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“So, again it’s down to getting my mother to spill the beans and she’s not talking.”
“I’m afraid she’s not. And, maybe that’s a good thing.”
“Why would my growing up not knowing who my dad is be a good thing? At least Cage had that guy. He might have been a piece of shit for doing what he did, but he was there. Mama was all I had. When she lost her marbles, I had no one. How could that be better?”
Quin stayed quiet for a while before answering.
“Nero, I think there’s something going on that you might not want to know about. After talking to your mother, I’m starting to think that it might be better left in the past.”
“What do you mean? Do you know something you aren’t sayin’?”
“No. I’ve told you everything I know. But, have you ever wondered what set your mother on her downward spiral?”
“Yeah. Of course. It was when Cage was snatched, and the hospital lied and said that he had died. She knew it wasn’t true.”
“That’s what she says and that’s possible. But, you said she didn’t get bad until you were much older. So, how was she able to hold it together for so long? And, what finally sent her over the edge?”
“It wasn’t, like, one thing. It was gradual. I watched it.”
“Yeah, but maybe you weren’t watching what you thought you were. Maybe there was something else going on.”
“So, you’re saying something triggered her checking out on things?”
“That’s my guess. And, my other guess is that, whatever it is, you may not want to know.”
I thought about that for a while.
“You tell Cage any of this?”
“Cage hasn’t asked about it.”
“So, you’re only gonna bring it up if he asks?”
“Probably.”
“Which is why I had to ask you about it?”
“Yeah,” Quin said with a serious look on his face.
“Don’t you think Cage would wanna know this?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. He’s found you and a mother after living his life without a family. For him, that’s enough, at least for now.”
“Are you sayin’ that finding Cage and having a brother should be enough for me?”
“I’m not suggesting anything. But, I’ll ask you, isn’t your life pretty good right now?”
“It’s not bad,” I admitted.
“Then, why would you want to kick the hornet’s nest?”
I looked at Quin and fell into silence. The guy was smart and had made some good points. But growing up as he did with two dads, he couldn’t imagine what it was like growing up without one.
He meant well with his advice. But to answer his question, sometimes you kick the hornet’s nest because it’s in the way of you living your life.
It was clear that Quin wasn’t going any further with his investigation. That left me where I was when I started. My mother was still the only person who had the answers and she wasn’t talking. What was she hiding? And could it be something I didn’t want to know?
I continued to think about it as we entered town and headed towards the trailer park. The closer we got, the more my thoughts shifted to the other thing I had to talk about this weekend. My jaw clenched as it whipped through my mind. I didn’t know if I was ready to discuss this, but Cage and Quin’s lives were moving forward. It was time that mine did too.
