Daryl had driven Merle's truck to the safe house so that Merle, who missed having his nice wheels, could drive them all to Atlanta. Daryl rode shotgun leaving the bitch seat in the middle for Glenn.

"Do your parents know you're gay?" Daryl asked Glenn.

"Oh, sure. They emigrated from Korea and are determined to be modern Americans. They smothered me with support. I know I'm lucky but I wanted to get a little distance so I came to Georgia for college."

"Where are you from?"

"Michigan. My two sisters and I were born there." Glenn asked something he had been curious about. "Were you guys raised by your grandfather?"

"Nope. Why would you think that?" Daryl replied.

"When I thought Merle really lived in that house and he told me it was his granddaddy's, I wondered if his parents died young and Grandpa Bisbee raised him."

"Mama was a Bisbee and it was her folks' place but they've been gone for years. Our parents live in a nice house on the other side of town. That's where we grew up."

"How did your parents handle you being gay?"

"It's not like they were hoping to have a gay son so they could show how open-minded they are but they did all right."

"Mama told Daryl he was special not different," Merle put in. "She heard that somewhere and it was all she could think of to say."

"Daddy told me to be careful not to get sick," Daryl said. "His way of saying even though I was gay he'd rather I was alive than dead."

"It sounds so normal."

"What did you expect?"

"I spent a week thinking Merle was a Southern stereotype. I apologize."

"Don't apologize yet," Merle said. "You don't know the whole story."

"What do you mean?" Glenn looked at Merle but Merle looked at Daryl.

Daryl looked Glenn straight in the eyes. "I've got a kid. She's 10."

Glenn was startled. "Wow. Sure you don't mean a kid sister?"

"I wasn't that young," Daryl said defensively. "Nineteen when she was born."

"Well, you were pretty young. And bi? Or confused? Or experimenting?"

"All the above, probably. Have you ever slept with a girl?"

"Once. Actually, having a daughter is great. What's her name?"

"Taffy."

"That's different but cute. So what's the situation with her mother?"

"I should give you some background. My first time …"

Glenn glanced at Merle and broke in. "Daryl, we can talk later if you'd rather wait."

"Merle knows everything."

"All too well," Merle muttered.

"We can do this in private," Daryl said, realizing it might be awkward for Glenn.

"Don't stop now. I don't mind if you don't."

"It was me and another boy when I was 16. We didn't know what we were doing but it felt right even though it was supposed to be wrong. It was just one time and that was it until I graduated high school. I thought I should try to be normal, you know? Shelby was 20 and had broke up with her boyfriend. We were a little drunk and not careful and she got pregnant. So we got married."

"You really did go the whole heterosexual route."

"It lasted two years but I was deployed most of the time."

"Army?"

"Yeah, there weren't many good jobs and I had a wife and a baby on the way. I was here when Taffy was born and a couple months after that I went to Iraq. By the time I came home I was afraid it wasn't going to work and I didn't know what the fuck to do. We tried but we knew it was over."

"Did Shelby know why it wasn't working?"

"She suspected and asked me so I had to tell her."

"That must have been awful. For both of you."

"Shelby was very decent about it. We got divorced."

"Are you on good terms now?"

"We're fine. She married the boyfriend she broke up with and they've got a little boy."

"Do you see Taffy?"

"Wednesday evenings and every other weekend is the official visitation. But I live nearby so I see her pretty much whenever I want to. Tyler comes along a lot. It gives his folks a break."

"That's very civilized. I'm almost disappointed. Quite a few gays get married and have a family. You made it sound like it was going to be weird."

"There is one more thing," Daryl said slowly. "Merle?"

"I'm the boyfriend," Merle said.

"Wait. What?" Glenn was having trouble processing.

"I'm the boyfriend Shelby broke up with," Merle repeated. He sounded pleased to have shocked Glenn.

"You're married and a father?"

"That's what you mention first?" Daryl demanded.

"I'm not quite ready to think about your ex-wife who is now your sister-in-law. Or your daughter and her half-brother cousin. Wait a minute. Is it possible Taffy is really Merle's?"

"We're way ahead of you," Merle said.

"We thought of that," Daryl said. "The timing was off by a month but we had the test done anyway just to be sure. She's mine and I'm glad." Daryl paused. "Is this going to be too much for you?"

"I'll adjust. I think. But, Merle, how did you and Shelby work things out?"

"As you might imagine, Daryl and I weren't on speaking terms after Shelby got pregnant and they got married. But I got to thinking he could get killed overseas so I said I'd keep an eye on 'em until he got home. Didn't know Daryl was gay until they got divorced. Felt I should apologize to Shelby for my brother turning queer on her. Wasn't her fault she was too much woman for him. She said there was one Dixon who could handle her."

Glenn turned to Daryl. "Did the whole town know what happened?"

"Of course. I went to college to get away for awhile. Things die down fast, though. There's always something more interesting happening."

"Oh, god, all those stories Merle told me. Are they true?"

Merle started chuckling. "I knew you didn't believe me."

"Were there gunshots and a kidnapping?" Daryl asked. "Rabid coyote and flesh-eating bacteria?"

"Yes. And Bluto in the well."

"All true. You can't make that shit up. In fact, Bluto is what made me being gay old news."

"I been thinking," Merle said to Glenn. "Since Daryl slept with Shelby, by rights I should plow your back 40 to even up but I'm going to let it go."

"I appreciate that, Merle. In fact I'm so grateful I could kiss you."

"Restrain him, Daryl. I'm begging you."

Daryl put an arm around Glenn and pulled him close. Glenn grinned and scooted against Daryl.

"You're safe, Merle," Daryl said.

Merle glanced at them and shook his head. "Guess I had that coming."

"Coming?" Glenn said. "Be careful what words you use. We might get excited."

"Jesus help me, it's two against one," Merle replied. "You can let go of him now."

"Don't want to," Daryl said.

"We're comfortable," Glenn said.

"You should know Daryl's been wound pretty tight the last few years," Merle said to Glenn. "Needed to get laid I guess. You've loosened him up considerably already. But spare me any details of how that was accomplished." Merle paused. "Speaking of getting laid, hope you realize holdin' your hand has deprived me of my marital rights. I haven't enjoyed connubial bliss for a week and here you are all over each other."

"If I wasn't gay," Daryl asked Merle, "what would you have to bust my balls about?"

Merle gave it some thought. "Don't rightly know. Being a homo kind of takes precedence over everything else. For example, that scruffy chin of yours just doesn't compare."

Daryl's hand went to his face. "What's wrong with my chin?"

"Maybe it's weak, the way you're trying to cover it up."

"Should I shave it?"

"Don't ask me, ask Glenn. He's the one gettin' beard burn."

"I like it," Glenn told Daryl. "You see what he's doing to you?"

"Okay, Merle," Daryl said. "You've established that you'll always find something to bust my balls about."

"I've got a knack for finding that weak spot," Merle said with satisfaction.