King and the Dragonflies

King’s father is silent as they walk down the streets of New Orleans. King fears his father will reject him as a son because he is gay. He starts to tell his father that he’s sorry for thinking he might be gay, but his father cuts him off. His father tells King he is angry at him but not because of the gay issue. He says he is furious that King lied to him and put Sandy at risk by helping to hide him in the bayou.

King asks his father, “You don’t care that I might be gay?” (233). His father responds that he doesn’t know what to think about that yet, but he tells King that he loves him. King tells his father, “I love you, too” (234). They watch the parade for a while, and then King slips away to meet Sandy at the Cathedral.

Sandy hugs King when they meet and tells him they should leave Louisiana right away before his father realizes he is missing. King tells Sandy that he can’t go to New York with him and that he should not go either. Sandy is upset and questions if King is really his friend.