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was Chester’s wish that the service be held there, even though he rarely graced its doorway.
    He wanted those gathered to be comfortable, and the pews in the little church were much more comfortable than the folding chairs out at the gravesite. Besides, that was where the private family celebration would be held, where the singers would come. At the last minute, a contingent from Washington arrived in two black Suburbans, accompanied by several Secret Service members. The entourage included Arizona’s colorful Senator Lopez, bearing condolences from the President of the United States himself.
    A color guard paid their respects, and a flag was given to Danny’s mother and his aunt. Red, white, and blue flowers adorned the casket. In keeping with their family tradition, Chester’s face would not be viewed. Instead, his medals were displayed along the casket top. Danny hadn’t realized just how many he’d had. His mother had whispered to him that these were to be given to Wilson, since he was carrying on the tradition of serving in the military. Danny tried to tell himself he wasn’t envious as he now looked at the ribbons and chunks of metal arranged like some ancient war chief’s necklace, which nearly covered half the casket top.
    The family gathered afterward at Wilson’s mother’s house which was on the res nearby. It was hard not to feel the eyes of his relatives on him, just as it was hard not to notice the pats on the back Wilson received. Lopez had been well coached and sought Wilson out to thank him for his service. Danny wanted to leave and told his mother so barely two hours into the get-together. He’d politely greeted all the relatives he recognized, and those who didn’t come up to him he figured didn’t want to be reacquainted. Not like Wilson.
    As a youth, just hanging with Wilson would have been enough to make the afternoon interesting, but today with the frostiness between the two cousins, it was forcing him into a dangerous place even the sweet recollection of the night with Luci couldn’t heal. Making matters worse, Wilson made an off-color remark, about Danny’s activities last night which irritated Danny further.
    The two ignored one another until, somehow, they wound up waiting to use the only restroom in the house.
    “Your mom says you’re ready to go home,” Wilson said to his cowboy boots.
    “That’s right.”
    “I honestly don’t know why you came in the first place, Danny.”
    Danny’s right eye squinted a little. “We never liked these things, Wilson. You know that.”
    “You’ve been gone, what, eight years or more?”
    “Twelve.”
    “Okay, then. Twelve. And you can’t spend an afternoon giving these people the time of day?”
    “I don’t belong here, Wilson.”
    Wilson nodded his head. “Oh yeah. Forgot. You’re the one that got away. You trying to rub my nose in it, huh?”
    “I didn’t say that.”
    “So what are you saying?”
    “I’m saying I don’t want to be here. I’ve done my farewells, and now it’s time for me to say adios.”
    “You might consider your mother’s feelings.”
    Danny drilled him with a return look that probably picked at a scab, inflaming Wilson further. “You hear the voices? Does the chanting get to you, Wilson?”
    He could see his cousin was thinking about this carefully. It surprised him that Wilson didn’t give a quick answer no , which meant only one thing.
    “Holy fucking shit, Wilson. You hear them, too. Just like I do.”
    Emma Barnowl, one of his grandfather’s friends, opened the bathroom door and their nostrils were hit with room deodorizer, which did a poor job of masking the smell she’d left behind.
    “Fuck me,” Wilson said under his breath. “I’m going out back.”
    Danny followed his cousin, and within thirty seconds, was standing next to him, pissing on his aunt’s tomato plants just like they used to do when they were boys of five. To this day Danny hated tomatoes, especially home grown