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Great. Now I can’t even remember what I was thinking about.
I throw my hands up and let out a frustrated grumble before plopping my ass straight down on the pavement. Taking my leather jacket off–because the sun is now shining brightly and has warmed some of the chill in the air–I bundle it into a ball and lay on my back with it under my head right there in the parking lot.
Hey, if I’m going to have to endure this bullshit in its entirety, I’m at least going to be comfortable doing it.
Gizmo and Snitch immediately scramble over to me and snuggle together on my stomach in a ball. It takes a bit more effort to breathe, but…worth it! I let my hands idly rub over their furry little bodies as I settle in for what, I’m sure, is going to be a long ass time.
“Well, aren’t you just magnificent!” Nana practically swoons as she reads Ezra, who has opened himself up to her and only her. She gasps and chuckles, hums and haws, and whatever other ridiculous noises she could possibly make as he lets her have her fill of his headspace.
Okay, so I might be a tiny bit put off at the moment because it seems like she’s getting far more insight into my gentle giant than he’s even given me. Which I understand. Mostly. I’m emotionally a part of whatever is going on between us, while she’s an outsider who he probably thinks he needs to gain approval from. Though he doesn’t need to worry, she seems to be quite taken with him and she rarely actuallylikesanyone.
When you see the darkness and hidden skeletons that people have, it’s easy to become jaded to humanity. Everyone sees the hate and suffering that people actuallyshowin public, now imagine being able to see the stuff that’s hidden. It’s like living on the internet in person. Everyone’s worst traits and flaws to their personalities are broadcasted to us on a constant basis. It makes it pretty hard to actually like people.
“Oh my. Yes. You’re going to be so good for her. She needs someone like you. Yes. Yes. I agree. What else?” Nana continues her perusal of Ezra as I cross my legs and bounce my foot. The cool feeling of the pavement now starting to seep through my clothes.
I know there’s no way to stop this now and I knew it would happen. Which is exactly why I tried to leave them in the car when I got here. Call it a last ditch effort to protect them from the chaos of me and Nana. They’re officially being inducted at this point and if they don’t pass this little test, then Nana will do everything in her power to get rid of them…and there’s no doubt that shewillsucceed.
Trust me, I know from experience.
Not that I ever introduced her to a guy before, but she had her ways. I dated one guy, Mason Brooks, back in my freshman year of high school. He was the nice, quiet type. You know the kind; super sweet, shy, and clumsy as hell. Hell, he even bought me chocolates on Valentine's Day. I really thought he was a good one.
Nana–when I refused to bring him to meet her–decided to get friendly with his parents behind my back. She was so damn good, she got invited to dinner at their house within a week. Apparently, the little shit was a terrible son. While shy and nerdy at school, he was the exact opposite at home. Something about calling his mom a bitch and shoving her freshly cooked lasagna onto the floor.
Her piece of advice after that little encounter?Always examine how a man treats his mother, it’s a direct representation of how he will treat you.
When I–being the dumbass rebellious teenager that I was–refused to break it off with him, she ended up taking the sleuthing even further, until she was forced to take matters into her own hands. I don’t exactly know all the details of what she did, but suffice it to say, Mason–who was always a boy of science, a skeptic if you will–became convinced he was being haunted. He went a little nuts, took things a step too far at home, and ended up being committed. Where he still is to this very day.
Now, before you judge my nana for doing what she did, you should know one thing. She saw into his head.
After one particular visit, she came home far more shaken than I’ve ever felt her before. Her aura was frantic and almost snapping out defensively at every little noise or movement around her. I didn’t find out until later what had happened, but when I did–the guilt that flooded me could have drowned a crocodile.
Not only was Mason a wild asshole to his parents at home, but he had the beginnings of a certain fascination with…
Well, to put it frankly, he was sneaking into his ten year old little sister’s room at night and watching her sleep. It hadn’t progressed further than that, otherwise she might have murdered him, but the thoughts were there, hidden in the back of his mind like a coiled snake of sickness and suffering, ready to lash out and inflict ruin on innocents.
So, was she justified?
I’d say decidedly so.
“Thank you, Ezra dear. That’s quite enough for now, you can close that on up.” I hear–rather than see–Nana patting Ezra’s arm in that gentle, sweet way she does, and it brings me out of my own thoughts. I must have missed the rest of his exam too.Dammit.“What an interesting way to visualize it. I’ve never seen it done quite like that before. Yes…you should. It’ll come in handy for her, no doubt. I never thought about it like that, no. Well, you’re probably right. Good man. Good man.”
My mouth curves into a wickedly roguish smile as Nana’s focus lasers in on the last man standing before her. He has no idea what he’s in for and I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m more than a little intrigued to witness this one play out. I sit up in my spot on the ground crossing my legs and pulling Gizmo and Snitch tighter to my chest for snuggles. Kai and Ezra both move off to the side as if to avoid getting shrapnel from the battle that’s about to commence.
Nana versus Nic.
Round one. Fight!
9
NICOLÁS DE LEÓN
Ieye the woman in front of me warily. The same woman that just seemed to have mentally stripped Kai and Ezra bare as if it were nothing. Effortless. I truly thought that Wicked was bad enough with her random spouting of my passing thoughts and feelings, but I can almost feel her nana’s mental claws digging through my brain and I haven’t even reached her yet.
The tight silk of my tie around my throat suddenly feels less comforting and more like it’s strangling me, so I reach up to loosen it slightly under the guise of straightening it. I stop mere feet away from her, refusing to get within touching distance like the other guys. If she wants to smack the shit out of me like she did Kai, she’ll have to put in the work.
There’s something to be said about the kind of man I am. I have very strong beliefs that women should be protected and cherished. You could say it’s a part of my culture, but who even knows what that is anymore. I only know that being raised the way I was instilled in me a strong respect for females as a whole.
They’re stronger than most assume. They take more shit than you can comprehend. While a man is supposed to be the protector and provider, the woman is literally everything else. They’re the glue that holds the family together. They’re the brains behind the operation. They’re the spine that keeps you standing. They’re the heart that bleeds for every member of who they consider their family, and sometimes even those they don’t. And above all else, they’re the reason–theonlyreason–that men get up and do anything with their lives.
