I should go farther, but my knees are trembling.
My throat bobs and I do the smart thing—grab my cell and call my mom.
When she picks up, there’s laughter in her voice. “Darling!”
The last time we talked, she’d gotten over the upset that was invite-only night, but she’d been deep in daydreams about this lawyer dude she was dating so it was a relatively quick call.
I might agree that my dad’s a jackass, but that doesn’t mean I want to hear her weigh up the pros and cons of his replacement.
“M-Mom?”
“What is it?” The switch in tone has me sagging against the bench.
There she is.
That’s what I needed—my momma bear.
“Nothing, Mom. I just… I guess I wanted to hear your voice.”
“Denver, what’s going on?” If anything, she sounds sterner. “You wouldn’t call me at this time of the day for no reason. I was hoping you had some news for me?—”
I don’t even have it in me to question if Pecan’s already texted his mom, which has made its way to mine.
I explain what just happened. Word for word. I even share what went down in the diner.
She doesn’t interrupt once.
By the end of the call, I mutter, “You still there?”
“I’ll deal with your father.”
“You will?”
“Yes. There’s no need to worry. I love you, baby.”
I can hear the farewell in her voice so, quickly, I blurt out, “There’s something else I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
This time, she sounds brisk because I know I’m distracting her.
“I-I just wanted you to hear it from me. Zach and I… we’re dating.”
I never know what to expect from Mom. She’s a wild card. The joker in the pack. Capable of conforming to what society expects of her yet always with a twist of her own.
So, when she bursts into tears, noisy ones, I swallow. “Are those good tears or bad?”
It takes what feels like ten minutes for her to stop sobbing.
For me to realize she’s been hoping for this day since we were kids.
For me to realize how weird my mom is… but that I love her anyway.
“Mom?”
“Jo would besohappy. We used to watch you two together?—”
“That isn’t creepy,” I complain.
