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The Motorcycle Feud

And Their Children After Them

This flow traces the stolen Yamaha from a reckless theft into a cycle of accusation, retaliation, and delayed confrontation.

increasingupBearing stren­gth in each eventdowndecreasing
The Canoe ExcursionThe Canoe Excursion from "And Their Children After Them". The First Theft A plan for adventure Anthony and his cousin take a canoe from the recreation center and paddle across the lake.
The First Theft A plan for adventure Anthony and his cousin take a canoe from the recreation center and paddle across the lake. They are pursued, but reach Bare-Ass Beach and meet Stéphanie and her friend. Risk becomes ordinary The boys leave the stolen boat hidden and continue their day. Their ease with petty theft helps set the stage for Anthony’s much more consequential decision later that night.
The Yamaha RideThe Yamaha Ride from "And Their Children After Them". Crossing a Boundary A forbidden vehicle Encouraged by his cousin and the prospect of seeing Stéphanie, Anthony takes Patrick’s Yamaha YZ from the garage.
Crossing a Boundary A forbidden vehicle Encouraged by his cousin and the prospect of seeing Stéphanie, Anthony takes Patrick’s Yamaha YZ from the garage. His mother discovers him but lets him leave after warning him to be careful. A fragile permission The ride temporarily makes Anthony feel free and powerful. That freedom depends on secrecy and exposes the family to consequences he has not considered.
The Bike DisappearsThe Bike Disappears from "And Their Children After Them". The Empty Space Discovery at daybreak After the party, Anthony and his cousin find that the motorcycle has vanished from behind the woodpile.
The Empty Space Discovery at daybreak After the party, Anthony and his cousin find that the motorcycle has vanished from behind the woodpile. They have walked home and have no explanation for its disappearance. Panic takes hold Anthony’s fear of Patrick turns the loss into a threat to the whole household. His mother’s later insistence that the family could be finished reveals how financial and marital strain magnify the theft.
A Visit to ManuA Visit to Manu from "And Their Children After Them". Help Turns Hazardous A request for mediation Anthony and his cousin visit Manu, hoping he can speak to people connected with Hacine.
Help Turns Hazardous A request for mediation Anthony and his cousin visit Manu, hoping he can speak to people connected with Hacine. Manu instead draws them into cocaine use and displays a loaded pistol. Violence becomes imaginable He implies that force may be the only way to recover the bike. Anthony leaves with the weapon and a new idea of what action might require.
The Threat FailsThe Threat Fails from "And Their Children After Them". A Standoff Aborted Confrontation at the ZUP Anthony rides into the courtyard and aims the pistol at Hacine.
A Standoff Aborted Confrontation at the ZUP Anthony rides into the courtyard and aims the pistol at Hacine. Both recognize that a small movement could kill someone, and neither can retreat without humiliation. The stalled engine The scooter falters, breaking Anthony’s momentum. He spits at Hacine instead of firing, leaving the feud unresolved and defining their later encounters with fear and resentment.
A summer afternoon in 1992
The evening of the Drimblois party in 1992
Dawn after the Drimblois party
Several days after the theft
After the visit to Manu in 1992