Pay It Forward

We learn that “Gordie had a date with a man he’d ‘met’ on the internet” (173). They were supposed to meet in front of the White House. Gordie has put on makeup, making sure his stepfather didn’t see him as he left the house. He doesn’t have enough money to get home, and worries about leaving his makeup on after the date. As he rides the bus, people stare at him and make rude comments.

Gordie waits for his date for two hours. The audience learns that Gordie has pretended to be a woman in order to go on dates with men, although he does not dress as a woman. Finally, he goes up to a cop to ask for fare home, lying that his money was stolen. The cop asks if he’s a prostitute. Gordie says he’s on a date. Then he says he’ll probably get beaten up if he walks home. The cop gives him his handkerchief so Gordie can wipe off his makeup. This depresses Gordie because he thought he did a really nice job. The cop gives him money and tells him to wash his face and never to come back here.

Gordie goes to a bar with a fake ID, not wanting to go home because he believes his stepfather will probably beat him for wearing makeup. Three men accost him in the doorway, mocking him. He runs and they tackle him and beat him up, making homophobic comments.

From The Other Faces Behind the Movement

Gordie talks about getting death threats as a result of Trevor trying to help him, (which happens later in the novel). He says that he often wonders if Trevor’s death was his fault. However, “if there’s a message in all this, it’s that things happen the way they’re supposed to” (179). Gordie says everyone hated him at first, but that things are better now.

His mom and stepfather see him as he comes home. Gordie’s mom is worried when she sees the blood all over his face, but his stepfather is only concerned about the makeup, grabbing Gordie’s wrist and demanding to know why he has makeup on. His stepfather hits Gordie, and his mother screams and holds onto his stepfather’s back. Gordie escapes to his room and locks the door. His stepfather tries to break down the door but eventually gives up while his mother works to calm the man. Gordie washes his face. His mom comes in to deliver aspirin, and says his stepfather is passed out. She tries to make excuses for her husband, but Gordie just wants to sleep. Gordie dreams of the cop laughing as Gordie gets beaten up.

Chris answers a call at 7 a.m. from his cop acquaintance, Roger Meagan. Meagan mumbles unintelligibly for a while, until he starts talking about a lowering in gang killings, specifically shootings, which have dropped by 80 percent. Meagan asks Chris to investigate the pattern. Chris is skeptical about the potential for a story, as well as the fact that there is any pattern at all to the decrease in violence. But Meagan is persistent: “‘There are no accidents in the world, Chris,’” (183). Meagan tells Chris to interview a gang member named Mitchell Scoggins, who went to kill a rival gang member, but then didn’t so as “a point of honor” (184).

1993 Interview by Chris Chandler from Tracking the Movement

Mitchell says the movement started in Los Angeles possibly with Sidney G., but maybe not. Chris is confused, thinking Mitchell started it, and asks what the movement is. Mitchell says he wouldn’t tell Chris unless he was going to kill him, and then he’d let him know so he can pay it forward. Chris is again confused, and Mitchell tells him to talk to Sidney G., who Mitchell only knows by reputation.

Chris calls a police officer in Los Angeles, to ask if he can help Chris track down Sidney G. The officer says it will take a while, and Chris acknowledges that and says he’ll have to track all of the matches down anyway.

Chris spends two months tracking down all of the Sidney G’s from the detective’s list, but it doesn’t lead anywhere. His girlfriend thinks he’s become obsessed and moves out. Chris starts drinking again and loses weight, in addition to losing other reporting assignments. Chris places an ad in the newspaper, offering money for any information related to Sidney G. and the movement.

Chris receives a letter from Sidney G.’s girlfriend, Stella, who tells him Sidney’s real name and the fact that he didn’t invent the concept, but instead found it in Atascadero.

1993 interview by Chris Chandler in Soledad State Prison, from Tracking the Movement

Chris tries to cajole Sidney into speaking about the movement by telling him he can make Sidney famous, but Sidney says he’s already prison famous. Then Chris tries to tell him he might be able to move up his parole hearing by showing what an upstanding citizen Sidney is. Sidney says he thought the whole thing up in his head. Chris says he’ll try to get a videotape and video camera so he can record the next interview.

Chris flies back to New York and calls up Meagan, who at first has no idea what he is talking about when Chris thanks Meagan for turning him onto the movement. Chris explains it as a pyramid scheme. While Sidney had been evasive, Stella opened up to Chris after he gave her money. Chris explains this to Meagan, but Meagan doesn’t understand it: “‘What good is it to the person who started it?’” (190) she asks. Chris tells Meagan he doesn’t believe Sidney is the altruistic source, and that he has a plan to expose the lies of Sidney G. by televising his interview and waiting for the movement’s real progenitor to surface out of anger.

From The Diary of Trevor

Trevor tells his mom he hates his father, knowing that he should be ashamed and that she might hit him or yell at him. But he doesn’t feel bad about the truth. Arlene doesn’t respond.