Page 177 of Smooth Sailing

“I think we should start with this guy who lives in Denver,” Mel countered.

“I think we should lay off because, like Di said, this is a lot,” Charlie shot at Mel and Bernie across the table.

“Well, for all of that, there’s nothing more to give about Mom,” I told them. “She still hasn’t replied to my voicemail or any of my texts.”

“Sorry, babe, but lame,” Mel declared.

Forgot to mention, Mel was pretty no nonsense too.

Though in this instance, like many, she was right.

“Agreed,” I replied. “The longer it takes her to reach out, the more all of it is pissing me off. And it’s super pissing Hugger off. He had a really great mom. I think this totally confuses him, but more, he had that, so he hates what I have. It’s also stupid, because it’s giving me plenty of opportunity, which I’m taking, to shuffle back through my memories and notice a lot of stuff that really isn’t good.”

“Like her giving up custody without a squeak?” Bernice offered.

“And her taking off to Idaho like she didn’t birth no babies, when she did, and that baby she forgot she birthed was you,” Mel put in.

“And like she shows when she shows, and you or your gram have to drop everything to be at her beck and call, but she won’t stay with either of you. Nope. She’s got a bungalow at the Biltmore and you have to go get her and traipse around Phoenix at her whim,” Charlie added.

Welp!

It seemed my girls had my mom’s number before I did.

“And straight up, she had the means to help you out when you were busting your back to get your degrees,” Bernie started, “and she didn’t. I can’t believe your dad put all that in a trust and gave it to you. Along with him dropping that mobster client because you asked him to, that’s a seriously stand-up thing to do.”

Dad and I had not come to terms about the trust, but Bernie was right. It was a stand-up thing to do.

“It isn’t Mom’s money,” I pointed out.

“She sells one Birkin bag, she pays an entire year of your tuition,” Mel returned.

Sadly, I couldn’t argue this.

“More stand-up from your dad, that he took the hits he took all your life,” Bernie stated. “What I don’t get is why your mom would pull what she pulled.”

“Well, it isn’t like, in front of Di, Nolan and Margaret are gonna have a chat about who cheated first,” Mel noted.

“That’s the worst part of this,” Charlie said. “The Big Lie.”

“Victims gonna victim,” Mel replied. “Can’t get everyone to kiss your feet and make life easy for you if you don’t convince them they should.”

I stilled.

Victims gonna victim.

Dad cheated on her (when he didn’t).

Brendon gave up on her (but did he?).

Rick forced her to live in Idaho where she had to drive all the way to Seattle for good shopping, or fly down to Phoenix (but she went up there with him without a peep).

Rick went out hunting, and left her “all alone” (when, for God’s sake, people had hobbies).

Rick got mad because she didn’t like to ride in his speedboat because it messed up her hair and “doesn’t he understand about a woman’s hair?!” But she rode in it and bitched about it, like taking a ride in a speedboat on a beautiful lake in God’s country was akin to being stretched on the rack.

Nothing was Mom’s responsibility.

Nothing went Mom’s way.

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