All Due Respect Read Online Free PDF

that’s what he said.” The boy’s cheeks blistered and his eyes filled with tears. “I hate it when he cusses.”
    What Jeff hated was his father cussing him. Seth didn’t give a tinker’s damn for it, either. He’d never in his life hugged a kid, but he wanted to hug Jeff. How many times had Camden pulled this stunt, damning them? “Losing your mom’s still hard, isn’t it?”
    “I miss her.”
    Three little words, but ones so powerful they threatened to knock Seth to his knees. “I know. My mom died when I was six, too. I still miss her.” And he still felt guilty about her death. At least Jeff had been spared that.
    “Dr. Julia’s sure Mom misses me, too.” Doubt riddled the boy’s voice. He pushed away from the fence and stared down at the dirt. “But I think she might be too hurt to miss me.”
    Confused, Seth pressed him. “What do you mean, buddy?”
    “My mom’s burning in hell.” Jeff studied the sand crusted toe of his sneaker. “Dad says she’ll burn there forever.” He choked down a sob rooted in hopelessness. “Every time I close my eyes I see her on fire.”
    The depth of the kid’s suffering stabbed through Seth’s
    heart, and every instinct in his body urged him to beat the hell out of Camden for doing this to the boy. But that was a selfish response. Seth had to focus on what was best for Jeff.
    He squatted so they could see eye to eye. “I have a question for you, Jeff. It’s not a test or anything, just a question,” Seth said. “Do you believe in God?”
    The boy rolled his gaze. “Everybody believes in God. They gotta cuz He’s everybody’s father and Mom said.”
    Universal, Mom being the ultimate authority on everything. “What else did she tell you about Him?”
    “That He loves us and always will, no matter what.”
    So far, so good. “I think she’s right.”
    “She was real smart.” Pride tinged Jeff’s voice.
    Seth smiled to lend weight to what he was about to say, hoping the boy would find comfort in it and maybe, just maybe, a little peace. “What she told you is how we know she’s not burning in hell, Jeff.”
    Hope filled his face, but doubt quickly chased it. “Then how come Dad said she was?”
    Because he’s like my father was. He’s a cruel and selfish bastard who has no idea how much he’s hurting you. Because even if he did know how much he was hurting you, he wouldn’t give a tinker’s damn. Because making you feel worse makes him feel better. Stronger. Like more of a man.
    Seth thought it all, and said none of it. Instead, he searched for a reasonable explanation that wasn’t hard on Jeff’s dad. If Seth came across hard, the boy would feel compelled to defend his father. Sad, but that’s the way it always worked. The parent abused, the kid protected.
    “When somebody you love dies, you miss them. Your dad hurts way down deep, but he can’t go around crying all the time, so he acts angry with your mom for leaving you both.”ť
    Jeff’s jaw dropped open and his eyes stretched wide. “You mean, Mom wanted to die?”
    “No, she loved you too much to ever want to leave you.” Sensing Jeff’s doubt and confusion, Seth lifted a leaf from
    the ground and then dusted away the grains of sand clinging to it. They showered against his shoes. “It’s like this leaf.” He pinched it between his forefinger and thumb. “It was green and on a tree limb up there.” He pointed to a wintering oak. “But when it was time, the leaf turned brown and fell off.”
    Understanding dawned in Jeff’s eyes. “Grass turns brown, too.”
    “In a way, everything does.” Seth smiled. “People are born and, when it’s time, they die.”
    “But the leaves and grass don’t burn in hell. Just people do.” A frown creased the skin between Jeff’s brows. “So if God loves us, then how come He’s burning Mom?”
    “He isn’t, son,” Seth said softly. The little skeptic shrugged, and Seth countered, offering logic. “Think about it. If God is