Page 27 of Joker's Ghost
At nineteen, I was a full patch member of the Raiders out of New York, running drugs at illegal underground cage fights and about to be a father, so yeah, Mamba is right.
“And that’s why I gotta stay up his ass.”
“I get it.”
“Hey, you didn’t see a guy dressed like an American Indian before, did you?”
“Nah, I don’t think so.”
Great. Now I was seeing things, but first things first.
I head to the back of the room, and sure enough, there’s Derek lounging on one of the sofas, passing a blunt to Charmaine, one of the club girls. She’s draped over him, and although I don’t have any idea what her costume is supposed to be, it sure is showing my son an ample amount of tight, firm skin.
The smoking weed doesn’t bother me, or that he’s supposed to be home watching Deana. I know he’d never just leave his sister unattended and probably got Mrs. Parker from next door to come over. The woman loves Disney movies almost as much as Deana. It’s the fact he deliberately disobeyed me that bites me in the ass.
I stay back so I can observe, and I can’t help but smile. The kid’s literally holding court with the other prospects and hangers-on. Gotta say, he makes a great pirate with his dark hair and tawny complexion, and he sure is charming Charmaine. Makes me glad I’ve had the condom talk with him more than once because Charmaine has a rep of not always being selective.
I guess he thought the eye patch, bandana and face paint would throw me off. Typical kid, thinking he could get over on his parents. Only this parent knew all about bending the rules, breaking them, then stomping on them long before Derek was born.
I slowly move around the couch, but he’s so engrossed in whatever story he’s telling, along with Charmaine’s hand dangerously high on his thigh, he doesn’t see me at first, but Charmaine does.
“Hey, Joker.” She bats her overly mascaraed eyes at me. I’ve never given the girl an ounce of attention outside of normal hellos, and yet she never stops trying. I guess she figures coming on to my son is just as good.
Derek’s head whips in my direction. His back stiffens, then he realizes he doesn’t want to lose his cool in front of his fan club.
“Having a good time?” I ask them all, then zone in on Derek.
The prospects and other hangers-on all nod, but the mood has definitely shifted, and they all feel it. One by one, they disperse until it’s just me and Derek. Even Charmaine quietly exits with a chaste peck on his cheek.
I nod toward the back hall, and Derek follows me. Then we stare at each other as I try to figure out how I’m gonna handle this situation.
“If you’re worried about Deana, I had Mrs. Parker come over,” Derek offers.
“I’m not worried about Deana, ‘cause if you ever left your sister alone to go to a party, you wouldn’t still be breathing.”
“And you know the weed’s no big deal. Shit, everybody does it, and I only do it at parties.”
“I’m not worried about the weed either.”
“So, what’s the big fuckin’ deal then?”
Yup, my teenage son is testing me, and what I say next is important.
“The big fuckin’ deal is not doin’ what I said. The big fuckin’ deal is thinking you know more than me. The big fuckin’ deal is your attitude right now.”
He lowers his eyes to the floor, and I can practically see the steam coming out of his ears. He’s dying to tell me to fuck off, but he’s either afraid or has too much respect for me. I hoping with everything I’ve got it’s the respect thing.
“I don’t tell you to do shit just to be a bastard. When I tell you to do something, or not do something, it’s for a reason, and usually for your own good.”
“But if you don’t care about the weed and the other shit, then why can’t I be here?” He narrows his eyes. “You worried about me getting with Charmaine?”
I bark out a laugh. “Charmaine’s the least of my worries, but if you ever do get with her, for fuck’s sake, strap up.”
“I just don’t get you. You know the score, and you’ve told me you’ve done way worse at my age, so I don’t know why you’re freakin’ out now.”
My phone buzzes in my pocket, but I ignore it.
“The big deal is?—”
