Page 17 of Give Me a Shot

“No, wait,” Madison said. “You talk to Mrs. Sargysan the way you talk to me. She’s your friend.”

Even though they spoke multiple times a week, Mo doubted that his next-door neighbor would consider him a friend.

“You’re right, I do talk to her. But I don’t know that she’s my friend.”

Madison shook her head as she stuffed her pink MP3 player into her pocket. It was what they’d settled on so she could listen to music before she got a cell phone. She shoved the cord down too, and her headphones slipped from around her neck. Mo caught them and handed them to her.

“She’s your friend, Daddy. Trust me.”

“I trust you, Mads,” he said, sliding an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s finish up and get out of here.”

“Can we get some fruit for Mrs. Sargysan on the way?”

“We can do that,” he said.

—

Mo tapped on his horn as Madison disappeared into Diana’s house. He put the truck in gear and pulled away from the curb. He was always a bit sad when Maddie left, even though he knew they would talk that night, at least by text.

After pulling into the driveway of his house, he took his sunglasses off then slid his mesh grocery bag across the seat and brought it with him as he stepped out of the truck. He never wanted to seem disrespectful to Mrs. Sargysan, and he probably wouldn’t get a headache from the little sun he’d pick up while they were talking. Maddie had chosen so much fruit, she’d had difficulty carrying the bag out of the store. Mrs. Sargysan was sitting on her porch, reading, and she waved at him.

“Where’s my little kuzu?” she called out.

Mo smiled.

“Your little lamb is back with her mom. Just dropped her off,” he said, climbing her steps. “But she sent something for you.” He carefully placed the bag on the metal patio table beside her chair. The oranges and grapefruits pulled in multiple directions, so he decided not to let go.

“Ah! Always thinking of her bonus grandma. Such a sweetheart,” she said.

“Shall I take them inside?” he asked.

Mrs. Sargysan’s eyes went wide.

“All of that?” she asked.

“All of that,” Mo said, nodding.

“Goodness, I’m spoiled,” she said. “I hope she chose something for herself.”

“Yes, but I had to be a bit firm. Natural sweets are healthier than man-made.”

Mrs. Sargysan nodded.

“Good dad. I’ll make her a fruit salad when she comes back. No way I’ll be able to eat all of that by myself. Let’s go get everything put away.” She began to rise, but Mo shook his head.

“I’ll handle it; you rest here.”

Mrs. Sargysan rolled her eyes.

“Enough resting. I’ll rest myself to death, and then there’ll be even more resting. Out of my way, young man.”

She got up and went into the house first. Following her into the kitchen, Mo noticed that it was a little warm.

“Is your A/C working right?” he asked as he put the bag down on the table.

Mrs. Sargysan harrumphed.

“I don’t know. I set the thermostat like normal, but it doesn’t feel like it should in here,” she said.

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