to help Barbara with expenses. Daryl was relieved that she'd be so close to Georgia. He promised to bring Keith to visit.
Joyce's father had a workshop in the basement where he used to putter around. There were a lot of good tools but Daryl got the impression it was a place used to get away instead of actually doing anything. While waiting for the old man to pass and then for the funerals to take place, Daryl had taken Keith down and made a few things from leftover wood stacked in a corner. The boy was fascinated by the machines and the resulting toys.
Then it was time to pack up Keith's life. The essentials and a few changes of clothes would go with them on the flight home. Everything else would be shipped. The car seat went on the plane as well. Daryl had called Merle every day to report. At O'Hare Daryl discovered Merle had gotten a free seat for Keith under some child bereavement provision. Then they got upgraded because first class wasn't full and a man with a little boy and a car seat had priority. The flight attendants were all over Keith, and Daryl soon became aware of the advantages of traveling with a kid as cute as his son.
Merle nodded when he met Keith. "He's a Dixon all right."
Keith was quiet and wide-eyed at sight of his big rough-looking uncle. He warmed up when Merle's first stop was a drive-thru for ice cream.
"Bribery," Merle said as if imparting great wisdom. "Best way to go when dealing with kids."
Daryl had been worried about his fitness as a father. Now he was fearful of Merle's influence as an uncle. But he owed Merle big time for his support the past week. It was time to stop chasing dreams. After Keith was in bed that night, Daryl told his brother he'd get a full-time job.
"You got a full-time job," Merle said. "At least until that kid is toilet trained. I ain't changing diapers."
"He's in pull-ups. Beverly said he was doing real well until Joyce died. That set him back a little."
"Well, you missed a lot. Better catch up while you can. You can start working for a living when he's in school."
Merle would never say right out that he had his brother's back but Daryl accepted the gesture for what it was. Merle had cultivated his image as a typical redneck over the years. There was plenty of truth to it but he exaggerated for effect. He got a kick out of being an uncle and could now add poor parenting to his inventory. Merle saw raising Keith as an opportunity to play good dad, bad dad, and Merle's choice was clear. He probably thought he was doing Daryl a favor so Keith's daddy would look better in comparison to his uncle. But Merle would never hurt his nephew, he just didn't think sugarcoating was necessary.
When Keith was nine, Daryl overheard him ask Merle about his birth.
"You were a mistake. Your mama and daddy had a good time at a party and didn't take precautions. But don't feel bad. You're proof mistakes ain't always a bad thing. You coming along spared me having to carry on the Dixon name."
Later Daryl told Merle he could have said Keith was a surprise instead of a mistake.
"A baby is no surprise when you're drunk and careless. The only surprise was you bein' the daddy. I thought that thing of yours only worked around testosterone not estrogen."
"An accident then," Daryl suggested.
"Nope. If protection failed, that's an accident. Don't worry, I told him it turned out good after all."
Meanwhile, Daryl continued his part-time job and bonded with his son while working in the shed. He made dinosaurs and spacecraft and armies of soldiers for Keith besides the abstract stuff that sold occasionally. Ironically it was the toys that first garnered attention for Daryl as an artist. Beverly's sister Barbara had run a gallery before retiring to Florida. She liked the toys Keith brought when he visited so she sent pictures to a woman she knew in Atlanta. Carol Peletier was interested enough to come and see them and was impressed with Daryl's abstract work as well. Suddenly Daryl had an agent. Carol suggested a good way to get publicity was by giving some of his work away instead of selling it. She showed the toys to a children's art museum and the museum wanted to display them. Daryl had to make new ones for the museum because Keith wasn't on board with giving away his toys. Daryl didn't mind. He wasn't going to deprive his son of the few things he was able to give him.
The display did its work. A handcraft foundation asked that the toys be loaned to a traveling exhibition that would be touring the country. They included several of Daryl's abstract pieces. It snowballed after that. A woman tasked with finding a sculpture for the lobby of a new bank asked Daryl to submit a design. It didn't win but the bank bought two of his smaller pieces for other areas of the building. An insurance company wanted a sculpture for their front lawn. That time Daryl's design was chosen. It was a big installation. Daryl was getting noticed. His work was new and different and he had a knack for designing what people were looking for when they didn't know exactly what that was. His pieces were selling for more and more. Museums wanted to acquire a Dixon for display. Private collectors and art investors were interested. Keith had started school by then but there was no more talk of Daryl getting a full-time job.
Daryl had taken Keith to visit his grandmother and great-aunt regularly. Barbara passed away when Keith was five and Beverly two years later. She'd been pleased with Daryl's success and he was glad she lived long enough to see him able to provide well for her grandson.
