“‘Come here, Tyson,’ snapped the mother. ‘We have to take our shoes off.’
“‘Why?’ said the kid. ‘Why do we have to take our shoes off?’
“The mother paused, unsure how to respond without alluding to specific realities. ‘Oh,’ she said, ‘to make sure we’re safe.’”
Read part one of Evan James’s “Hear That Lonesome Gasket Blow” here.

