A Family Man

by osborne, Sarah

  Maria swallowed. "Joe really believes her, doesn't he?"

  "Of course. Amy wouldn't lie to him."

  "Shit. She tried to tell me once, but I shot her down." She blinked away the tears that were threatening to fall. "I was more worried about her threatening my lifestyle than her well-being. What sort of mother does that make me?"

  Beth said nothing. Maria had always been a pretty lousy mother, putting her own needs before her daughter's. "You do know that if Joe's suspicions are right, Rob isn't going to want to be with you if he can't have Amy?"

  "You really think I care about that? I may be a terrible mother, but I'm not going to be with a man that is planning on abusing my kid. Jesus, Beth. You must really have a low opinion of me."

  "Actually I don't, which is why I've already got tickets for you and the kids to fly back to Cali with me." She gave a rueful grin. "I don't think Rob will put up much of a fight over you taking Jack out of the state, and I'm pretty sure, you should get a pretty generous settlement."

  "I don't care about the money. I just want to get as far away from him as I can."

  "Sure you don't, Maria. If it wasn't for his money you wouldn't be with him in the first place."

  "We can't all be smart like you, with your fancy degree and high-powered career. What was I supposed to do, huh? It was never going to work between Joe and me. Do you have any idea how hard it is to be a single mom?"

  "Joe has always supported you. He would never see you or Amy go without. A lesser man would have refused to even acknowledge you after all the shit you've put him through."

  "I loved him. Still love him."

  "Ha! You don't even know the meaning of the word. If it wasn't for Joe, you'd have been evicted a thousand times over. Who do you think paid for your rehab, your medical insurance?" Beth spun and faced her sister. "You've played him, Maria. All these years you've reeled him in then pushed him aside whenever someone you thought was a better prospect came along. I know he's far from perfect, and I know he has to take some responsibility for the shit that happened between you two. But there has never time when he hasn't been there for you and Amy. That's love, Maria. Maybe you should try it sometime."

  "You're in love with him! Shit, how could I never have seen it?" Maria laughed. "Oh that is so funny! Joe would never look at someone like you."

  Beth looked at her hands. She knew she didn't share her sister's looks. That she had always been the plain, dowdy one. She also knew that Joe would never see her as anything other than a kid sister. Maria was right, though, she did love him. Always had. She looked up and her eyes met those of her sister. "I suggest you start packing. The plane leaves at eight-thirty tonight. I'll pick you and the kids up at six." She turned on her heel and walked out, leaving Maria staring opened-mouthed behind her.

  ~ oOo ~

  Amy jiggled in her seat as the plane started to taxi along the runway. She couldn't believe she was going back to Fillmore. While it was true that she had made new friends and would miss her pony, it would always be her home, and she couldn't get there soon enough. Jack fidgeted on his mother's lap and she turned and tickled him under the chin, making him giggle. "Where we gonna stay, mom?" It was clear that they wouldn't be coming back to Florida, judging by the amount of stuff they had packed.

  "It's okay, sweetheart, we can stay with Beth until we get our own place." Maria smiled.

  Amy nodded. "Can we get a place near to Nana Sophie again?"

  "We'll see, sweetheart." Maria had no intention of moving back there. She fully intended on taking Rob for every penny he had. She was sure she'd be able to afford a decent place in a good neighborhood. She liked her middle class lifestyle and had no intention of giving it up any time soon.

  Joe leaned over the intelligence officer’s shoulder at the computer screen. Mac sighed. "Looks like your guy is clean, no convictions. He seems to move around quite a bit with his job, always active in the local community, organizing church picnics and such like. I don't know how relevant this is. But is seems he left a couple of churches under a cloud. There's nothing specific, but, here look." He pointed to the screen. "He is on the church committee for just over a year, then suddenly he quits. There's no reason given, but look. It happens again two years later at a different church, then again, here and here."

  Joe frowned. "There's no mention of why?"

