I grew weary of any conversation that returned to and landed on his appearance. How he looked, if he was big for his age. No one bandying these debates around ever really specified what rested on the other side of them: what it might mean if he were, in fact, “big for his age.” I suppose the reality is that no one had to say what many of us already knew. People were looking for a way out, a way to feel all right about the murder. Sure, it looked bad, but if he was large enough or dangerous enough, then what could anyone be expected to do, really?
