第15部分(第4/7 頁)

　said　stiffly。　He　looked　down　and　realized　his　knuckles　were　white　from　gripping　the　iron　railing。　He　loosened　his　grip　and　held　out　his　hand。　The　Archibald　men　weren’t　huggers。　His　dad　took　his　hand；　but　instead　of　shaking　it；　gave　it　a　gentle　squeeze　before　turning　crisply　on　his　heel；　heading　down　the　stairs　and　up　the　avenue。　There　was　hardly　any　traffic　today；　as　if　out　of　respect　for　the　dead。

“You　okay；　man？”　Chuck　asked；　clasping　Nate’s　shoulder。　Nate　nodded；　glad　that　Chuck　had　insisted　on　ing　with　him。　In　a　crisp　charcoal　Turnbull　and　Asser　suit　with　a　white　handkerchief　in　his　breast　pocket；　Chuck　looked　like　he　had　back　in　high　school；　but　he　still　acted　like　the　guy　Nate　had　e　to　think　of　as　his　best　friend　at　Deep　Springs。

Nate　squeezed　his　green　eyes　shut；　hoping　when　he　opened　them　he’d　discover　he’d　been　dreaming　during　one　of　his　daily　naps　in　the　cow　barn。　But　when　he　opened　his　eyes；　he　saw　the　dark；　overcast　sky；　hovering　above　the　Upper　East　Side　rooftops。　The　clouds　looked　ominous；　ready　to　unleash　a　torrent　of　hail　that　would　destroy　the　white　lilies　outside　the　church。

A　tear　begin　to　trickle　down　the　side　of　Nate’s　nose。　He　squinted　to　try　to　stop　the　flow；　but　it　was　no　use。

“Fuck　it。”　He　roughly　wiped　his　eyes　with　the　back　of　his　hand。

“Dude；　you　okay？”　Chuck　pulled　his　gold　Gucci　aviators　out　of　his　pocket　and　handed　them　to　Nate。　“You’re　crying；”　he　remarked；　unnecessarily　but　not　unkindly。

“Thanks；　man。　It’s　just　a　lot…。”　Nate’s　voice　cracked。　Chuck　had　been　surprisingly　thoughtful　this　trip；　but　he　hadn’t　known　Chips；　and　Nate　felt　like　this　was　something　he　needed　to　handle　on　his　own。

“Are　you　Nathaniel？”　A　tiny；　elderly　woman　wearing　a　pink　tweed　St。　John’s　suit　wobbled　from　the　church