A Family Man

by osborne, Sarah

  “You want to see her, there’s a diner a mile west from here. Go wait there, I’ll bring her to you.”

  “Oh no. You don’t get to dictate where or when I see my own kid. I’m her mother and I demand you let me see her right now.”

  “You’re no mother to her, never have been. This is about me and Beth.” He took a step closer to her and she backed away; Joe could be an intimidating guy when he wanted to be. “I will not let you use that kid to hurt me or Beth. I will talk to her. If she wants to see you, that’s fine. Hell if she wants to go back and live with you, I won't stand in her way. But if this is some pathetic attempt at revenge, forget it.”

  “You can’t….”

  “Can’t what M? C’mon, out with it. What can’t I do? I think you are underestimating just what a nasty piece of work I really am. I know as far as the law is concerned I got no rights. But here’s the thing, bitch. I ain't never held the law in high regard. I would hate to have to hurt you, cuz that would mean having to lie to Amy. But if that's what it takes to protect her from a venomous bitch like you, then that’s what I’ll do.” He smiled, and Maria shuddered, as she looked into those cold, emotionless eyes. “We will be at the diner in an hour. If you want to wish your kid a happy birthday, you will be there. If not, well it’s all the same to me. You haven’t bothered before, why should you now. Now get the fuck off my property before I remove you myself.” Joe stepped back and slammed the door in her face.

  Shit, this was not good. Turning on his heel, he hurried to the bathroom to where his old lady was waiting for him to join him in the shower.

  “Fuck, Joe. This water’s going to go cold.”

  “Sorry, baby girl.” He reached in, turned off the water and handed her a towel. “We just had a visitor. I think we need to talk.”

  “Who?” Beth stepped out and wrapped the towel around her, shivering as the cool air touched her bare arms.

  “Maria. Said she just wanted to see Amy. But I ain't buying.”

  “Oh God, she’s going to stir up shit, isn’t she?”

  “Reckon she’s gonna try. I sent her away, told her I’d take Amy to meet her at that diner down the road.” He pulled her into his arms. “I ain't gonna let her take Amy away.”

  “I don’t see how you can stop her, Joe. You can’t hurt her. I won't let you.”

  “I don’t plan on hurting her.”

  “Promise me, Joe. Maria is a bitch, but she’s my sister and Amy’s mom and we love her. Despite everything.”

  “And if she tries to take Amy away?”

  “We let her.”

  “Just like that? Fuck, Beth. If you think I’m gonna step aside and let that bitch get away with that.”

  “No, not ‘just like that.’ We fight her. Through the courts if necessary. You have been awarded guardianship, and since being with you Amy has been attending school, has stayed out of trouble and has built a relationship with her biological father. You have more rights than you think.”

  “I’m a felon.”

  “Yes, but I’m not, and I’m her aunt. Amy is sixteen now, Joe. The authorities will take what she wants into consideration. It won't be pretty but if we fight her on this, there’s a very good chance we will win.”

  “And if we lose?”

  “We accept the court’s decision.”

  “What about Amy? She gotta accept it too?”

  “Joe, we are jumping the gun here. Maria is full of shit. I don’t think she’ll follow through with any threats. She’s pissed cuz we’re together, but she couldn’t cope with Amy before, what makes you think she could now?” Beth reached up and kissed him. “My sister has never thought about her actions. She’s come here all guns blazing, but if we explain the facts to her she’ll soon run off with her tail between her legs. She isn’t going to want her record as a mother dragged through the courts, and to be honest I doubt she’ll even bother to turn up at the diner.”

  “Fine, we’ll play this your way. But if she hurts Amy…”

  “Joe, if she hurts Amy, I’ll kill her myself.”

  ~ oOo ~

  “Wanna take a ride, sugar?”

  “Sure, can we take my truck?”

  “Not unless you want me to drive.”

  “Joe…”

  “I told you before. I don’t ride bitch. Ever.”

  “So how am I supposed to learn?”

  “Talk to your aunt. Now grab your helmet and move that skinny ass.”

