“I know. Believe me, I’ve thought about this a lot and I’m not happy. It’s not an easy decision,” Jana sighed and took a fortifying sip of coffee. “He has gang connections. He’s disrespectful on occasion. I don’t want my kids influenced by him. The other day Cara was asking about his tattoos and he’s explaining it all to her like she’s an adult. She’s five. I don’t want any of my children thinking it’s okay to be in a gang or date a gang banger just because their uncle is a member.”
“You’re just going to cut him off?” Drew couldn’t imagine it. He wondered how Molson would take it. Probably not well. “You know if you do that, he’ll likely never talk to you or Miguel again.”
“I need to protect my kids,” Jana looked at Drew steadily. “What if Molson makes the wrong person angry? We all know there is gang fallout on family members at times.”
Drew didn’t like it. He understood her point, but he didn’t like it. “He’s our brother.”
“He needs to get out of the gangs before he ends up in prison or dead,” Jana said firmly. “Maybe if I cut him off, he’ll finally realize that what he’s doing is wrong.”
“Or he’ll be as stubborn as he always is and dig in further,” Drew responded. Privately, he thought that Jana’s lecturing Molson throughout the years hadn’t helped the situation. A lot of times, if you told Molson not to do something, he did exactly what you didn’t want him to do.
“Then it’s even more important that my kids have nothing to do with him,” Jana got up and began to put breakfast items away. “Give me a list and I’ll go grocery shopping for you. I’ll even deliver to your apartment since it’s time I get to meet one of the real Rameslys.”
Drew sighed and opened his wallet. He forked over some cash. “We need everything. I’ll drop by a bank today and get you the rest later.”
He got up and put his mug in the sink. “Jana, I know you don’t want advice from me but hold off on pushing Molson away. Don’t do something you might regret.”
“How can I regret protecting my kids?” Jana asked him.
“By burning your relationship with your baby brother,” Drew said. “Just wait a little while, okay? Think it through.”
“I have been thinking it through. I have a son who is going to look up to his father but we all know sons can rebel,” Jana folded her arms. “The last thing I want is my boy to get angry at his father or I and decide to join his uncle Molson. If Molson will drop the gangs then he can stay in our lives. If he won’t…”
He wasn’t going to be able to convince her to change her mind. “What does Miguel have to say?”
“He agrees with me,” Jana stated firmly.
“I think you’re making a mistake,” Drew said gently. “I think you’re going to ruin your relationship with Molson.”
“It’s up to him to decide what he wants. If those gangs are more important than his family then his priorities are mixed up,” Jana frowned.
“Speaking of almost family,” Drew grimaced slightly as he waded into the delicate subject. “Be nice to Max. He’s a bit naïve but he means well.”
“When am I not nice?” she said innocently.
Drew decided not to answer that particular trap and make his escape. “I need to get to work.”
Jana waved him away.