  "No, but that in itself is unusual. You would expect the minutes to mention the reason for a committee member quitting. The only time they keep quiet is if they want to avoid a scandal."

  Joe could feel his hands ball up into a fist. He would have loved to fly back out there and squeeze the life out of that sick fuck. He knew though, that wasn't an option. For now, anyway. He gave a grim smile. He could wait.

  Amy sat on the front doorstep listening for the sound of a Harley. Joe was coming today, and she couldn't wait to see him.

  They had been back in Fillmore for nearly two months and still hadn't moved out of Beth's condo. It was small and cramped with all of them there and the atmosphere between her mom and her aunt was strained, to say the least. She sighed. Why did the adults in her life have to spent all their time fighting? Amy didn't get it. Surely if you loved someone, you wanted them to be happy. Why would you yell and say hurtful things that made them cry? If it wasn't Joe yelling at her mom, it was Nana Sophie yelling at Joe, or Maria yelling at Beth. Were all families like this?

  She stood up as the sound of Joe's bike split the air. Maybe she should talk to him about it, although she doubted he'd have a satisfactory answer.

  Joe pulled up outside Beth's condo but made no attempt to dismount; instead he waited for Amy to come to him. He kissed her on the forehead before making sure she'd put her helmet on correctly and was sitting securely behind him, then pulled off without saying a word. Amy gripped tightly onto his hoodie and tucked her face into his back, out of the wind. This was the first time she'd seen him since returning to Cali, although they had spoken on the phone. He'd insisted he'd been busy, but Amy got the distinct impression that he was avoiding her mom for some reason.

  They stopped at a small park that was little more than a duck pond and a kid's play area, but had always been a favorite place to hang out when she was a little kid. Joe helped her to dismount then they wandered slowly to the hotdog stand on the other side of the pond to beg for some stale rolls to feed the ducks. Amy glanced over to her companion as they threw the bread to the ducks. "You okay, Joe?"

  "Sure." He smiled. "I'm sorry, sugar. Got stuff on my mind, is all."

  "Are you pissed at my mom?"

  "No, what makes you think that?"

  She shrugged. "I dunno. Everyone seems pissed right now. Is it cuz I told you about Rob?"

  "No, of course not. You did the right thing, sugar." Joe gave her a little nudge. "I think it's tough on your mom and Beth living in such a small space. They'll be fine as soon as you get your own place."

  "I guess." She sighed. "Can we go an' see Nana Sophie? I've only seen her once since we got back. Every time I ask Mom she makes an excuse, an' Beth's busy all the time."

  "Sure. She'd love to see you."

  ~ oOo ~

  Sophia smiled as she heard Joe's bike pull up outside. Slowly and painfully, she hauled herself to her feet. The doctor had told her she had osteoporosis. Her bones were crumbling away—not uncommon, apparently, in one as slender as her. She guessed all those missed meals, when Joe was growing up and she was broke, were taking their toll. Despite her best efforts to hide her discomfort, she knew Joe was worried about her. They might fight all the time, but they did love one another, and he would always be looking out for her.

  "Joe, Amy. Come in, come in." She hugged them both and led them into her cluttered living room. "I've baked a chocolate cake, and there's homemade leMariade. Would you like some?" Amy nodded enthusiastically and followed her into the kitchen.

  Joe wandered behind them, frowning at how stiff she seemed. "You got any beer?"

  "In the fridge." She sm
iled as her son pulled out a bottle. Cake and lemonade would always be wasted on him. Cutting a large slice, she put it on the table in front of Amy. "You okay sweetheart?"

  "Yeah."

  "How's school? It must be good to catch up with all your old friends again."

  "Yeah, it is." She sighed. "I want to get a house near to you, but Mom says it's a shithole. She wants to get a place across town."

  "Even if you get a place across town, you can still come and see me and your friends. It's only a bus ride away."

  "I guess."

  Joe and Sophia exchanged a look. While neither could find fault with Maria wanting her kids to grow up in a decent neighborhood, it was still looking like she was riding roughshod over Amy's feelings.

