Summary

In chapter four, Casey recounts visiting Papa on his deathbed, bearing witness to Rod crying and begging Papa to wake up. After the funeral, Rod sold the family’s house and belongings and disappeared for several months until he suffered a gunshot wound; Casey and Tashia were brought to visit him in the hospital. They did not see him for some time after that, as he began a career of petty crime to support his heroin addiction. Casey later visited his father in several jails. The Dallas Morning News picked up the story and ran a front-page feature about Roderic’s downfall. Casey recalls the various institutions in which he visited both of his parents as well as his mother’s repeated disappearances. Debra would return on her own or the family would find her wandering around town, until one day in 1999 or...