And I know.
“Your mother passed away there.”
He gives a jerky nod. “At least she’s not in pain now, right?”
“She was in pain?”
“Yes. She had ovarian cancer. It spread.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I know. It’s sad. Sometimes life is sad. There’s nothing anyone can do. It just isn’t nice when it’s your own mother. It’s...” Mateo’s throat moves. “She should have lived longer. She should have enjoyed life more. She was working, then taking care of us, and then…” He winces.
I pull Mateo into my arms, and he leans his head against my chest. I stroke his back.
“I got into massage to make her feel better. She had hip pain. Calf pain.”
“That’s nice you could give her that.”
“It was something. I wish I couldhave done more.”
“I’m sure she appreciated it.”
He nods against my chest, then he steps away. “I’m sorry. I’m being ridiculous. She died years ago.” He claps his hands. “You’re in Florida! And you don’t even have to play!”
“I don’t mind playing.”
He gives a startled laugh. “I guess you don’t. It would be bad if you hated the job that you worked so hard to get.”
“My career is not a sad story.”
“No. It’s not.”
“But you can tell me about your mother,” I say. “Even if the story is sad. I don’t mind.”
“Well. It mostly wasn’t sad. We had fun. She laughed. She loved soap operas.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. It probably helped me realize that I was gay. The male characters were working for me much more than the female ones.”
“And she was fine with it?”
“She was.”
“And your father?”
He looks down.
“I’m sorry, Mateo.”
“No! It’s not like that. He isn’t a bad man. But maybe if I hadn’t been gay, we would have had more things to talk about, you know? He liked to watch sports and?—”
“I like to watch sports.”
His eyes widen, then he laughs. “You do.”
“Not that I’m…” I close my eyes. “I didn’t just compare myself to your father.”
