Page 4 of A Captive Situation

But Mom ranting was normal.

What wasn’t normal was what she almost said just now. Logically, she was referring to my supposed wedding, but a different sensation went down my spine. I didn’t think she was referring to my wedding. It was in the tone of her voice. There was a lack of familiarity with that word, as if it belonged to someone else. Not to the wedding she was supposed to have helped me with.

Dread lined my insides, and I clenched onto my phone tighter. I was sitting at a pizzeria, enjoying an afternoon beer when my mother called today.

The beer was forgotten now.

“Mom,” I said.

She quieted.

I readied myself. “You said ‘the wedding that hap—’ You cut yourself off.” I folded my head. “My wedding didn’t happen, so it couldn’t be my wedding you’re talking about.” Fuck. Shit. This hurt. My throat was being scraped from the inside out. “Whose wedding were you referring to?”

“Honey.” Her voice dropped. “I can’t bring myself to tell you.”

Oh, god.

He ended things with us. He did. Beck. He dumped me. I gave up so much for him ... I couldn’t go there. What was she about to say to me?

“Mom?” My voice got quiet.

Her voice was strained. “I have to go. We can talk about it when you come home.”

She ended the call.

My mind was spinning. What just happened?

My chest felt like it was caving in on itself. I pressed a hand there, and drew in a breath. Jesus. It hurt.

The beer. The pizzeria. The sounds of the city that surrounded me, all of it faded completely.

I felt so alone.

Later that night, my phone started buzzing.

Aunt Clara: Bess and I got the download from your mother. What do you want to know about your cousin? We’re on it.

Aunt Clara: You want us to reach out to him? I can do that. I won’t go through Maude for his information. I’ve got internet friends who can help get his 411.

Aunt Bess: Don’t go through your mother anymore for that information. It stresses her out. You know how she is. She likes everyone getting along and Maude is the opposite. She thrives on negativity. We’re here for you. We’re your pillars. What do you need from us?

My aunts had decided to tag in with me.

That meant my mom handed me off to them.

A day later, my phone buzzed again. More texts.

Aunt Bess: We get you don’t want to talk about this right now, but Clara is on a trip. She’s going to stink bomb Beck’s car and she’s rallying some of the neighbors to start keeping an eye on him. A heads up. You know how she is. We may need limits because shit can go sideways real quick with her.

Aunt Clara: I joined the walking club that goes past Manda’s house. Tomorrow I’ll make friends with the neighbors across the road from her place.

Aunt Clara: Don’t listen to anything Bess is saying. She needs to keep her nose out of my business. I’ve got it handled. We’ll set up a way to communicate later on. I’ll send the code system tomorrow. Stand by.

What? Code system?

I considered asking. Should I ask them what my mom started to spill? They would tell me. My dad was around, but it was the four of us against the world. It felt that way sometimes. Bess and Clara never hid the truth from me. If I asked, they answered.

I held the phone in my hand, and wavered.

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