Page 40 of Operation Annulment
My mother smiles nervously.
“What are you two doing here?” I’m confused enough as it is. I don’t know that I’m mentally capable of handling anything else tonight.
“Hail Mary, I’m always here. You know that.” He rubs his flat stomach. “I got a little hungry, and Caparina has the best cereal. What are you doing here?”
I place my hands on the kitchen counter and lean over, using it to support myself. “I—are you high?”
“Kate, asking people if they’re high is not polite,” Mama chastises.
“I’ll get to you in a minute. Little Ricky, answer the question.”
He takes another big bite, elaborately licking milk off his lip. “Hail Mary, I was up late last night working and couldn’t relax, so I partook of the herb. It’s all-natural, with none of the harsh side effects of Ambien.”
I slide down the front of the fridge and hug my knees to my chest. “This is psychosis—disorganized thinking and hallucinations.”
“Is she talking to herself, Celia? Hail Mary, you’re thinking of peyote—not psychosis.” Little Ricky pauses something on his phone.
“You said you were working late. What were you doing?”
My mother places her hand on his arm and shakes her head. “Don’t.”
He grins widely and then places his hand where she can’t see it—his thumb and pointer finger in the shape of a gun. The blood leaves my head, and I slump forward, trying not to pass out.
Dakota walks in and stares at me. “Come on, Kate. Quit moping on the floor.”
I stare incredulously at her. “You’re joking, right? You were so upset with me earlier, and now you’re acting like all this is fine. You shot your boyfriend after getting kidnapped. Mama is watching cat videos with the stoner over here. I’m sorry, I’m having difficulty keeping up with everything in front of me.”
Maybe I should place myself under a mandatory seventy-two-hour hold or until I can make sense of my life, whichever comes first.
Little Ricky takes another bite of cereal, oblivious to everything around him. “Caparina’s emotions will be all over the place until the second trimester.”
Second trimester?
I look up at Dakota, and she bites her lip. “I was going to tell you…”
Well, Zane’s presence makes a lot more sense. So, there’s one thing I’ve managed to piece together. The enormity of it hits me, and I start crying. “How? When?”
She sits down next to me. “I found out last night in the ER, and when two people really love each other?—”
I hold up my hand. “Stop. I get it.”
She’s only twenty-two. Zane hasn’t been in the picture that long. What if she ends up like our mother, raising kids alone because Zane takes off? Or worse, gets killed in the line of duty? My dad dying was so hard on us financially.
I’d have to support her and the baby.
Sweat breaks out on my forehead, and I focus on breathing to keep from hyperventilating.
“Kate, I have something I want to discuss with you.” Mama stands up and comes over.
Just as she opens her mouth, Jeremy and Zane walk in. Dakota’s kitchen was barely made for two people to fit. We’ve managedto cram in six.
Jeremy looks over and gives me a sad smile. “Kate told you guys she got married in Vegas, yeah?”
Why?
Universe, I thought we had a good thing going…
My mother pats my back lightly. “You got married, Kate?”
