2.12. Overprotective Mother
In the middle of the night, we had another robbery, but this time we were ready for him. The alarm went off immediately and a nice police woman managed to arrest him and bring our stuff back. It woke everyone up – except me. I’ve always been a heavy sleeper, so when I woke up I was surprised to hear from Junior and the girls that we’d been robbed. I hadn’t heard a thing.
Seeing as nothing had been taken away permanently, we all just got back to work. Kleio on her alchemy, Penelope breaking boards, I had my inventing, and Junior worked out in front of the tv – getting all smelly in the process, of course.
I was getting sore from standing up for hours and before the girls finished their work, I pulled Junior to the side.
As a police man, by now he was used to digging up dirt on people, going through their trash, investigating, that sort of thing, and that’s just what I asked him to do now.
“You want me to go to the boy’s home and dig through his trash?”
“Well, yeah. You know, just because I’m a concerned citizen, and I think they’re up to something. He’s called Donte, right? Sounds like a mob thing, and he lives with his grandmother – where’re his parents?”
“As far as I know, they’re dead and the grandmother is a very nice lady…”
“That’s not the point. They’re shifty! And I’m a concerned citizen, so you should listen to me.”
“Concerned mother, more like…”
“Don’t get smart with me, detective Ithaca!”
“I’m not a detective…”
“Just do it!”
He did it. Reluctantly. And then returned and had a shower.
“So, anything? What did you find? Anything to report?”
“Only that I love you. And that you’re crazy. There wasn’t anything but trash in trashcan. And I talked to the kid. He’s nice.”
“Oh…”
“Shush, just roll with it.” I think maybe he was trying to quiet me when he kissed me.
The next birthday, at least, didn’t bring another teenager with it. Hector came home, all grown up into a nice young man. And he joined me in being worried about Kleio’s friend - as a big brother should.
“He’s shifty,” I told him.
“I bet he is. You want me to keep an eye out? I have just registered as a detective.”
“Yes! Yes, good, you do that!”
We didn’t realise until a while later that our worries had been completely justified. And that we had no reason to worry anymore.
Kleio had gone to the Summer Festival with the boy, after she'd known him for at least half a year, and came home less animated than I’d counted on. She sat down next to me on the sofa and gave me a sad smile.
“You don’t have to worry about anything anymore, really.”
“What? What did the boy do?”
“Donte? Nothing, he was nice. You were right, of course, we
were dating…”
“Were?” She wouldn’t look me in the eye, and my overprotectiveness vanished. She was genuinely hurt, even if she, like me, lacked the ability to talk about feelings out loud. “Sweetie, was is it?”
“They’re moving away. Donte and his grandmother are moving to another town.”
“Oh… But why…?”
“I don’t know. I think… I don’t think his grandmother likes me. I went there the other day and introduced myself and she only let me stay for like five minutes, then she basically kicked me out. Politely.”
“Sweetie…”
I got up and hugged her. “I’m so sorry…”
“It’s okay. It’s just… I’m too busy with my work anyway.” She slipped out of the hug and gave me what was supposed to be a confident smile.
All I saw was my own disastrous teen years.
“I’m fine,” she said. And headed off to work on her alchemy.
She spent the next couple of days working hard, only occasionally going out and having a chat with Penelope. I wanted to go to that boy and his grandmother so bad. Give her a piece of my mind about how she’d treated my girl, but I didn’t know what to say. ‘You’d better stay here and let your grandson date my daughter’? Did I really want to say that?
I didn’t, of course, and one day not long after, we saw them leave Monte Vista.
Forever, we presumed. Later, I’d realise that we had all been wrong.
[Author’s note: And this was the end of generation 2 – I guess it’s pretty obvious whom I’ve chosen for heir: It’s Kleio, of course. I was going to go for Hector until she turned into the prettiest little toddler and with the greatest traits. And it seems y’all like her too. So yes – next time, it’s time for generation 3 and Kleio’s story – see you then!]