  With a sigh, Amy complied. She didn’t mind, really. In fact riding with Joe was the best. She had broached the subject of getting a bike, but the idea was shot down in flames by both him and Beth. The only reason he was okay with her driving at all was because the truck he’d got her was built like a tank.

  Despite her enthusiasm for riding with him, Amy couldn’t shake that feeling of unease. She’d known Joe all her life and could read him like a book. Many would say that he was the master of the unreadable expression, but she could see how tense he was by the set of his jaw and the way he held himself. She tightened the strap under her chin and, reaching out, touched his arm. “You okay, Joe?”

  He gave a tight smile. “Not sure, sugar. While you were upstairs getting changed, we had a visitor.”

  “Who?”

  “Your mom.”

  “Oh. Shit. Did she say what she wanted?”

  “To see you.”

  “Okay… Joe?”

  “Yes, sugar.”

  “She’s here to stir up shit, isn’t she? I mean, she’s never come up here to see me before.” She swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. “What if she wants me to go back to California with her?”

  “I don’t know.” He touched her cheek. “I told her to wait at that diner down the road. Why don’t we go and talk to her. See what she really wants?”

  “Okay. Why are you playing along, Joe?”

  “Because she’s your mom.”

  “But she’s only doing this to hurt you. She doesn’t care about me.”

  “Yes, she does. She loves you, Amy. I know that she has a funny way of showing it, and yes, right now, she’s more interested in hurting me and Beth than what’s best for you, but she does care.”

  “So why did she send me away?”

  “That wasn’t her idea, you know that. It was me who thought it was best for you to live here.”

  “I know, but she hardly ever calls, never visits.”

  “Well she’s visiting now. So how about we go and listen to what she has to say.”

  ~ oOo ~

  Joe smiled as they walked slowly towards the diner and he felt her small hand slip into his. It was something she only did when she was nervous and needed to draw strength from him. He gave it a squeeze. “It’ll be okay, Amy.”

  He had half expected that Maria wouldn’t show, but she surprised him. Looking up from her coffee, she smiled as they approached. “Hey, baby. Happy birthday.”

  Amy slid into the booth, followed by Joe. “What do you want, mom?”

  “I just wanted to see you on your birthday. Do you want something to eat or a drink, maybe?”

  “Coke, and Joe will have a coffee. What you really doing here?”

  “I told you.”

  “Yeah, but we both know that’s bullshit. Where’s Jack?”

  “Jack’s staying with a friend.” Maria ran her fingers through her hair and frowned. “You think I just abandoned him or something?”

  Amy shrugged. “How about you answer my question. What Do You Want?”

  Joe smirked. “Why don’t you tell her, M?”

  “I just want to talk to my daughter.”

  “So talk.”

  “Alone.”

  “Okay.” He stood and touched Amy’s shoulder. “It’s alright, sugar. I’ll just be outside.”

  Maria waited until Joe had left the building and reached out and touched her daughter’s hand. “I think it’s time you came back and lived with me.”

  “Why?” Amy snatched her hand away. />
  “Because you’ve spent too long away from me, and I miss you.”

  “Bullshit!” Standing abruptly she placed her hands flat on the table and leaned over her mother. “I will not live with you. Ever. Even if you force me to go back with you I will run away. I would rather live on the streets. My home is here with Beth and Joe. Oh, and Barney.” She laughed as her mother’s eyes widened. “Yep, my dad. The one you tried to keep me away from.”

  “How did you find out? Did he tell you?”

  “No, Joe did. See, he’s not the dumb fuck you think he is. He figured it out, and asked me if I wanted to get to know him. I’ll never look on him as my dad—I’m Joe’s kid, always will be. But we get along okay. So you see, Mommy dear, I don’t need you. So why don’t you crawl back to where you came from and stop trying to hurt my family.”

  “I’m your family.”

  “No, you’re not. You’ve never been there for me, and I refuse to be a pawn in your stupid games. Joe is with Beth whether you like it or not, and nothing you do will change that.”

