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“I’ll handle her when the time comes. You go pack.” I was hoping we’d be gone by the time she came home, and then I would only have to deal with her over the phone.
Spencer headed to his room while I looked around. Everything was pretty much the same as when I had grown up there, except there were a few more holes in the furniture, more stains on the walls, and the TV was newer and flatter. It would be pretty hard to watch that television without any electricity.
There was a bunch of papers on the kitchen table, and I rummaged through them, hoping to locate the electric bill. It took a little digging, but I managed to find it.
“How’s it going back there?” I shouted down the hall.
“Fine. I’m not as fast with one arm.”
I winced. “I’ll be there in a minute.” Quickly, I pulled out my phone and found the website for the electric company.
Just as I hit Send to pay the bill, my brother said, “No need. I’m finished.” He looked at the paper in my hand and to my phone. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing.” I threw the bill on the table and tucked my phone in my back pocket. “You have everything you need?”
“Yeah.”
“What about your school stuff for Monday?”
His eyes widened. “I’m staying longer than the weekend?”
“If I have my way, yes.”
“Okay.” He let his duffel bag slide off his shoulder. “But you know it’s probably not going to happen, right?” he said on his way back to his room.
I didn’t answer because we both knew he was right.
Just as Spencer and I were putting his stuff in my car, my mom and her boyfriend pulled up.
She flung open the passenger door. “What are you doing?” she accused as she stormed over to us.
Spencer instinctively got behind me. Even though he was now taller and bigger, he was still scared of our mother, and it only made me more determined to get him out of there.
“I’m taking Spencer to stay with me for a few days.”
“The hell you are. He’s my son.”
Her boyfriend slowly came around the front of his truck but stayed back and didn’t seem to even want to intervene.
“Yeah, well, he’s my brother, and I’m going to take him somewhere he will be safe.”
Marjorie scoffed. “He’s safe here.”
I stepped to the side and picked up my brother’s arm. “Oh, was he safe when you broke his arm? Or how about when you shoved a bunch of illegal prescription pills at him and told him to sleep it off?”
I took way too much satisfaction from seeing the guilt wash over her face, but I wanted her to feel bad. I wanted her to realize what a shitty parent she was.
She moved forward. “I’m sorry, baby. Mama didn’t mean to.”
“I know,” Spencer mumbled.
“Why don’t we go inside? Mama will make you some soup.”
I put myself in front of Spencer again. “Soup isn’t going to fix what you did. Also, you and I both know there’s no soup in there,” I said with a nod toward her home. “You’re just going to drink your lunch and leave Spencer to fend for himself.”
She swung fast, but I was faster, and I caught her hand before she slapped me.
“You don’t want to do that,” I said in a low voice. “I’mso closeto calling the cops on you for what you did to Spence.”
