Page 51 of A Fighting Chance
Mary’s head bobbed, tears slipping into the lines and creases that covered her face. “I will. I swear, I will.”
“You’re goddamn right, you will, because she doesn’t deserve that. Youknowshe doesn’t deserve that. Plus, you know Curtis’ family never liked her. Why would you believe anything they say? And I’m sure you knew Curtis as a kid. Fuck, you look like you taught Moses. Was Curtis anything like Theo?”
“Must you?” She swiped at her eyes. “I know I’m an old woman.”
“And you know Theo is Curtis’ son. What, we both can’t be ignorant?”
She huffed. “Yes, I knew Curtis as a child. Curtis was a handful. Theo might not look like him as much as his brother does,” she sighed, “but hedoeslook like him. It was like caring for Curtis all over again. I couldn’t manage back then, and I was over thirty years younger.”
“So why spread rumors?”
“I…I don’t know.”
“Are rumors worth your life?”
“No, but you weren’t serious, were you?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Not serious? Lady, I’m not right in the head. I’ll kill you. Insult my boys, insult my woman, and I’ll fuck you up. I will knock you the fuck down right in front of the finish line. Do we have an understanding?”
“Yes, we do. And tell Ayesha I’m sorry.”
“What’d I just say?”
“You’re right, you’re right. I’ll tell her myself the next time we cross paths.”
“Ifyou do. Nice meeting you.”
He walked off.
At the edge of the section that housed the swings, he spotted Theo sitting by himself, one hand in his mouth and the other playing in a small pile of mulch. While he knew kids Theo’s age weren’t naturally inclined to play together, he couldn’t help but feel like the other kids intentionally didn’t want to play with his little guy.
“Joel?” Josiah ran over to him. “Can we go to a different park? A better one? The kids are being mean to Theo here, and it’s making mesoangry.”
Joel scooped Theo up off the ground and dusted off his jeans. “Yeah, of course. Let’s go.”
* * *
They went to a different park, one closer to Ayesha’s house and reminiscent of Clemyjontri Park in Virginia, where he’d taken the boys before—with Ayesha.
With Ayesha, they were Theo and Josiah. Without her, they were Wolverine and Sabretooth.
“Jo! Jo! Douk!”
He yawned and waved in Theo’s direction. “I’m looking! I’m looking! Great job, buddy!”
Theo continued across the playground bridge, and he glanced across the park to verify that Josiah was still hanging from arched monkey-bar-looking structures with kids who looked to be his age.
The Energizer Bunny had nothing on Theo.
Josiah, on the other hand, had less physical energy, but he required a horde of mental energy. Also, whenever he told Josiah he couldn’t do something, Josiah argued and grumbled under his breath that his uncles would have said yes. That grumbling then led into Josiah walking on his ears and suddenly interested in doing only the things he’d told him weren’t safe to do.
He had no idea who the hell these kids were.
“Joel! Hey, Joel!”
Josiah marched toward him, a girl beside Josiah with her hands on her hips. The fact that he saw them after opening his eyes meant he had to have drifted off at some point.
Outside.