  “And I’m supposed to sit back and watch you all play ‘happy families,’ am I?”

  “Yes you are. Joe loved you for a long time, and if you hadn’t been such a selfish bitch you could’ve had what Beth has.”

  “It wasn’t my fault. I was sick, I couldn’t help it.”

  “And you were given a hundred chances to get well. How many times did Beth pick up the pieces? How many nights did I spend a Nana Sophie’s? Who paid to keep a roof over our head and food in the cupboards?” Amy sneered. “Just go away and leave us alone.” She turned and started to walk outside, aware of her mother hurrying behind her.

  Joe threw his cigarette onto the ground as Amy ran towards him, her mother close on her heels. As he watched, he wondered how it was he could have loved Maria so much. She was still beautiful, but that beauty had a hard edge to it. Had it always been there but he had been too blind to see? Grinning, he turned his attention to his kid. “Ready to go, sugar?”

  “Wait!” Maria caught up to them. “This is your doing, Joe. You’ve poisoned her against me.”

  He opened his mouth to speak but Amy jumped in. “No, Mom, he hasn’t. You managed to do that all by yourself. Go home, take care of my brother. Oh and stay off the booze.”

  “I’m not…..”

  “Whatever. Joe’s going to be in Bay View in a couple of months. Tell Jack I’ll see him then. Goodbye, Mom.” She climbed onto the back of his bike and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Get me out of here, Joe.”

  ~ oOo ~

  Beth snuggled up against his chest as, lying in bed, he relayed the events in the diner to her. “You know, Joe, Amy is one smart kid.”

  “Yeah, there ain't much gets past her. I guess she gets it from her aunt.”

  “Do you think Maria will get the message?”

  “I dunno. Amy made it perfectly clear where she stood. There ain't no way she will live with her mom. Hopefully Maria will back off and leave us alone.”

  “And if she doesn’t?”

  “Then we deal.” He pulled her tighter into his arms. “It’s gonna be cool, Beth.”

  ~ oOo ~

  Maria leaned against the bar, staring at the large glass of Jack in front of her. Her daughter’s words played over and over in her head. How dare she! Sure, there had been times when maybe she didn’t measure up as a mother, but she’d done her best. This was Joe’s doing. No, it was Beth turning her daughter against her. Bitch had always been jealous, had always wanted what she’d had. Well she wasn’t going to get away with this. Just wait. She took a huge gulp of the amber liquid, savoring its warmth as it slid down her throat. Amy was her kid, and Joe was her man, if she couldn’t have them, no one would. She glanced at the clock on the wall. Her flight was in two hours, and she had to be on that plane. It didn’t mean this was over, though; she wasn’t giving up without a fight. Ignoring the little voice in her head that was telling her that every word Amy had said was true, she called the bartender over for a refill.

  ~ oOo ~

  Normally nothing on earth would persuade Amy that going into Beth and Joe’s bedroom was a good idea. But she really needed to talk to someone, she wouldn’t be able to sleep until she did. Tentatively she knocked on the door. “Are you guys awake?”

  Joe grunted and opened his eyes. “Yeah, c’mon in, sugar.” He squinted in the dim light. “S’up, can’t you sleep?”

  “No, I just feel so bad. The stuff I said…”

  “Why don’t you go downstairs and get a drink. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “Okay.” she turned and walked slowly down the stairs and waited in the kitchen for him to join her.

  Joe pulled on his jeans and headed downstairs to join his kid. She looked up as he approached and he pulled her into his arms. “This shit with your mom eating at you, sugar?”

  “I shouldn’t have said all that stuff. She’ll think I don’t love her.”

  “No, she won't.”

  “But I said she wasn’t my family. I know she hasn’t always been the mom I wanted her to be, but she didn’t deserve that.”

  With his hands on her shoulders, he pushed her away from him so he could look her in the eye. “Amy, you haven’t done anything wrong. Your mom wanted to take you away, and you called her out.”

  “But…”

  “Would you prefer she to take you back to Cali?”

  “Of course not.”

