“Really, Ma? Stop.” I raised my hand.
“So that was him, eh?” she inquired, sounding like our Ontarian neighbors. Then again, I guess southeastern Michiganders useehthe same way Canadians do.
“Mom. Stop.”
I knew she meant well; she had made several unwelcomed comments over the years hinting that she knew I was gay, and that it didn’t bother her. I wasn’t up for it. If I confirmed what she was guessing, she would have made a big deal out of it. And I wasn’t mentally prepared for that kind of attention.
“Sorry. I don’t want to talk about it,” I admitted. “But yes. That’s him.”
My mom was so moved by that last admission, you would have thought the words leaving my mouth had physically appeared from thin air and transformed into a smile that plastered itself to her face.
I rolled my eyes as I walked away.You’re a weirdo, Ma.
WEDNESDAY 11 JUNE 2008
13
MA, COME ON
Hey. You awake?my sister texted before calling me at seven in the morning.
“Hello.” My voice was raspy. “Riley. Do you know how early it is? Ugh.”
“Yeah. Whatever. Can you go to my room? Please, Étienne,” she begged.
Per her request, I went into her room and filled a bag with the clothes she directed me to pack, then went into the bathroom to grab her makeup bag. You wouldn’t believe how heavy a teenage girl’s makeup is. I’ll never understand why she started using so much makeup. She didn’t need it.
“Okay. Now get ready quick and bring it here before Mom goes to work.”
“Riley. Are you kidding? Mom has to drive me to work before she starts. There’s not enough time,” I complained.
“Hurry up then. Come on, Étienne.”
I threw myself together as quickly as I possibly could. Thankfully I’d already washed and styled my hair the night before. I didn’t want to go to bed that night reeking of chlorine from the pool. Funny, isn’t it? If you’ve got thick stubborn hair like mine, the best thing to do is wash and style it the night before. It makes it so much easier to manage the next morning.
“What? Étienne, where are you going?” my mom roared as I ran into her room to grab the car keys.
“Just dropping off some clothes to Riley. Be right back.”
“Oh. Hurry up. It’s the boys’ last day of school and I still have to drop you off at work,” she said as I exited her room.
It’s time for a car of my own.
“So, what happened between you and Mom?” I asked my sister as she opened the passenger door. She was waiting outside my grandma’s house and ran up to the car before I could even switch gears.
“Nothing, Étienne. Go. You have to go to work.”
“You rushed me and now I’m early. What happened?”
She shook her head. “You won’t talk about why you’re being weird lately either, so leave. I’m not in the mood.”
“You’re welcome,” I yelled out the window as she ran up the driveway.
I returned home to find my mom and my brothers waiting outside at the end of the driveway. I parked the car then moved to the passenger side so my mom could take command.
“You fed Frankie and let him out, right?” I asked.
My mom nodded.