  Joe slipped outside and lit a cigarette, closely followed by his ma. "Have you spoke to Maria?"

  He shook his head. "To be honest, Ma, I'm trying to stay out of her way. She let Amy down badly. I don't think I can forgive her this time."

  "She did the right thing in the end."

  "She accused Amy of lying. No, Ma, it it hadn't been for me and Beth, that kid would still be there at the mercy of that asshole. She did the right thing because she was forced into a corner."

  Sophia nodded, watching her son closely. "Have you told Amy you planning on moving to Seattle?"

  "Not yet. But I will. I know you ain't keen on the idea, but it was something I always planned on doing eventually. And to be honest, Ma, I need the distance between me and M." His lips turned up into a tiny smile. "The last thing I need is that bitch sucking me back in."

  "Even now? After everything you just said, you think that could happen?"

  He shrugged. "I wish I could say no. But I really don't know. You have no idea, Ma, how many times I've convinced myself that we're done, only to have her do whatever it is she does, and I've caved in again and I'm back where I started. I ain't prepared to put myself in that position again."

  "And Amy? Where does she stand in all of this?"

  "I love that kid and I'll always try to do right by her."

  "And me and Beth?"

  "Same goes for you and Beth. You're my family, and I will always look out for you." He turned and headed back into the house. "I'll only be a day away."

  Sophia nodded and followed him back into the kitchen, where she joined Amy at the table. In the past, she would have fought Joe tooth and nail over this. But she knew he was right. He needed to put some space between him and Maria, for everybody's sakes and he had proved, time and time again that despite his commitment to the Freaks, he would support those he considered to be his family.

  Amy smiled as Nana Sophie sat next to her. "This cake is great, you really are the greatest cook ever."

  "High praise indeed. Listen, sweetheart. How about you call your mom, ask her if it's okay to stay here tonight? I'm sure Jenny would love to see you and we can have a pizza and movie night like when you were little."

  Amy gave a squeal of delight and kissed her on the cheek. "Will you stay, too, Joe?"

  "Sure, sugar, why not. But no mermaids."

  "I think you'll find I'm too old for mermaids now, Joe."

  "Good to hear." He grinned and kissed the top of her head. "So do you wanna take a ride with me, or are you gonna go an' see Jenny?"

  "I'd really like to see Jenny. Do you mind?"

  "Well obviously I'm brokenhearted, but I'll survive."

  Amy giggled. "I really love you, Joe."

  "I know, sugar. I love you, too."

  Beth watched as they all piled into Maria's new car, ready to head off to their new house. Rob had given her a generous settlement, and hadn't fought her over anything. With the child support he would be paying, it looked as if Maria had fallen on her feet yet again. Beth sighed and raised her hand as they drove away. She would be lying if she said she was sorry to see them leave. She loved the kids and when she wasn't pissed at her, loved her sister. But it would be lovely to get her space back again. And maybe if Maria wasn't around, Joe would come visit next time he was in town.

  SEVENTEEN

  Bay View would be his first love, the town overlooking the ocean was little more than a collection of houses and a couple of stores. The clubhouse was situated on the outskirts, and like the town itself, was small and family-oriented, but Joe had always liked Seattle. He had always viewed it as his second home. Like many of his nomad brothers, whenever he was up north, the Seattle clubhouse was often the place he would crash for the night.

  He was one of those brothers who got along with everyone. He never bore grudges. If he had a problem with someone he would take them into the ring, beat the shit out of them and move on. As he walked out of church as Seattle's latest patch, he couldn't help the broad grin spreading across his face.

  Barney grinned and hugged his brother. They had always been close, having prospected together in Bay View. Tiny was one of the few patches that had stood by him when his drug habit started to spiral out of control. If it hadn't been for him he would have been stripped of his patch. The Freaks didn't care much, one way or another, about drug use within its ranks, but a junkie was a liability, and as a rule they had to go.

