BUTCH AND JESUS
by
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Chuck showed Butch and Jesus the TV and CD player, and the CD's he had in a cabinet, some of which were movies he had recorded. "Make yourselves comfortable, guys," he said.
Butch looked at his mother and asked, "Why do we have to lock the door?"
"Because I said so," she replied, just before exchanging another quick look with Chuck.
"Who hit you last night, Mom?"
"Nobody, " she replied, curtly. She softened to give him a little smile. "I told you, I tripped and fell. If you heard me say anything else, I was just rambling." She cut Butch off as he started to persist with another question. "Butch, that's enough. Do what I tell you and don't argue."
Chuck said, "Sorry I don't have a computer here for you, Butch. You will just have to make do a couple of days without one."
Butch's mind filled with questions, but he resisted expressing them. The look on his mother's face told him that the subject on which he wanted clarity was one she clearly did not want to discuss. Again, he felt left out of something important.
Mom and Chuck left, and Butch dutifully slipped the lock on the apartment door. He turned to see Jesus peering into the refrigerator.
"Something's going on," Butch said. "With Mom and Chuck. They know what happened but don't want to tell me."
Jesus straightened up and looked at him. "They probably think they're protecting you."
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About the Book
Butch’s mother was beaten by unknown persons. Feeling helpless and alone, Butch seeks to learn what happened and how to help his mother. For the first time in a long time, he is coerced into trying to pray. Jesus appears to him as a slightly older teenager and accompanies a skeptical Butch on his quest for understanding.
Aided but never pushed by his new friend, Butch comes of age, growing through his search for justice, and gradually finds his emotions altered from rage to understanding to sympathy, and, finally, to a more fulfilling love. His adventure, Butch realizes, is one of self-discovery.
He learns the identity of his mother’s attacker, confronts that person and another in a ramshackle warehouse, but the warehouse is soon ablaze. Butch performs heroically, an action he conceals from his mother, as he learns the value of life and the protection of it. Ultimately, he learns that being alone and resentful is a choice he does not have to make for himself.
About the Author
Thomas Cox writes adventure and fantasy books for young readers. He is an award winning writer of adult crime stories in the mystery/suspense genre. Currently the author lives with his family in Indianapolis, Indiana.