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chapter twenty-seven izzy's world . . . ?
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JJ Maybank had always known who he was. His father had made a point to remind him every chance he got. He was his mother's son as his father called him, but to everyone else, he was his father's runt and only his. But to Luke Maybank, his son was waiting for an opening to leave him behind, forced to care for himself just like how his wife had left him years ago. JJ was just like her. Filled with a dream to get off that cursed island, but unlike his mother, JJ knew deep down that he would never leave the Outer Banks. He would never leave the Cut. It was in his blood to stay there, letting the world pin crime after crime against him. That was who JJ Maybank really was: his father's son. It was only a matter of time before he lived up to his name.
You see, he tried to hold on to the belief that he could be different. He tried to listen to Izzy's words and recognize that he was his own person, not his father's prodigal son, but he couldn't escape his own flesh and blood. After all, blood ran thicker than water, and deep down, all the boy ever wanted to do was make his father proud. He quickly realized that was never going to happen, especially after he followed through with this plan of his and stole his father's most prized possession: his boat.
(Funny how a stupid boat meant more to the man than his own son's well-being, but that was another issue that JJ Maybank did not want nor have the time to delve into at the moment. (Check back in two through three business days and maybe he'll be open to talking about it then.))
But anyway . . . no matter how many times Izzy Windsor grabbed him by the face, looked him in the eyes, and told him he could break the cycle, that he could make a future for himself that didn't end with him staring at the bottom of an empty beer bottle . . . he couldn't fully believe her. He wanted hope. He wanted the belief that he wouldn't end up exactly like his father, but as he aged, he realized that might never happen. Because, really, in the debate of nature versus nurture, JJ Maybank was screwed either way.
