Page 22 of Margo's Got Money Troubles

“I thought you were going to— What was his name?” Jinx had been in the middle of transitioning, though Margo had gotten a little caught up in her own drama and now had the feeling she was missing vital pieces of the story. Murder had died of a drug overdose five years ago. Mayhem had tried to keep going as a singles act, and he’d limped along for a few years. People wanted him in matches because at that point he and Murder were iconic, part of history. But realistically, Mayhem was too old, and his back was starting to go. When Mayhem finally officially retired, Jinx had started working with some new guy who was kind of a loose cannon, or that was his gimmick. She brought the tea to Jinx on the couch and sat in the chair across from him to nurse.

“Billy Ants, yes, and that didn’t work out. I don’t know if I’ve spoken about this with you before, but Cheri and I are getting a divorce.”

He had certainly never spoken to Margo about it before. He rarely spoke about his marriage and his other family, his real family.

“Oh,” Margo said. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s all right,” he said, leaning back and crossing his impossibly long legs. “It was bound to happen sooner or later.”

Bodhi, milk drunk, lurched back into profound slumber in Margo’s arms, her nipple popping out of his mouth with a squelch. “Here,” she said, getting up and rolling the sleeping baby into his arms.

“Come here, you perfect little one,” her father said. He did not use a baby-talk voice, yet there was some extra lilt of sweetness in the words. He began bouncing Bodhi with obvious finesse.

“You’re good with him,” she said. She’d never pictured her father as being good with babies, maybe because of all the black leather or how much he looked like Beerus from Dragon Ball.

“Well, I’ve had a few,” he said quietly. Five with Cheri, and then Margo. “And my little brothers and sisters.”

Jinx was the second of nine. Margo had never met any of them and didn’t even know all their names.

Jinx relaxed back into the couch with Bodhi, careful not to wake him, and began examining him, uncurling his tight little fist. “He’s going to be big,” he said.

“How can you tell?” Margo knew he wouldn’t be. She wanted to pretend.

“Look at how long and thick his fingers are.”

The love-drunk look on Jinx’s face made the back of Margo’s throat hurt. Had her father looked at her like that when she was a baby? It was overcast outside, all white cloud cover, and the living room had a kind of elegant gloom to it.

“Does Shyanne know you’re in town?” Margo asked.

“Yes, she’s the one who sent me over here.”

“Oh, you went there first?” Margo asked. Jinx seemed unaware that earlier he’d claimed he drove straight to Margo’s.

“Well, yes, I didn’t have your address. And I needed to talk to her about something. I met Kenneth.”

It was just like Jinx to call him Kenneth instead of Kenny. Margo bet it bugged the shit out of Kenny. “How was that?”

“Well, he’s a fan.”

“No shit!?”

“But yes, the timing is ironic. I think Shyanne was perhaps shocked.”

“What timing? Wait, were you thinking of getting back together with her?”

“That was the plan,” Jinx said, nodding. “I brought roses and everything.”

“Well, you could have told her about the plan!”

Jinx shrugged, repositioned Bodhi more upright against his chest. “Yes, well, my life has been in a state of disarray, if I’m being honest. And then I get here, and you don’t even need my help, so I guess—I guess I needn’t have come!”

“Dad,” Margo said. She was annoyed that he was now playing the victim because she no longer needed money. In her mind, she should get to be the hostile one at least a little bit longer. But he looked sad, so she said, “I always want to see you. I was desperate for you to meet Bodhi.”

Jinx smiled, shook his head. “It’s probably best I didn’t tell Shyanne the plan. It was half-baked at best. And maybe we’ve been saved from each other in a way.”

Margo didn’t know what to say to that. Jinx was the love of Shyanne’s damn life. “She would leave him in a heartbeat for you.”

“That’s nice of you to say,” Jinx said, “but there is a lot of water under that bridge. All those years, I think they were very hard on her.”

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