Stuck In Neutral

Shawn speaks about his father, who he believes is trying to kill him. He remembers the week before, when his father stopped by. Shawn was in his wheelchair on the porch, and his mom and dad were talking. His mom went to answer the phone, leaving Shawn alone with his father for the sixth time since his dad left ten years before. His dad tries small talk with him but laughs sadly at the absurdity of it, then asks, “‘You’re not getting any of this, are you, Shawn’” (19).

A crow lands on a telephone pole, and Shawn’s dad starts yelling at it, assuming that if he (Shawn’s dad) weren’t there, the crow would try to peck out Shawn’s eyes. His dad picks up his mom’s glass of iced tea and throws it at the crow. The crow flies away. His dad worries aloud what would have happened if he hadn’t been there as Shawn is helpless, wondering “’Maybe you’d be better off if I ended your pain”’ (21). His dad’s question makes Shawn feel nervous, but his mom comes out and she and his dad talk without mentioning the crow or his mom’s missing iced tea. Shawn says his dad does love him but is freaked out by his condition and his seizures.