**

“Loyalty, competitiveness, sacrifice…”, Jack Sanders repeats as, in the darkest corner of the room, his brain-damaged son rolls his eyes looking at something invisible outside the window, where the night has enveloped everything with its black, heavy coat. I wonder if it’s some kind of metaphor of the mess we’re in. The hole we’re in. Dark and cold and dangerous and lethal. I inhale a sharp breath and focus my eyes on the old man.

He looks like a prophet. His arms spread as he’s being crucified, he tosses his head back and stares at the ceiling, maybe looking for inspiration, or for the bold voice of his insanity. His silvery hair are short and full, his face is pale and a veil of sweat covers his forehead, like he’s using all of his concentration to explain the grandiosity of his vision, to make us understand – we are stubborn, and dull, and retarded – the deep meaning of his actions. Something that we’ll never understand, never.

Jack Sanders turns his head to me and shows me his teeth. It should be a questioning smile, but it looks more like a grimace, or a silent growl.

“Do you know what loyalty is, McCutcheon?”, he asks me, in a quiet voice that cannot be ignored. It shouts tragedy. It shouts madness.

I nod, slowly, imperceptibly. Yeah, dude, I think I know what loyalty is. I am not sure you do, though. I’ve learned about loyalty, a lot. I’ve learned more than you’ll ever know, you prick.

His eyes widen in surprise and his mouth forms a perfect, theatrical “O”.

“Oh, you think you do… She thinks she does…”, he adds, like he’s talking to himself and maybe – maybe – he really is. I nod again and he sighs through his almost gritted teeth. It sounds like a hissing sound.

“…Loyalty, Shane, is the quality or state of being loyal. It’s a feeling of devotion, of duty, or attachment to somebody or something”, he explains plainly, but in a very delicate tone, and I feel he is choosing his words carefully, just to make sure I understand. I frown, slowly, and he takes the expression on my face as a lack of understanding.