“When, Mama? When can we go home?”
“Sooner than you think,” I said to him. “Sooner than you can blink your eyes.” I kissed him on the forehead again and he scattered out of the room.
“Mrs. George,” Sasha called to my mother, “it’s so nice to see you.”
She and Reginald walked over to the table where my mother and I were both now standing. She was wearing shorts the same color as Reginald’s and a tight cream tube top that pushed her breasts up to her neck. Her huge sunglasses were tucked beneath a tan floppy hat that seemed more appropriate for June than early May.
“Oh,” was all my mother could spare.
“Well, for sure the circumstances leave much to be desired, but it’s a pleasure.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“Dawn, how have you been?” Sasha’s voice was slow and pandering. She spoke like I was a mental patient.
“How do you think?” I asked.
“Well, I haven’t seen you since the incident at my job, and I wanted to make sure you were doing OK. You seemed a little off.” She took off her shades and grinned this grin at me. It was psychotic. Crazy. Nearly diabolical. Just the way she’d spoken to Landon’s wife at the nail salon. Suddenly, I heard everything she’d said in a new way.
“Cut the bullshit,” I said. “I know you lied to the cops and told them I was using drugs.”
“I didn’t say that,” she said with marked fake concern. She slapped her hand over her chest with surprise and looked at my mother. “I just said that she’d been acting strangely. And that maybe something was going on. Maybe it could be drugs. I was just acting in your best interest. Being a friend.” Her voice cracked and she leaned over to Reginald. “See, I told you she can’t ever say anything good.”
“Oh, I have some good things to say,” I said. “Some good things to say to both of you and maybe it’s time for me to get started right now.”
“Oh no, let’s just go,” my mother came in. “We’ve seen the children. Let’s just go.”
“No, I’m not leaving,” I shouted.
“Don’t make a scene,” Reginald said. “You’ll only make yourself look bad.”
“I’ll look bad? No, you look bad! Running up behind this phony like you don’t have half a bit of sense to see that she’s just using you.”
“I’m not using him,” Sasha said.
“Oh, you save your act for Reginald. He’s just as weak and simple as you.”
“Now, hold on, Dawn,” Reginald said. “
Let’s not do this name-calling. I haven’t said anything about you.”
“Well, try!” I demanded. “Try. Say something wrong about how I was your wife for ten years. How I cared for your parents and your children and kept your house clean. Loved you. Even when it wasn’t convenient! Even when you made me turn away from every person in this world who loved me! Tell me!”
My mother was pulling me out of the room.
“And this is how you do me? This is how you repay me?” I asked. “This is what you do to your family?”
“Let’s go,” my mother said to me as we neared the door.
Sasha sauntered behind Reginald and his stupid-looking face. Elka walked out of the kitchen holding a tray of drinks, but then turned back around.
“You’re not a man. You’re not even half of a man. And I’m going to prove it to you. I swear if there’s nothing I do before I leave this earth,” I said, pulling away from my mother, “I’ll prove that to your weak ass!”
I tried to charge Reginald, but my mother caught me at my stomach and swung me out of the door.
“Nice visit,” I heard Sasha call from the other side and I tried to get through the door, but I was still in my mother’s arms.
“Stop it,” Reginald said to Sasha. “Just let her go.”