Page 63 of Trig

“Mm-hmm,” he replies.

“Dad?” Mya calls out.

We both turn our heads toward her voice. She stands there with her hand on her hip, looking like a mini version of her mother. Her face obviously bothered. Oscar just stares at her like she’s the prettiest demon he’s ever laid eyes on. Her face softens when she notices his gaze.

“Mom said dinner is done and if you and our guests don’t make it to the table soon, she’ll make sure we have two tables to replace.”

I motion for Oscar to walk out first. We all reach the dining room where earlier we dragged the patio table in. It stands out, even with a tablecloth on. Oscar looks down at it and back up to Mya. Mya shakes her head as if to say ‘don’t ask’.

“What’s up, man?” Cisco says as he stands up, and shakes hands with Oscar while doing the one-armed bro hug. “Sorry about tonight,” he utters as he pulls away.

“It’s all good,” Oscar replies. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

I squint my eyes and imagine stabbing him with a fork. A pitchfork.

Everyone sits down in silence. Right then, Nine comes out carrying a dish. She puts it down a little roughly, sending juices flying onto the table.

“You guys like roast rump, right? I got some, ummmm, cob on the corn in the kitchen and some blarries..blurrys..berries, I meant.”

We all look up at her like what in the fuck is happening. Her eyes are glazed over and her ears and cheeks are red. I have no idea what the hell she even said. Nine is drunk and the dinner hasn’t even started. Fuck!

“What?” she asks.

I wave my hand toward Oscar.

“Holy Shit! Nine,” Oscar mutters.

We all snap our necks to look at him. If he knows her name then he must know mine, and if that’s the case, he knows too much. She gives him a murderous expression. She’s intoxicated, which means she’ll be unhinged and part of me is rooting for her to take Romeo out right here. The other part is concerned that the kids will have to witness it and Mya will probably throw a fit over the love of her life. A man she spent one day with. To stop Nine, or to let her be. Decisions. Decisions. She pulls the butcher knife out of the meat and begins to circle the table like a vulture. She slowly passes Cisco, then Mya, then me. She stops right next to Oscar. The kids watch with wide eyes.

“My love?” I gently press.

She waves her hand at me as if to say ‘be quiet’. I call that an attempt to stop her and settle back into my seat. I no longer care. This mother fucker knows shit and we need to know why. I’m strategic in my madness but Nine is impulsive in hers. I’ll let her toy with him for a bit before I corral her in.

“Do you know me?” she slurs. “Because you address me like you know me.”

She points the tip of the knife at him. He looks down at the table and remains silent.

“You have my son’s loyalty and my daughter’s…erm...attention, and now, for some odd reason, you know my name. So, I’m going to ask you again…do you fucking know me?”

He doesn’t budge. Nine slides over behind his chair and swoops the knife up to his neck and all hell breaks out in a split second. In unison, Oscar and I pull our guns on each other. Mya pulls her gun out and aims it at Nine. Cisco pulls his gun out and aims it at Mya. Nine looks at Mya and shakes her head. Mya quickly glances back at Cisco.

“Why don’t we all put our weapons down and talk? You have questions. Let me answer them as best as I can. I need the delivery of these facts to be done peacefully for understanding, but I can’t do that if someone is trying to kill me every few minutes in this house. Please.”

Oscar gently puts his gun on the table. I hesitate but follow suit.

“Nine?” I push.

Mya still has her gun aimed at Nine, and Cisco still has his gun aimed at Mya. This is definitely going to cause some friction in the house if we all survive the night. Sides have been chosen. Mya likes him more than I thought. Maybe even more than she knows.

Nine quickly pulls the knife away from his neck and points it in Mya’s direction. Mya drops her weapon and places it on the table. Cisco follows suit.

“One night with him and you choose him over your family? A stranger? I see where your loyalty lies.” Her words still slurring.

“It was reactive, Mom. I didn’t mean—.”

Nine stabs the knife into the rump roast. “Eat up!”

Everyone standing takes a seat and stares at Oscar.

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