bring dinner?
Me : sold. See you then.
Adrien : ;)
Placing my phone back on my table, I snuggled down under my blankets and ordered my brain to sleep. It didn’t quite work. But after another half an hour of tossing and turning, I finally drifted off into a fitful sleep.
***
Grey Anderson was seriously messing with my sleep schedule. As I walked to the bus stop the next morning, my sunglasses hiding my eyes from the annoyingly bright sun, I felt as if I was hungover instead of just exhausted. Thankfully I only had to take two buses before I reached my mom’s.
The scent of bacon and homemade rolls wafted through the screen door, all the way to the chain link fence surrounding the front yard. Opening the gate, I took a deep breath in, already feeling at home. It was funny how smells could do that to you. Comfort and soothe your soul with their fragrance.
“Look what the cat dragged it. If it isn’t Miss Ballerina. What are you doing back in the slum, chica? I thought you got out of this place?”
I looked over at Jesus, one of my neighbors that I made sure to avoid all throughout my childhood. He was a couple of years older, but a whole lot more trouble. It was no secret he ran with the El Elegido gang.
Despite this well known fact, I wasn’t afraid of him. Rolling my eyes, I made my way toward the front door.
“It wasn’t the slum that was the problem, it was the residents occupying it,” I said to him, dismissively.
He whistled. “Always quick with that tongue. You and your cousin need a man to teach you your place.”
Before I could verbally bitch smack him across the face, Perrie appeared in the doorway, the screen door banging open with a loud rattle.
“We have one, he’s tied up in the basement where we keep all the men,” she said.
I chuckled, looking over at Jesus to see him shaking his head in amusement.
“You girls are loca.”
“Damn right,” we said together. Perrie turned to me with a wide smile.
“Hey, cuz. It’s good to see you in these parts,” she said, pulling me into a tight hug.
“Don’t you start too,” I said as I returned her embrace. “I haven’t been gone that long. And I know I’m already going to have to hear it from the other two.”
Perrie tightened her arms for a second, whispering in my ear. “You have no idea. Consider this fair warning.”
She pulled back, giving me an apologetic look. Great. My shoulders slumped as I looked back down the path, considering just leaving now while I still could.
“Oh no you don’t,” Perrie said, gripping my arm. “Get your pretty ass in there.”
I took one step - one step inside the house before it began.
“The prodigal daughter has returned,” my mother shouted instantly.
“Look who decided to gift us with her presence,” Auntie Grace said, raising her hands in the air as if she were speaking directly to God himself. “Here I thought she’d lost our address.”
“And phone number,” my mother added.
“For crying out loud,” I said under my breath. The two of them were so similar, I sometimes wondered if they were actually the same person, cloned. “Hello Auntie,” I said, going over to where she stood at the stove, scrambling eggs. I kissed her on the cheek as she harrumphed.
Walking around the counter, I went to my mother where she sat in her robe, chopping fruit. I gave her a kiss as well. “Morning, Mom.”
“Morning, Honor baby,” she said, lightly slapping my cheek.
“How’s everyone been?” I asked, sitting in my usual spot.
“Well your mom’s leg has been acting up again,” Auntie Grace said.
There was nothing wrong with my mom’s leg, aside from whatever she’d convinced herself of in her own mind.
“And Grace has been having those migraines again.”
Jesus Christ.
I glanced over at Perrie. She shook her head at me, her lips twitching.
I loved each and every one of the women in this room, but there was no denying our mothers were nuts. But man, could they
Me : sold. See you then.
Adrien : ;)
Placing my phone back on my table, I snuggled down under my blankets and ordered my brain to sleep. It didn’t quite work. But after another half an hour of tossing and turning, I finally drifted off into a fitful sleep.
***
Grey Anderson was seriously messing with my sleep schedule. As I walked to the bus stop the next morning, my sunglasses hiding my eyes from the annoyingly bright sun, I felt as if I was hungover instead of just exhausted. Thankfully I only had to take two buses before I reached my mom’s.
The scent of bacon and homemade rolls wafted through the screen door, all the way to the chain link fence surrounding the front yard. Opening the gate, I took a deep breath in, already feeling at home. It was funny how smells could do that to you. Comfort and soothe your soul with their fragrance.
“Look what the cat dragged it. If it isn’t Miss Ballerina. What are you doing back in the slum, chica? I thought you got out of this place?”
I looked over at Jesus, one of my neighbors that I made sure to avoid all throughout my childhood. He was a couple of years older, but a whole lot more trouble. It was no secret he ran with the El Elegido gang.
Despite this well known fact, I wasn’t afraid of him. Rolling my eyes, I made my way toward the front door.
“It wasn’t the slum that was the problem, it was the residents occupying it,” I said to him, dismissively.
He whistled. “Always quick with that tongue. You and your cousin need a man to teach you your place.”
Before I could verbally bitch smack him across the face, Perrie appeared in the doorway, the screen door banging open with a loud rattle.
“We have one, he’s tied up in the basement where we keep all the men,” she said.
I chuckled, looking over at Jesus to see him shaking his head in amusement.
“You girls are loca.”
“Damn right,” we said together. Perrie turned to me with a wide smile.
“Hey, cuz. It’s good to see you in these parts,” she said, pulling me into a tight hug.
“Don’t you start too,” I said as I returned her embrace. “I haven’t been gone that long. And I know I’m already going to have to hear it from the other two.”
Perrie tightened her arms for a second, whispering in my ear. “You have no idea. Consider this fair warning.”
She pulled back, giving me an apologetic look. Great. My shoulders slumped as I looked back down the path, considering just leaving now while I still could.
“Oh no you don’t,” Perrie said, gripping my arm. “Get your pretty ass in there.”
I took one step - one step inside the house before it began.
“The prodigal daughter has returned,” my mother shouted instantly.
“Look who decided to gift us with her presence,” Auntie Grace said, raising her hands in the air as if she were speaking directly to God himself. “Here I thought she’d lost our address.”
“And phone number,” my mother added.
“For crying out loud,” I said under my breath. The two of them were so similar, I sometimes wondered if they were actually the same person, cloned. “Hello Auntie,” I said, going over to where she stood at the stove, scrambling eggs. I kissed her on the cheek as she harrumphed.
Walking around the counter, I went to my mother where she sat in her robe, chopping fruit. I gave her a kiss as well. “Morning, Mom.”
“Morning, Honor baby,” she said, lightly slapping my cheek.
“How’s everyone been?” I asked, sitting in my usual spot.
“Well your mom’s leg has been acting up again,” Auntie Grace said.
There was nothing wrong with my mom’s leg, aside from whatever she’d convinced herself of in her own mind.
“And Grace has been having those migraines again.”
Jesus Christ.
I glanced over at Perrie. She shook her head at me, her lips twitching.
I loved each and every one of the women in this room, but there was no denying our mothers were nuts. But man, could they
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