Pay It Forward

Reuben and Trevor sit on the couch at Arlene’s house eating popcorn and watching football. Reuben and his cat basically live at Arlene’s house now. A Coke commercial comes on, which Reuben now associates with bad things happening. Trevor feeds the cat a piece of popcorn and there is a knock at the door. Arlene opens it to find Ricky, who everyone stares at in stony silence. Ricky says that no one looks very happy to see him, and asks Trevor why he doesn’t call him daddy. “’You said never call you Daddy in front of people”’ (171), Trevor replies. Reuben feels numb, but knows it will hurt soon. Trevor runs to his bedroom and slams the door. “’Who the hell are you?’ Ricky asks Reuben (172).

We learn that “Gordie had a date with a man he’d ‘met’ on the internet” (173). They were supposed to meet in front of the White House. Gordie has put on makeup, making sure his stepfather didn’t see him as he left the house. He doesn’t have enough money to get home, and worries about leaving his makeup on after the date. As he rides the bus, people stare at him and make rude comments.