Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You by Todd Hasak-Lowy Page B

that are cold and wet from her tears, and that does it, meaning he cries a little too, maybe even more than a little, but still, the whole good-bye almost feels great, even though it hurts like hell most of all.

4 Terms of a Possibly Lopsided and Partially Conditional Quid Pro Quo Darren Agrees To Near the End of a Pretty Short Conversation with His Dad
    1.  Darren will be allowed to visit Nate by himself.
    2.  Darren will not do this kind of thing again. Ever.
    3.  His dad may come to Ann Arbor on Sunday morning to see Nate for a bit and return Darren to Chicago, though this doesn’t need to be decided yet.
    4.  Darren and his dad will commit to finding ways to have difficult conversations, as there are clearly a number of difficult conversations the two of them ought to have.

3 Parts of His Lunch That Darren Starts Eating Quickly Once He Thinks the Conversation Is Over, Only Then He Suddenly Finds Himself Asking His Dad Another Question
    1.  CHEESE AND MUSTARD SANDWICH ON WHEAT
    In fact, Darren had already said “Bye” to him, but then this came out:
    â€œWhen did you know?”
    â€œWhen did I know?” his dad asks, maybe confused.
    â€œYeah, you know. When did you know? About . . .”
    â€œWell,” his dad says, and then doesn’t say anything for a while. Darren doesn’t say anything either, just chews. “I knew many years ago—”
    â€œHow many?”
    â€œâ€”but then, then I thought perhaps I didn’t know. Then I did again, then I didn’t.”
    Darren swallows a large bite with some difficulty. “What?”
    â€œBecause I didn’t want to know.”
    â€œHuh?”
    â€œUntil about two years ago. Then I knew again. And this time I knew that I knew, whether I wanted to know or not.”
    â€œOh.”
    â€œThough I still didn’t know when to tell your mother. Or you and your brother. Or how.”
    â€œOh.” Darren takes a sip from his water bottle.
    2.  SALT AND VINEGAR POTATO CHIPS
    â€œDoes that make sense?” his dad asks.
    â€œBut so why didn’t you tell us sooner?”
    â€œWell,” his dad says.
    â€œSeriously, once you told Mom.”
    â€œWell.”
    â€œWhy’d you wait so long to tell me?”
    â€œDarren.”
    â€œHuh?”
    â€œWhere are you right now?”
    â€œOn a bus. I already told you.”
    â€œAnd why might that be?”
    Darren stares into his nearly empty Ziploc bag of potato chips. He switches the phone to the other side of his head. Then back to the first side again. He almost stands up. He feels, in addition to everything else he feels, a bit like a moron. Or an idiot. Or maybe even an asshole.
    â€œYeah, okay,” Darren says. “I get it.”
    â€œWe can talk more when you get back.”
    â€œOkay.”
    And then they really hang up.
    3.  A PEAR

1 Person Darren Did Not at All Expect to Find Lighting a Cigarette Right outside the Bus, Which for Some Reason Has Come to a Stop at the Edge of a Gas Station Parking Lot in Paw Paw, Michigan
    1.  Zoey Lovell

2 Highly Processed Food Products Darren Purchases for $2.78 inside the Gas Station Food Mart After for Some Reason Saying, of All Things, to Zoey, “Hey, You Should Sit Upstairs. It’s Kind of Cool There.”
    1.  Mr. Pibb
    2.  Snyder’s of Hanover Honey Mustard & Onion Pretzel Pieces

7 Theories, Not All Plausible, Darren Comes Up With to Explain Zoey’s Presence on This Bus, While They Silently Share the Pretzels and Mr. Pibb
    1.  Back at Union Station he actually did say to her that Ann Arbor is pretty cool and that she should come with, so she decided to.
    2.  She figured out pretty easily that he was sort of running away from home, which she’s been pretty close to doing for a while, and if Darren can sort of run away, then why can’t she?
    3.  She has a good friend or close cousin she’s been meaning to visit