The Book of Joe

He’s a good kid.”
    Brad nods. “I know. But the thing is, he’s also a bit of a discipline problem for Cindy and me. He skips school, he stays out all night, he’s smoking pot.”
    “He’s a teenager,” I say with a shrug. “But I’ve been spending some time with him lately, and there’s no question that he’s a great kid. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
    “I know you don’t,” Brad says pointedly. “And that’s the problem.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    Brad takes a breath and purses his lips. “Did you smoke pot with Jared?”
    Uh-oh. “What?” I say.
    “Cindy says the night she came to tell you that Dad was dead, you and Jared both reeked of it.”
    “Listen, Brad. I’ve been here for a week. Whatever Jared is into, he was into long before I got here.”
    “Just answer me. Did you or didn’t you smoke up with him?”
    “It was his stuff,” I say lamely. “I just took a few puffs.”
    “Uh-huh, that’s what I thought,” Brad says, nodding. “Listen, it’s like this: Cindy and I think you should go back to Manhattan. We don’t want you hanging around with Jared anymore.”
    “That’s insane. It was just a joint, for god’s sake.”
    “You’re just proving my point.”
    “Listen,” I say. “Jared is going through a tough time right now. Things between you and Cindy are bad; he’s confused about everything.”
    “You’ve been here for a few days, and now you’re an expert on my son?”
    “That’s not what I’m saying. It may very well be the fact that I was a stranger to him. But either way, I’m the one adult he seems to be willing to talk to.”
    Brad looks up at me, anger blazing in his eyes. “You’re not an adult, Joe. You’re a thirty-four-year-old teenager. That’s why Jared likes you. He doesn’t look to you for guidance or wisdom. Your age just lends some credibility to his bullshit.
    And the last thing he needs is another pothead to get high with.”
    “I see,” I say, standing up abruptly. “If you ask me, I think you’re just looking for any excuse to keep Jared away from me because it makes you crazy that he relates to me and not to you. I’m sorry Jared couldn’t be a ballplayer, Brad, but believe it or not, there can still be something worthwhile about a kid who doesn’t play for the Cougars.”
    Brad remains sitting on the stairs, looking thoroughly exhausted. “You know why I wanted Jared to be on the team?
    Because I wanted him to feel a part of something, to learn what it means to be responsible to someone besides himself.
    That’s something you’ve never understood, because you’ve never been a part of anything in your life. You’ve never looked out for anyone but yourself. It’s so easy for you to sit there and be easygoing about his drugs and his delinquent behavior, because at the end of the day you have nothing invested in him. You’re his little buddy. I’m his father, Joe, and as much as I’d like to be his buddy, I have a larger responsibility that you can’t begin to comprehend, because you’ve never loved someone selflessly in your life.”
    “And how exactly does fucking Sheila Girardi contribute to your son’s well-being?” It’s a low blow, but I’m all out of high ones.
    Brad stands up on the stairs, and for one scary moment I think he’s poised to hit me. “Go home, Joe,” he says, his expression one of acute misery. “You don’t belong here.”

    I’m a few blocks away when I hear the light tread of fast footsteps behind me. “Go home, Jared,” I say as he comes alongside me, matching my gait.
    “Hey.”
    “I’m not supposed to talk to you anymore,” I say.
    “I tried to warn you,” he says apologetically.
    “I know. It’s okay.”
    “I listened to the whole conversation,” Jared says. “He was really harsh with you.”
    “He made some good points.”
    “So, what, you’re going to listen to him?”
    I stop walking and turn to face my nephew. “Listen, Jared.
    I came over tonight because I had this idea that I could begin to mend fences with your folks, to become somewhat more connected with my family. But you know what I learned?
    That it’s never going to happen, because you’re all so disconnected from each other that there’s really no family for me to reconnect with.”
    “So you’re just giving up?”
    “I’m rethinking my approach. Your father said that I don’t know anything about selflessness, and he’s right. I’ve been hanging out with