Page 26 of Sour Brew Face

He walks me through his version of events from two days ago when my mother paid Mo a visit at work, it is wildly different than my mother’s. And I gotta say, one of them is lying, and I’d bet my left testicle it isn’t the guy in front of me.

Fist clenching at my sides, I stare at Mike’s impassive face. “She slapped Mo?” I try to recall Mo’s face when I confronted her later that afternoon. I guess her left cheek had been a bit red, but I was too angry to pay much attention to it.

“And she threatened to deal with her if Mo didn’t back off?” He nods. “And she implied she’s done that sort of thing before?” He nods again, though this time, there is a hint of compassion, or maybe its pity. I deserve neither at this point.

“How didn’t I know any of this?” I ask no one in particular, but Eavesdropping Earl, otherwise known as Jesse, pipes in to set me straight.

“Dude. Your ‘silent’ business partner, came in when I first started, told me that I was to come in, do my job, and leave her baby boy alone. He wasn’t a deviant like me, and she didn’t want to hear that I’d somehow brainwashed him into homosexuality. Like it’s a fucking cult or something. Then, with each of the girls, she told them that she wouldn’t accept an ‘aimless gold digger’ for a daughter-in-law and they should look elsewhere for their companionship. Lucy, you dated her 5 years ago, I think, she dropped off your stuff that you’d left at her place and said that she hoped you and your mom lived happily ever after together.”

“Fuck.” I think I might be sick. “Why didn’t any of you tell me?”

Jesse lifts a shoulder and frowns. “Honestly, we didn’t have much interaction with her, and no offense, but you aren’t any of our type.” He winks at Mike who sits up a little taller.

“Langston, I hate to tell you, but Mo is a straight shooter, she’ll tell you like it is whether you want to hear it or not, but more often than not, it’s what you need to hear. And your mom…she’s fucking whackadoodles.”

“Boss.” Jesse places a hand gently on my shoulder, his eyes shining with understanding, “You’re looking a little green. I know this is a lot to take in. Especially since you eviscerated any hope of reconciliation with Mo by throwing it in her face that she’s an orphan.” I wince as his hand tightens.

“You’re lucky that Mo waved us off, or we would have probably beaten the piss out of you.” I appreciate his protectiveness of Mo, but I still level him with a glare. He holds up his hands, “Ok, we would have beaten you until we grew tired or hurt ourselves. But we wouldn’t have been the only ones in pain, I can promise you that.”

“That’s right, my man is strong like wet cat.” Jesse makes a clawing motion with his hand and lets out an angry meow at his man.

I ignore their foreplay, focusing on my mom and Mo. I’m such a fucking idiot. I should have let her explain, I should have paid more attention to my mom acknowledging my growing concerns and talked it over with Mo instead of shutting her out and insulting her. I don’t even know how to begin to make things right with Mo.

First though, I need to figure out what the fuck my mom has been doing all these years. And I know where I need to start.

“Hey, Mike. You guys are all nerds, right?”

“Insulting me will not get you whatever it is you need.”

“I meant that…respectfully.” I counter with a lopsided grin.

“Right.”

“Anyway, any of you good with computers? Like search for people who don’t want to be found, good with computers?”

“You mean Ishaan, who literally graduated at the top of his class with a triple major in technology?”

“Uh…yeah, that should do.”

Mike shakes his head with a disappointed sigh. Jesse steps out from behind the bar and plops himself into Mike’s lap to comfort him. “Who do you need to find?”

Mo 23.

I debate answering the door. I’m in my old comfortably well-worn pajamas, currently nestled inside a blanket cocoon. I’m not ready to emerge as a beautiful butterfly just yet, I still feel very caterpillary, so it’s too early.

But the knocking. It doesn’t stop.

With great effort, I grab all the blankets and keep them around me as I shuffle to the door. Peering through the peep hole, I sigh in relief. Its Amelia…and she appears alone.

“If I open this door, is Dave going to jump out and grope you in front of me? If so, hooray for you, I’m not in the mood.”

“Open the damn door, Mary Opal Morrow.” I’ve never heard my sweet Amelia sound so…gruff and demanding. I won’t lie, my nipples tingle at the sound. Don’t judge, my heart is broken, and my body doesn’t know what’s going on.

I open the door and Amelia takes one look at my chrysalis and shakes her head in disappointment.

“I’ve left it too long.” That’s all she says before barreling past me into my house and making herself at home. She drops a tote bag on the coffee table and starts pulling out all kinds of shit and spreading it out.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

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