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“Where are you guys off to today, then?” she asked. “Gia doesn’t know.”
“Secret location,” I replied.
“Intriguing.” Ma wiggled her eyebrows.
“Nice place. Tucked away.”
“Roughin’ it?” Ma wrinkled her nose.
Ma and Archer did not live high on the hog. Archer bought the bar, and they lived all right, but he cleaned out his savings to do it and this was an older, no frills eight hundred square foot house. The bar did all right, but Arch paid child support and alimony too. They drove used cars and Ma would never stop clipping coupons no matter how much money she had in the bank because she knew what it was like to go without. That said, she needed her basic amenities. Camping was like a cussword to her. And this was funny because Archer loved the wilderness.
And it wouldn’t matter how many rhinestones he let her put on that little camper, she wouldn’t last a night in it without bitchin’ if she didn’t have running water capable of giving her a twenty-minute hot shower, a single-serve coffee maker, and internet with zero lag.
“All the luxuries, Ma. You’d never wanna leave.”
“Waterfront?” Gianna asked.
“Except that luxury,” I said. “If it were, I’d never wanna leave.”
She smiled like she agreed.
“JJ,” Ma said, leveling me with an ornery gaze and her finger pointed in my direction. “You make sure you hit that health food store on your way to the highway. They have all sorts of gluten-free food. This one shouldn’t have to poison herself because of you.”
“Because of me?” I pointed to myself.
“And I’ll pack some turkey and vegetables up for you to take with you. We’ve got loads left. You should’ve told me she had Celiac disease when you said you were bringin’ her.”
“That’s okay, I…” Gianna interjected.
“No,” I cut her off, “Ma’s right. My bad.”
Gianna looked at me like I was an alien.
“Flunked outta salty captor school?” she asked.
I threw my head back and laughed.
Our eyes locked for a long beat. Ma cleared her throat, so I looked her way. Ma’s smile could light up a small city.
“Already planned on hitting the bougie grocery store to make sure she’s got what she needs,” I advised.
Gianna reached for a piece of bacon on her plate and looked away.
“Hey?” I called out.
Her eyes bounced my way.
I said, “That doesn’t look like a smoothie and broth to me.”
Her mouth split into a smile. “Your momma cooked all this food; I couldn’t waste it.” She popped it into her mouth.
I scoffed.
“Bacon has no gluten. Only awesomeness,” she added, reaching for another piece from the platter in the center of the table.
I leaned over and bit the end off.
“Hey!” she cried and pulled what was left of it to her chest protectively.
I stirred my coffee, feigning innocence.
“You need a cooler for the food you’re grabbing, JJ? We’ve got an extra,” Ma called out, her head in the fridge. “Got a couple bags of ice in the garage freezer, too.”
“Sure. Where’s Arch? Not still sleeping?”
She set a stack of containers and zippered plastic bags of food on the table. “Nah, you know him, wakes up at the ass-crack of dawn. He had something come up with his girls. Some drama with the ex.” She waved a hand. “Those girls would be better off here.”
“You tell him that?”
“Damn straight. He knows I’m absolutely down for it if he wants to take her to court for joint or even full custody. We’re even talkin’ about gettin’ married so it’ll be more stable for ‘em.”
Well that was a surprise. A surprise if you knew my ma before Archer, but not so much now, I guess. I spent time with Archer’s girls when I stayed that couple months. Good kids and Arch was a good father.
“Anyway,” Ma went on, but I knew her eyes were on me, searching for my reaction to the ‘gettin’ married’ bit, “he said to say he’s sorry he couldn’t say bye to youze, but we’ll come visit you in Aberdeen soon. Or you can both come back here before that. Anytime you want.”
I smirked into my mug. She was pairing us off despite what I’d said yesterday.
Gianna stared at her nails, an unreadable expression on her face. Unreadable except it looked like she was carrying burdens.
“Yo,” I called over. “You all right?”
She didn’t answer. Looked like she was in a daze, so I snapped my fingers in front of her face.
She jolted in surprise.
“Hm? Sorry, what?”
“You all right? Your belly okay?”
“Yeah. Not so bad now, thanks.”
Ma tsk’d and refilled her coffee cup, then lifted the teapot from the stove and refilled Gianna’s cup with hot tea. “Don’t hold back in this house, Gia-girl. You want somethin’? You ask for it. You don’t? Say no thanks, and if people try to push, you tell ‘em to fuck off. We don’t pussyfoot around here.”
