"Yeah," Doug agreed. "Nobody's as bad as that." They wheeled into the parking lot and dismounted, propping their bikes against the side of the Smeltzer' s white garage. Doug still clutched the plastic tube. They approached the house, making sure to avoid the side of the garage closest to Timmy 's house, lest his father, still working in the garden, looked up over the hill and saw them. As he knocked on the door, Timmy wondered who would greet them this morningtheir friend, his mother, or the monster that lived with them. It opened, and Barry' s mother, Rhonda, smiled at them through the screen door. The boys cringed as they always did when she smiled. One of her front teeth had been missing for the past year. They heard the soft sounds of a Barbara Mandrel song coming from the radio in the kitchen.
"Hi, Mrs. Smeltzer."
"Good morning, b"
The radio shut off.
"Who is it?" Clark Smeltzer barked from behind her. Rhonda' s smile instantly crumbled, her happiness melting as quickly as a popsicle on a summer sidewalk. Timmy noticed something odd; diamond earrings sparkled on her ears. The Smeltzers didn 't have a lot of money, and Timmy had never seen her wear something like that.
She scrambled out of the way and Barry' s father replaced her in the doorway. He glowered at them, obviously suffering from a hangover. His eyes were bloodshot, and there was something dried and crusty in his mustache and beard. He wore yellowstained boxer shorts and an olive work shirt, unbuttoned. Black lint poked out of his swollen belly button. Despite his slovenly appearance, a gold watch adorned his wrist, replacing the Timex he usually wore.
Timmy frowned, backing away a few steps. Mr. Smeltzer stank of sour sweat, booze, and despair. Timmy wondered if he was still drunk.
"What the hell do you two want? Ain't you got jobs this summer?"
Timmy shook his head, his spirits sinking. Clark Smeltzer's slurred speech answered his question.
"No, sir. We were just looking for Barry."
"You woke me up. Didn't go to bed but an hour ago."
"We're sorry," Timmy apologized. "We didn't know."
"Banging on the door this early in the morning. The hell's wrong with you? Ain't you got nothing better to do?"
"We just wanted to show Barry something," Doug explained, holding up the black tube. Clark Smeltzer eyed it and frowned. "What's that? Poster?"
"A map," Doug said. "I made it."
"Should be playing baseball or football, instead of drawing. That's queer shit. You a fag? Ain't no wonder your old man took off."
There was a shocked gasp of dismay behind him. "Clark! Don't say such things to that boy."
"Get the fuck back in the kitchen, Rhonda, if you know what's good for you!" Timmy started to turn away. Doug looked like he was ready to cry. His bottom lip quivered, and his ears and cheeks had turned scarlet. The color made his freckles seem more numerous than ever.
"Where the fuck you going?"
"Sorry we woke you up, Mr. Smeltzer," Timmy apologized again. "Can you tell Barry we stopped by?"
"He ain't here. He's over in the cemetery, working. Same way you boys should. Kids today are lazy. Don't know how good you got it. Ought to get a damn job." Timmy froze. "If we're so lazy, how come Barry's out doing your job, while you're sleeping off last night's bottle?" The words left Timmy' s mouth before he could stop them. Clark Smeltzer stared at him in angry surprise. His eyebrows narrowed. Both Doug and Barry's mother groaned.
"You know what your problem is, Graco? You're a fucking smartass. Got a real attitude problem."
Timmy didn't respond.
"I've got a good mind to tan your hide."
Mr. Smeltzer shoved the screen door open and stepped out onto the porch, towering over the boys. His hand curled into a fist. Doug retreated into the yard. Timmy held his ground.
"Go ahead," Timmy challenged. "You lay one hand on me and I promise you'll regret it." Barry's dad charged. Timmy stood his ground.
"Clark!"
Barry's mother rushed outside and grabbed her husband' s arm, wrestling him away from the boys. He shook her off and grinned humorlessly.
His flashing gray teeth reminded Timmy of a shark's.
"Bet your father will want to hear about this, Graco. He won't be too goddamned happy when I tell him how his son is smarting off to adults."
"Go ahead and tell him. He's right down over the hill, working in the garden. In fact, I'll go with you."
Timmy knew that his father despised Clark Smeltzer as an abusive, bullying drunk, but furthermore, Clark Smeltzer knew it, too. Timmy wasn't worried.
"Come on, Doug." He turned his back on Barry's parents.
"You get out of here," Mr. Smeltzer hollered. "And don't go bothering Barry, either. He's got work to do!"
The boys ignored him.
"And stay out of that cemetery. You hear me? I don't want to see you playing there no more."
Doug stopped. "But we always play there, Mr. Smeltzer."
"Not no more you don't. Stay clear of it. I've told Barry the same thing. He's not to be there except for when he' s helping me, and never after sundown. Those are the new rules. Gonna put up signs this week saying so."
"You don't own the cemetery," Timmy said. "You're just the caretaker."
"Don't matter. You mind me, boy. I catch you there and it'll be your ass. That's a promise."
Without glancing back or responding, the boys hopped on their bikes and pedaled away, still careful to stay out of Randy Graco' s line of sight. Timmy wondered if his father had heard Mr. Smeltzer 's outburst, and then decided that he didn't care.
"Jesus," Doug panted as they reached the end of the parking lot. "You're crazy, Timmy. You know that?"
"Why?"
"Mouthing off the way you did? Being a smartass? I thought he was gonna lay you out cold, man. One of these days you' re going to get smart with the wrong person."
"You sound like my mom."
"I'm just saying, is all."
"It's bullshit, and I'm not going to take it. He's not gonna push me around the way he does Barry."
Doug stopped pedaling and slammed on his brakes. His back tire skidded on the pavement.
Balancing the plastic tube, he cleaned his glasses on his shirt.
"You okay?" Timmy asked.
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well, what he said about your old man…"
Doug shrugged. "Oh, I don't care about that. I mean, it's not true. You know? My dad loves me. When he comes back from California, everyone will see."
"Yeah."
Timmy glanced back at the house. Barry's parents had gone back inside. He wondered what price Barry's mother would pay behind that closed door, perhaps right now, for stopping her husband from hitting him. Then he wondered why she didn 't do the same when he hit Barry. If she'd stuck up for her son' s friends, couldn 't she stick up for her own son as well?
Doug put his glasses back on and smiled. It looked false. Strained. They coasted into the road. Timmy's handlebars were sweaty. So was Doug' s shirt, especially around his armpits.
"What are you thinking about, Timmy?"
"Did you notice that both of Barry's parents had new jewelry on? It looked really expensive."
Doug shook his head. "No, I didn't see it. But big deal. As bad as he treats Barry and his mother sometimes, we should be happy he' s spending money on them at all."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I don't know. Just seemed weird. He never does stuff like that. Barry has to bum money from us for lunch at school sometimes."
"Maybe Mr. Smeltzer got a raise."
Timmy shrugged. "Yeah, maybe."
"It's not really any of our business."
"I guess not."
"So what now?" Doug asked.
"Let's go find Barry."
"You heard Mr. Smeltzer. He said we weren't supposed to play over there anymore. Said he'd kick our ass."
"The heck with him. He ain't watching us right now.