  It had taken Barney over four years and several relapses before he would consider himself truly clean. Of course as a junkie, sometimes he didn't always make the wisest decisions. He wasn't proud of the shit he had done. It had cost him the trust of his brothers, and he had betrayed Tiny. If his brother ever found out what he did, he was going to lose far more than just his patch.

  The Freaks never really needed an excuse to party, but Tiny was a popular choice, so him patching in meant they threw themselves into it with extra gusto, and it wasn't long before a scantily dressed girl approached him, pressing her surgically enhanced tits against his chest and promising him any number of delights. Oh yes, Tiny loved Seattle.

  Beth stood with her back to the wall, sipping her champagne cocktail. She hated parties like this. Despite her degree and the fact that she had a successful career, she would always feel like a fraud. It didn't matter that she was dressed in head-to-toe designer gear, that her perfume cost three hundred bucks, or that the hairdresser she used had a month-long waiting list. In her mind, she would always be the white trash daughter of a dead junkie and an unknown father. It was one of the reason she rarely dated; she was convinced that they would see through her façade, see her for what she really was.

  She wasn't ashamed of her past, but she wasn't proud of it either, and she knew that in the circles she moved in now, it could hold her back. With a sigh, she fixed a smile to her lips and pushed herself away from the wall. Time to mingle. Her boss was hugely ambitious and expected his staff to network as enthusiastically as he did. As she drifted through the crowd, accepting compliments with an incline of her head, she wondered what it would take to make her truly happy. She gave a tiny shake of her head; she knew the answer to that. Always had.

  Maria was pissed, again. Despite moving to one of the more affluent suburbs, she wasn't happy. Her neighbors were stuck up and looked down their noses at her. Maybe if Amy had agreed to go to the local high school rather than the one across town, they would have fit in more. Or if she wasn't a divorcee who, for some reason, all the women saw as a threat to their own marriages. Whatever the reason, she felt isolated and lonely.

  She had started drinking again, just the odd glass of wine in the evening, and maybe one when Jack had his afternoon nap. It wasn't a problem, though. She had it under control. She just needed something to take the edge off. She gritted her teeth as Jack started to cry. Why couldn't he just shut up, and why couldn't Amy be here to help her look after him? How the hell was she supposed to cope on her own?

  Amy walked slowly down the street towards Nana Sophie's house, her school bag hanging from one shoulder as she chatted animatedly to her best friend, Jenny.

  She would stay with Nana Sophie at least once a week. Her new house was fine, but she preferred the neighborhood she was born in. She was also a li
ttle worried about Nana Sophie. She seemed to struggle getting out of her chair, and she stooped slightly when she walked. She had told her not to worry, she was just getting old. Amy guessed that could be the case, but always made a point of helping her with the housework. Nana Sophie had always been house proud, and even if she was in pain would force herself to do her chores.

  She sighed as she walked up the garden path. She knew that Nana Sophie missed Joe as well. She knew they talked on the phone, but it wasn't the same. Amy missed Joe, too. As much now as she ever did.

  Sophia smiled as she watched Amy amble towards her front door. Slowly easing herself out of her chair, she made her way to the kitchen. Everything seemed to take twice as long these days. Wincing slightly, she bent and pulled the baking tray out of the cupboard. Just because she had a few aches and pains, it didn't mean she couldn't make sure Amy had some decent home-cooked food inside her at least once a week. She knew Amy was concerned for her. She was growing up fast and it was getting hard to keep things from her. She had tried brushing it off, but she wasn't sure Amy was convinced. Well, as long as she didn't share her worries with Joe, it would be fine. The last thing she needed was him fussing over her.

  As the weeks turned into months, Joe's little family moved on with their lives. Beth signed up for another course and pretended that she'd always wanted a high powered career.

  Maria's drinking became more frequent as she became more and more convinced that everyone was happy except her.

  Sophia continued to struggle on. Not mentioning to anyone how she eked out her medication because of the cost, or that she tended to sleep in her armchair as often as not. Some nights she just couldn't face the stairs.