Page 14 of Teddy Tea Time

This kid is probably the most laid-back and roll with it kind of person I have ever met. Even Lucky in full on Little mode doesn’t faze him.

That was purely accidental. It never occurred to Jace that cleaning up and fixing the old swing set for Gerry would result in Lucky taking advantage of it while Spencer wasn’t home. The kid took it all in stride, though. He even joked that he could pick up some extra cash babysitting Lucky if Spencer ever needed a break.

“Where are your parents?!”

An angry harpy screeching from the next aisle has me weaving the buggy between the octogenarians who have no concept of a grocery store being a public – and therefore, shared – space. Turning the corner, I see a bitch who is about to get her face rearranged if she doesn’t get her claws off my boy’s arm.

“I highly recommend you don’t put hands on someone else’s kid,” I tell her after letting my buggy slam into hers.

The dumbass doesn’t let go of Gerry while glaring at me, but I notice the kid relax slightly after hearing my voice. The harpy starts screeching again about something like respect and youth of today which is quickly being drowned out by that unique tunnel noise that always takes over before my fists take over the talking. These hands are indeed rated “E” for everyone. Mama always said it’s wrong for a man to punch a woman, but honey, I ain’t a man today.

“You tell him, Nana!”

If the walking zygote hadn’t opened his mouth, I never would have noticed him behind Gerry, happily stuffing his face with food that obviously hadn’t yet been paid for.

“Give me your parents’ numbers! They should be ashamed to have raised…”

Gerry’s face shifts from slightly amused to ready to commit murder in an instant.

“Insult my parents again, Bitch. I dare you.”

I might have laughed at the apoplectic fit the woman starts to have if I wasn’t worried about Gerry and Jace and social services getting involved if this continues to escalate.

My hand shoots out to rip her hand off Gerry and pull him into my arms. The slight hitch in his breathing tells me everything I need to know about what the fuck is about to happen. While the bitch is screaming her demands for a manager and the police, I help shield a little boy so that he feels safe enough to cry. There’s no sound from him. If I wasn’t holding him, I would have never guessed he was even upset.

Thirty minutes later, the woman is in handcuffs for assaulting a minor, verbal assault, disturbing the peace, and shoplifting while Gerry and I load our heavily discounted groceries into the trunk of my car. Honestly, we were lucky that the manager on duty is an ally with a non-binary sibling. When the harpy figured out I am not biologically a woman, that started a whole other bitchfest about bathrooms.

Like, Honey, I have actual taste. If I’m going to peep at someone, it’s going to be someone with a giant schlong that I can ride for hours.

“You doing okay, Kiddo?” I ask as I get back into the sauna that is my car after putting the buggy in the corral. Only heathens leave the buggies loosey goosey in the parking lot.

Gerry looks at me with a shadow of his usual exuberance. It’s obvious that woman really got to him, but how the fuck am I supposed to comfort him?

“I didn’t really think about it before,” he mumbles with a nod. “I mean, I’m used to the dead mom things but now I don’t even have a dad anymore. He’s not there to sing me to sleep when I’m sad about missing Mommy…”

I glance over to see him lift the bottom of his t-shirt to wipe at his face, and I am shattering emotionally. No eight-year-old kid needs to be going through this kind of shit. Jace takes him to therapy once a week, but this is… What the fuck am I supposed to do here?

“Hey Ash?”

I peek over to see him mostly recovered. He gives me a sheepish smile after I tilt my head.

“Since we saved so much money on the groceries, can we stop at the Tasty Freeze for some ice cream?”

Laughing, I change lanes to make the detour on our way back home. “Sure, Kiddo. Surviving a run-in with a wild Karen should always deserve some ice cream.”

“With extra sprinkles,” Gerry adds before wiggling in his booster seat.

13

JACE

Am I taking advantage of Ash? I think I’m taking advantage of him.

Watching my little brother chasing the neighbors through the sprinklers Eli set up in the field has everyone laughing, but I still worry. Gerry is my responsibility. He is my little brother – not Ash’s or Eli’s or any one else’s. Maybe I should look into moving somewhere else where I wouldn’t be a burden…

“Nickel for your thoughts, Baby Bear?”

Only Jackson is capable of making me feel small again – in a good way. I miss who I was before the growth spurt, when my big brothers could hike me onto their backs and take me on adventures all over town.