Daryl's art turned into a family business. One day Merle said he had a line on some junk Daryl might like. He got it for free and Daryl used most of it. Merle started making regular road trips. His own creativity was limited to swearing and storytelling but he knew his brother and had an eye for what might inspire him. He would take off with a flatbed hitched to his truck and return with a load of shit that Daryl turned into art. Merle was shrewd enough not to let on he was collecting for Daryl whose name was becoming known. Daryl had paid Merle back as soon as he was able and bought him a big new truck which Merle only drove locally. On his road trips he took the old truck which ran fine but didn't look prosperous. Merle had set up his business as Bisbee Salvage, using his middle name which had been mama's maiden name. Old farm equipment rusting in a pasture, glass insulators from telephone companies, ceramic insulators from electric companies – they were all finds for Merle who, with an air of being taken advantage of, would reluctantly agree to haul it away for little or nothing. Sometimes people paid him to take stuff off their hands and helped him load it besides. Daryl got amazing raw material and Merle got a percentage of sales. The arrangement was satisfactory to both.
"What an incredible story," Glenn said. "I'm sorry Keith's mother died so young."
"It'll be ten years in October. Last year I had a show in Chicago and took him along. We went to the cemetery. They're all there – Joyce and her father, Beverly and Barbara. He doesn't remember his mama or granddaddy. He remembers Grandma Bev. And Aunt Barb a little."
"He had a lot of bad luck but good luck, too, with you and his uncle."
"Yeah, Merle stepped up for both of us."
Glenn
Daryl doesn't tell Keith right away that we're seeing each other. We already feel very close so the possibility that it won't last isn't the reason. We want this time for us and besides, it could be awkward at school.
I see their home for the first time one weekend when Keith stays with Merle. The whole place is fantastic. It's a warehouse in an industrial district at the edge of Atlanta. Daryl gutted one end to make a three story workshop because he creates some really big pieces. They come apart in sections but he likes to see them put together before installation. The rest of the first floor is a showroom, conference room, business office, kitchenette and restrooms. There's an elevator and a staircase to the other floors.
Second floor is living quarters. The kitchen, living and dining areas are open with two bedrooms and bathrooms at one end and a master suite at the other – bedroom, bathroom and an office that Daryl never uses because Carol and his accountant take care of the paperwork. Third floor has a home theater, pool table, casino card table and arcade games. On the roof is a fire pit, grill and a covered patio. There's room to play basketball and a tent is set up in one corner. Keith is friends with Duane Jones and Principal Grimes' son Carl and they come over to spend the night and sleep outside. It's all enclosed by a 10 foot fence imbedded in the concrete of the roof. Daryl says if they go over that fence they deserve to fall and die. Despite all this, he isn't a typical conspicuous consumer. He bought the warehouse cheap and did a lot of the renovation himself and he makes most of their furniture.
Daryl makes good money now. I'm not going to get rich teaching and I worried about the difference in finances until I found out my grandmother left half her estate to my mom and the rest split between me and my sisters.
At winter break Daryl tells Keith about us. He knew his dad was seeing someone but he's surprised that it's his English teacher. He'll have two weeks to get used to the idea before seeing me when school starts again. Keith, Daryl and Merle spend Christmas together as usual. I go to Michigan to tell my family the news.
At spring break Daryl tells Keith I'll be moving in when the school year is over. He takes it well. During the summer he sees a picture of my cousin Haneul who is the same age as Keith and very cute. Her name means Heaven. We're going with my family to Korea next summer and Haneul wants to come to Atlanta for her junior year in high school. That fall Keith signs up for Korean foreign language. Daryl and I are nervous.
Daryl made a piece of art for me. It's on display in the showroom with pieces he made for Keith and Merle. He used old glass insulators from telegraph, telephone and electric lines. They were produced in lots of colors. He melts and shapes them. My piece is a pond with dark blue bottom and lighter blue over it to give an impression of depth. On top is a clear layer so you can see orange and lavender below. The fluid shapes suggest fish without actually looking like fish. A frog sits on a lily pad, a snake slithers through greenery and a bird perches on a stone. All these things are abstract but recognizable. I don't know how he does that. It might be worth $50,000 to a buyer but it's priceless to me.
Daryl made a private piece that he says expresses my airplane personality. It's also abstract but just looking at it, you can tell what it means. We keep that one in the bedroom.
Daryl
Keith had an allowance, Merle got commission and Glenn had his inheritance but you never knew what might happen in life and Daryl didn't want them to be in need so one day he sat them down and told them to come to him if they ever needed money.
"And if you don't want to ask, remember those pieces downstairs belong to you. I won't be offended if you want to sell 'em."
Keith and Glenn shook their heads and spoke together: "No way, Dad." "Absolutely not."
Merle's words were more graphic.
"I'd rather cut off my hand with a rusty hacksaw."