  “And do you think that all this was to hurt me and Beth?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then you did nothing wrong.” He chuckled. “Shit, baby, you say worse to me all the time. How come you don’t lay awake wracked with guilt after giving me shit?”

  “Cuz you’re tough and you know that I love you. Mom’s not like you, she will take what I said to heart.” Blinking away the tears that threatened to fall, she allowed him to pull her close to him again. “What if she gets upset and starts using again?”

  Joe tightened his hold on her; this is what Maria always did. She had done it to him time and time again. “Amy, did she call you?”

  “She told me not to say anything to you, that you’d get mad.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She was drunk, said she’d missed her flight. It’s my fault she’s drinking again.” The tears were falling freely now. “I should’ve known.”

  “This isn’t your fault sugar. Your mom is responsible for her own actions.”

  “And Jack? What about him? When I was a kid there was Nana Sophie, or Beth, or you to take care of me. He’s got no one. I’m gonna have to go home and take care of him.”

  “No, you don’t. You are sixteen years old. You got school to worry about. The kid ain't your responsibility. This is exactly what your mom wants you to do.” He kissed the top of her head. “She say where she’s staying?”

  “Joe, I can’t tell you.”

  “I ain't gonna hurt her, I swear.” He frowned at her expression. “You don’t trust me.” A statement, not a question.

  Amy shook her head. “I want to, Joe. More than anything in the world. But I know what you’re capable of.”

  “Sugar, if I hurt her, I’ll hurt you, and I’d tear out my heart rather than do that. I just wanna talk to her.”

  “You promise?”

  “When have I ever lied to you?” He grinned. “There’s nothing we can do tonight, go to bed. We’ll talk about this in the morning.”

  “Okay.” She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. “Night, Joe. I love you.”

  “I love you too. Sweet dreams, sugar.”

  As soon as she had disappeared upstairs, he lit a cigarette, pulled out his cell and dialed. There was no answer. He hadn’t expected one. He listened to the message and waited for the tone. “Maria, do not call Amy again. If you want to speak to her, call me first. Oh, and clean up your act. I will be in Cali in a couple of months. If you don’t want me to call child services, you will be sober. Goodbye.”

 
; Beth opened her eyes as Joe climbed in next to her. “Amy okay?”

  “Freaking out. M got drunk and called her. Kid thinks she has to go and take care of her brother.”

  “Shit, Joe. What are we going to do?”

  “We are gonna get some sleep. I will deal with this in the morning.”

  ~ oOo ~

  In the end, there was nothing to deal with. At first light, a very contrite and hungover Maria had caught the first available flight to Cali. It was clear on hearing Joe’s message that Amy had spoken to him about what she had said, and she knew she had to get away as quickly as possible. Although she had been reasonably confident that Joe wouldn’t hurt her, she wasn’t stupid and knew that he would do whatever it took to protect her daughter from any perceived threat. It had been the drink talking, she’d gotten angrier and more resentful the more she drank. And her in booze-addled mind, one last ditch effort to get Amy to come away with her had seemed like a good idea. Now, though, in the cold light of day, she realized it was most certainly not. Pissing off Joe never was. She was still angry with Beth and hurt by what her daughter had said, but drunken rants in the middle of the night were never going to win her back. She would be sober, calm and loving next time she saw her, the sort of mom she knew Amy wanted.

  Despite how compliant Maria was over the next few weeks, Joe couldn’t relax. Both Beth and Amy had tried to convince him that she wouldn’t try anything stupid. She was doing as he asked, not contacting Amy directly, and had apologized profusely for her behavior, promising that she was sober and had been attending AA meetings again. He knew Amy and Beth were planning on traveling down south with him in a couple of months' time and couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that this was a mistake. However, as he didn’t really have a solid argument against it, he had no choice but to agree.

  ~ oOo ~

  As she climbed into the passenger seat next to her aunt, Amy could barely contain her excitement. Although she loved living with Joe and Beth, she missed her brother and her mom and was looking forward to seeing them and Nana Sophie again.