“Uh uh that seat is taken,” Remedy sounded off after he placed her tray in front of her and started to sit. “Why are you grinnin’ at me like that, Franklin?”
“Same reason you firing off like that, Mouth,” he said, sitting down anyway. “Eat.”
“Stop tellin’ me what to do.”
“Start listening.”
“Never,” Remedy retorted. “Anyway, Ernie’s party…”
“Whatever he wants, get it. Them strippers gotta have rules though because you know he’ll try to take them upstairs. I don’t know what condition his heart is in and they’re not giving him a heart attack.”
“Okay…I guess while I’m out, I’ll pick up food too. I think that’s all the communication we need to have today, don’t you think?”
“Not by a long shot, but I’ll let you have this moment of push back so you can have some sense of control,” Erys shared.
“I do have control. And sense.”
He smirked. “Nah, you don’t. And neither do I, so prolong this as long as you want, I’m a man with long patience.”
Remedy opened her tray, finding the lemon butter chicken she was debating on the night before.
“He has an appointment on Monday, can you come?”
She nodded.
“Noo, baby. Words.”
She curled her lip. “Yeah, I’ll be there. Be prepared for him to cut a fool.”
“At this point, I’m just staying ready. He was off before you inched downstairs.”
Remedy waved him off. “I didn’t inch anywhere because nothing happened. Talking about Cherie?”
“Mad as hell about it too,” Erys shared. “What part of dementia is that? The hallucinations?”
“Mild…he’s still present so I don’t think he’s too far gone but the day will come when he doesn’t know who either of us are. I’m not ready for that. Honestly, I don’t think I’ll be able to handle it.”
“You’ll handle it. We’ll do it together.”
“Should you be so lucky. I don’t think you have much luck.”
Erys took another fork full of his salad. “Don’t need luck when I’m blessed and highly favored.”
“And that’s how I know you’re his son. Ain’t read a bible in your whole life.”
“And that’s where you’re wrong, Mouth. I had a lot of time on my hands. Read it three times, actually. You’ll see.”
“I’d rather stay blurry,” she quipped, cutting into her chicken breast. “But in the meantime, read it again so you can get convicted and never touch me again.”
“I thought you said it didn’t happen,” Erys toyed with a lopsided smirk.
“Fuck you, Erys.”
“You name the place and time. I’ll be ready.”
15
“Can we talk about this car situation,” Remedy lowly spoke, a safe distance from Erys.
