“You probably should.”
“Don’t be mad at me.”
“I’m not. I just want you to be upfront with me. You don’t have to hide anything from me.”
“Okay. Mom?”
“Yes, son?”
“Can you go back to calling me Sweet Pea? That double name thing was non-necessary. It scared a man.”
“Unnecessary, and it was quite necessary.”
“So I don’t hide stuffs from you?”
“Exactly.”
“Okay, so here’s one thing. Dudes in other club got the road name Axle. If CJ wasn’t so fucking stupid, I could use my real name.”
“Most road names are spelled like a motorcycle axle is. Unlike yours. By the way, stop calling CJ names. I don’t like it.”
“It’s how I feel, Mom,” he said irritably. “And youjusttold a man to tell you his stuffs. Now, you’re mad at that.”
Meggie gritted her teeth.
“You want to know why I think CJ is stupid?”
“There’s no justification but tell me.”
“Cuz he don’t want you to call him ‘Potato’ cuz he always worry about other motherfuckers before he worries about himself. Me? I stand on business. I love C, Dad, and Diesel, but those motherfuckers lost their minds. Dad’s senile so I think he’s already forgotten his lesson. Mypoint is even motherfuckers I love and admire got to be punished sometimes. That’s a basic lesson. Dad says he loves me when he beats my ass.”
“CJ has a lot of respect—”
“Too much cuz most of those motherfuckers don’t respect him.” Anger blanketed his little face. “Rory is a first example. He’s a crybaby, hippopotamus, Uncle Johnnie-wannabe, lying, pretending, fuckface, fuckbag, motherfucker, who betrayed CJ.”
Hippopotamus? Uh… “You know the word hypocrite, don’t you?”
“Yeah, Mom. Dad’s a big one.”
Meggie heaved in a breath. “Don’t disparage your father. He’s a very brilliant man.”
Pursing his lips, Axel shrugged.
“Anyway, I think you mean hypocritical, not hippopotamus.”
“Whatever I mean, that’s what Rory is.”
“Donotretaliate.”
Axel eyed her with suspicion, then smiled again. “I’m not there to re or de? Taliate, I mean. I’m not sure which one I heard.”
“Re. We’re having your hearing checked in two weeks. The appointment is already scheduled.”
“If I’m hearing challenged, will I still be a rough rider?”
This time, Meggie smiled and kissed her son’s forehead. “You have the world at your feet,Sweet Pea. You can be anything you want to and no impairment will stop you.”
Axel hugged her. “I love you, Mom.”
