Mother sat and listened to their story. At first. But soon after the questions formed. At first she was rather aggressive stabbing hole into their tapestry of a tail like a vandal. It dug at their version of the truth where nothing was their fault.
It got uncomfortable. Especially for Kate but Griff jumped in to defend her, which was a nightmare.
Not due to embarrassment. But the idea that they'd done something terrible. That there'd been some massive failure in planning, thinking, hell in being!
That feeling was the lesser evil, it hurt but was a pin prick compared to seeing Griff suffer in silence.
She had to stop him from whatever spiral was forming in his mind. But how? The 'It was badass' tack she'd used wasn't exactly working.
Mother eventually nodded; her arms crossed. It was 11am. School started at 8.
"Well," she said eventually. "Back to your cousins."
Kate's head dropped. That had been the last she thing she could have ever wanted. She did not want to go back to the cousins.
Griff said nothing.
"Mom, I can handle this." Kate said rallying.
"But you lost girl."
"I know." Kate grunted.
"We have to go to them anyway. But fine. Griff, come here."
Griff stood and Mother hugged her and squeezed him until he dangled.
"I didn't realize that we nearly lost you. One day, there will be a last hug, but I promise on my life that there will be a million hugs in-between. Now, we might as well go out for the day, you guys can join me for the contract signings and then we can bank our money. Go get the pick up and go bags."
Griff nodded and took off up the stairs, leaving Mother with daughter.
Mother took a breath, she raised a hand and it formed into a first, a heavy shaking fist. The pressure was so much it trembled. Mother pressed her forehead to that first as if to violently hold down those shakes.
"Come here." Mother growled.
Kate shivered reacting to the raw aggression and violence in her words.
"Come here now."
Trembling and completely surprised. Kate got up and struggled forwards. Her mother rushed her, Kate retreated, tripped on her own feet, falling back, but Mother was too fast, she grabbed the collar of her shirt so fast the back of Kate's shirt ripped. Mother wasn't tall, but compared to Kate she was a giant. Kate was launched right into her. She glared but then Mother rested against Kate's collar bone.
"Thank you. I don't think I can lose that boy. Why do you think things like this keep happening to him? Even when he's alone? It's like the galaxy keeps finding something in him to exploit. I already turned down a gig in Texas. Griff's Spanish wasn't enough for the job. This just proves the point. Gov can wait. Kate, are you okay?"
"Yes. But I don't want to leave yet."
Something about what Kate had said had clearly flipped a switch as Mother transformed, becoming straight and hard.
"I see. All the way?" Asked Mother rather simply.
"Without getting caught and beyond. So nothing straight forward."
Mother retreated a step, crossing her arms and eyed Kate, looking her up and down like a painter with a rolling pin.
"It means staying Katarina."
"I know."
"No guns."
"They never used them, they used the situation."
"Fair, but there's one thing I don't understand."
"What?"
"You should be begging me to go to the cousins. Is someone molesting you there or something?"
"Would you stop them if they were?"
"I'd peel them like a grape and make them eat their own skin like pizza." Mother said with relish.
Kate rolled her eyes.
"It's nothing like that. They're just assholes."
Mother really thought about that. "You're my kid too."
"Thanks for remembering mom."
"Fuck you."
They laughed.