Page 19 of Gratification in Gluttony

“There’s no time! My mother’s probably breathing her last breath as we speak, and you expect me to shower?”

“She’s not—what did Flo say?”

“That Ma is dying!”

“She said that?”

How was Gem not understanding the magnitude of this situation?

“Yes.” Toni tried to move past the Araknis, but he was annoyingly strong.

“She said those exact words?” Gem pressed. “Like, she said, ‘Toni, get to the hospital because our mother is about to die’?”

“Yes. Well, no.” Toni pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to recall Flo’s actual words. “She said it’s horrible. Horrible, Gem!”

Gem grimaced. “Okay, not that I’m downplaying the situation, but let’s remember that the last time Flo said something was ‘horrible’”—his impersonation of Toni’s family accent would have been offensive if Toni wasn’t so worked up about his mother—“it was because her stylist had ruined her extensions.”

“Yeah, and itwashorrible. She looked stupid.”

“Toni, please don’t take this the wrong way, but your family tends to catastrophize, even when an actual catastrophe is not taking place.”

“Are you likening my mother lying on her deathbed to my sister’s botched hair extensions?” Toni snarled.

“Deities give me strength,” Gem sighed. “Okay, I can see we have passed the point of rational conversation. Give me two minutes to get dressed. Go wash your face. Maybe sponge your pits a bit because—and I say this with all the love in the world—you are positively pungent right now.”

Toni took a whiff under his arms and his hungover stomach heaved. “Okay, fair point. But if my mother dies while I’m sponging off, I will make sure she blamesyou. And that woman holds a grudge. She will haunt you for eternity.”

“I am so confident that your mother is not going to die within the next five minutes that I’m willing to take that risk.”

Hands splayed, Toni backed out into the living room, shaking his head at his friend’s folly. “Your funeral!”

After the fastest sponge bath of Toni’s life, he was tugging on his boots as Gem appeared in fresh clothing, looking way too good to be hungover. “Okay, can we stop for a latte at the station?”

“No! It’s like you’re not taking this seriously.”

“What?” Gem said, drawing out the vowel in a high-pitched tone. “I am taking this so completely seriously.”

“I don’t believe you! Why are you even coming? Since you’re so confident that my mother ain’t dying?” Toni challenged.

Fastening his own boots on his feet, Gem snickered. “I’m coming because I’m a good friend and I want to be there for you in your time of need.” He looked away guiltily as he added, “And not because I want to play witness to the family drama that is sure to ensue.”

With a wordless growl, Toni yanked Gem’s front door open and stormed out into the hall. “You can come if you can keep up. And we arenotstopping for a latte!”

Chapter six

The Marynos

Several tram stops, andan extra foamy, extra syrupy latte later, Toni and Gem sat on the train to Envy. Gem sipped at his coffee, eyes trained out the window as he hummed under his breath. Toni drummed his fingers on his knees, checking his phone to make sure Flo hadn’t texted him, raging that he’d missed his mother’s final words.

Thankfully, his phone was silent the whole trip. They jumped on another tram to the main medical center in Envy—the one usually reserved for cosmetic surgeries and elective procedures. Why his mother was here after suffering a medical emergency, Toni couldn’t fathom. She must have been shopping when it happened, and they’d simply rushed her to the nearest emergency center.

Toni gave his name at the reception as Gem drained the last dregs of his latte and handed the empty cup to the Sypent behind the computer. “You have a trash can back there, right?”

Gem studiously ignored the glare Toni sent his way, pretending to admire the sleek stone walls and the tricklingfountain in the center of the lobby. The place looked more like a spa than a hospital, but Toni was too worried to dwell on it.

“Top floor,” the receptionist said with a sour look at Gem. “Suite Three.”

“Suite?” Gem said as Toni power-walked to the lift. “Your motherwoulddemand nothing less than a suite for her deathbed.”

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