JOLIE
“Mama,s’ilteplaît, that’senough. He’sonly one man, he can’teat all that!” Iprotested as Mom piled Gauge’splate with more food.
Ihadn’tseen her so happy in years. Around her small table sat me, Gauge, Louie, Marcel, and Danton. Dom had point blank refused to come this time, but he’dsaid he might come the next time she did afamily meal. Ihated him even more for not sharing this with us.
True to their word, Shooter had found Marcel and got him into aclinic to help him get cleaned up. Marcel had spent the last few weeks there and had come out looking beat up, bedraggled, but more like my brother than I’dseen him in years. Shortly afterwards, Danton had taken leave from the army, citing afamily emergency. He’dbeen home three weeks, and Ihadn’tstopped smiling since. Our home was once more noisy, and bustling with people and energy and the smell of home-cooked food.
“He can’teat all that?” Danton snorted out alaugh. “Pussy.”
“Lalangue!” Mom snapped.
“Désolé, Mama,” Danton said, his gaze shooting to me across the table. Igrinned and shook my head at him.
Louie released his fork and it clattered noisily on his plate. We all turned to look at him as he sat back in his chair, his glare going around each of us. Gauge raised an eyebrow, smiled, and then went on eating, unconcerned. Marcel continued to push his food around his plate, but Danton and Iglared right back at him.
Mom slammed apot of stew on the table and we all jumped. “Caractèredechien!” she yelled. She slammed the pot down again, yelling over and over at Louie, whose cheeks turned red as she continued her onslaught on him.
Eventually, Danton placed his hand on top of hers and she stopped yelling, turning to look at him with asmile. She released the stew dish and palmed Danton’scheek, giving him asoft smile.
“My handsome boy,” she said.
Danton smiled back and placed his hand over hers. “Majoliemaman.” He kissed her hand and, satisfied, she made her way back to the stove.
Danton and Igrinned at each other. God, it felt good to have him there. Just like how it used to be.
Gauge put down his fork and leaned back in his chair. “Igotta get back over to the clubhouse. They put the roof on today and Iwanna check it out. Can you tell your mom Isaid thanks?”
“You need to practice your French,” Mom said. “Now go, do your work. My boys can help clean up.”
Gauge slid his chair back from the table with asmile. “Mercibeaucoup, madameDurrand.”
Mom turned back from the stove with abeaming smile. She went toward Gauge with her arms open wide and pulled him to her in awarm embrace.
“Bravo, Gauge!” she replied as she hugged him to her.
Out of all the people Ithought might accept me and Gauge as acouple, my mom was the last person. But surprisingly, she was the easiest to convince. She already liked him, for some reason. They had some weird kind of connection, and Ioften found them in the kitchen together cooking or laughing about things. Danton said that my mom and dad had had abig age gap, so maybe she got whatever Gauge and Iwere.
Louie still hated Gauge, Dom wanted nothing to do with either of us, and Marcel was so trapped in his own dark thoughts that he didn’tcare either way. Ioften heard him crying at night, and Iknew it was because he was fighting his demons. Every morning that we woke up and he was still there and hadn’ttaken off was ablessing, and we all made sure to tell him that.
Danton though, he hadn’tmade his mind up about Gauge. One moment they were talking bikes and laughing about things together and the next Danton was giving biting remarks to everything Gauge said and they were locked in aglaring contest.
It was confusing, and hard, because Iwasn’teven sure myself about how long this thing was going to last. Gauge and Iwere complicated, we fought more than we didn’t, and we had nothing in common. But when it was just him and me alone in bed, our bodies connected… Those were the times that it seemed right. Like all the fighting and arguing were worth it.
“You comin’ by the club later?” Gauge asked as Iwalked out to his bike with him. “Dom’son arun for Shooter, so we’ll be good. We’ve got afirepit going out back and we’re having some beers and shit. It should be good—relaxed.”
“Ihave an essay Ineed to finish up for school, but then yeah, I’ll come by,” Ireplied. I’dsigned up for classes so Icould sit my GED at the end of the summer. It had only been ayear, but even in that time, so much had changed. My peers were getting ready to graduate and start the next phase of their lives, and there Iwas trying to backtrack and repair. Even if Icould have gone back, walking the same hallways and sitting in the same classrooms but being behind felt unnatural.
So I’denrolled in our district'sfast-track GED program and was on track to finish up in just afew short months. So long as Ikept up with all the work and got good scores, anyway. Ihoped to make myself and my mom proud. Especially because Iwas signed up to start asummer dance program very soon too.
Iwas finally reaching for my dreams instead of settling, and damn, it felt good.
Outside the air was humid. Summer had hit and the days were only just bearable. The flowers in the garden were wilted, and each evening Mom and Iwould water them together while Danton took Marcel to an AA meeting. Louie was usually off somewhere with his football friends pretending that he was too good for us still. So that time was for just me and Mom. We’dwater the flowers and then sit in the lawn chairs and watch the sun go down together. She seemed at peace, and that in turn gave me some peace too.
Gauge was staring down at the lawn chairs, and when he turned back to me Inoted the lust in his eyes. He sucked in his lower lip and then let it out with apop as he looked me up and down.
“Goddamn, you look pretty right now, Jolie,” he said, his hands gripping my biceps and roughly pulling me to him.
He pressed his mouth to mine and we kissed hard and deep. Every kiss was like that. And Iliked how it didn’tseem to be just me that was affected by them. Every kiss and every touch left us both breathless and urgent, desperate for more. Gauge pulled me closer so that my body was flush with his, and Ifelt the length of him harden in his jeans.
