Page 4 of Haunted Mediation
“No, mom, thank you,” James groaned.
Howard apparently had a “very nice granddaughter” who was only two years younger than James and also worked in accounting. It’s not that he had anything against accountants. It’s just that…he wasn’t sure if they would smell like orange orchards and wear jeans with holes that made him question why he’d never thought calves were sexy before and?—
No. Clearly, Howard’s granddaughter deserved someone who wasn’t hopelessly hung up on his best friend.
“Alright, well, Howard says he’s really good at the dating apps,” she said, “so you let me know if you want him to look over yours.”
James dropped his arm an inch, nearly sending several bats falling to the floor.
“James—”
“Is he still on those dating apps? Mom, is Howard a player? I don’t know how I feel about you?—”
“There is nothing wrong with leaving your options open, hon,” she chided, taking his hand and leading him slowly towards the front door so they could begin the arduous process of hanging the bats around the front porch.
“You’re the only option anyone should need,” James grumbled.
His mom patted him gently on the cheek. “You know, before I met your father, I lived quite the polyamorous lifestyle.”
Oh, god, please, not this conversation again.
“I know, Mom. We’re very sex positive in this house?—”
“And there’s no reason why I can’t explore that side of myself, even in my old age.”
“You’re not that old, Mom.” He held his arm up next to the railing so she could begin moving the bats into their desired placements. He’d offer to help, but after years of this, she knew exactly where she wanted them, and heaven forbid James mess up the spacing. “And also, wait, what side? The polyamorous side?”
“The sapphic side,” she said, like it was the most obvious answer in the world.
“The…sapphic side,” James said slowly, as understanding dawned on him. “Mom…is Howard leaving his options open…for both of you?”
“He met a very nice woman named Linda, and we’re waiting to hear back on if she’s coming over for Halloween as well.”
James wondered if it would be possible to sink down through their front porch all the way to the center of the earth. It had to be better down there than it was up here.
“Oh my god,” James said.
His mom clucked her tongue at him. “Now, James, you’re sounding very judgy.”
“No, no, I—no judgement. I’m…”
Dear god, was hejealousof his mother?
He turned to face her, and she opened her mouth, probably to chide him for the precarious way some of the bats were now swinging off his arms, but he didn’t care. He stepped forward and awkwardly held his arms out on either side of her. It took her a second to figure out what he was asking for, but when she did, she wrapped her arms around his back in a gentle hug.
“I am genuinely so happy for you, Mom. All I’ve wanted for years is for you to be able to live a happy, full life, and…if this is what that looks like, then I am the number one fan of you, Howard, and Linda,” he said, and those blasted tears came back.
Back in college, he and his mom were the same height. Over the years, she’d lost a half inch or so, and he’d gained an inch with T, so now she had to tip her head ever so slightly up to look at him.
“Thank you, hon. That means a lot to me,” she said.
James absolutely did not take note of the way her left arm was still weaker than her right as she hugged him as tightly as she could. Her physical therapist was more than likely already aware of that, and besides, it was pretty obvious his mom didn’t need him the way she had when undergoing and then recovering from treatment. She was out there dating men and women, and maybe if she were lucky, she’d even meeta nice nonbinary.
The problem was, if his mom didn’t need him, James wasn’t really sure who did. And if no one needed him, what was he supposed to do then?
Chapter Two
LEON
