urge to flinch away from her, but she stopped anyway, probably worried about hurting my swollen, bruised face.
“Alex asked me if he can stay here for a few days. Can he, Mom?” Joshua said.
“Oh, of course he can. If your father is doing this to you, you should get out of that situation. We could take you to Child Protection.”
I imagined what would happen if CPS or the police showed up to my house. Not good. “No. I just… it’s not that I don’t appreciate… or that I don’t know he’ll keep doing it.” I’ve seen a few Lifetime specials with spouse and child abuse galore. Cultural education, baby. “I know I should get out, but…”
“His father is the devil,” Joshua said.
“Joshua, I know he’s a bad man, but you shouldn’t say that. You should know better than anyone not to use that word lightly.”
“No, Mom, I mean he’s the devil. Literally.”
She stared at me.
“Um, yeah. That.” It was like the graveyards all over again, and all the gods and spirits I’d met, defending myself yet again, telling someone their expectations were wrong. “It’s not like I had a choice with who my parents were, and I’m not evil. Not all evil, anyway.”
Joshua’s mom crossed herself and looked over at her son. “You know what he is and you want him to stay under our roof?”
Joshua took her hand. “He needs help. If you turn him away his father will find him and abuse him again. He’s just a kid, like me. He has good in him, I know it.”
She took a deep breath. “If you say so, Joshua. Your heart is big enough to even forgive the Antichrist.” She crossed herself again. Catholics, man, always with the rituals.
“Thank you.” Joshua gave her an angelic smile.
“And just to let you know, I don’t want to do any of those things I’m supposed to do. I don’t want the world to end.” So I told her about saving the world. She didn’t want to believe there were other gods, but Joshua set her straight. Good thing the painkillers kicked in, because I was doing an awful lot of talking.
They gave me the small guest bedroom. I was extra polite, feeling like I had to prove myself. Joshua was taking in what was supposed to be his mortal enemy. I mean it’s right there in my title, I’m his opposite. So I was going to be on my best behavior, for once in my life. Mew-Mew curled up with me and after a while his purring lulled me to sleep.
In the morning I took a shower and checked myself out in the mirror. I was a lot less sore. Most of the pain had settled into an ache in the places where he’d hurt me the worst, like my ribs and my face. My black eye was mostly green and yellow and my eye itself looked bloodshot. The other bruises were healing too. I’d be mostly fine by the next day.
I went down to breakfast, Mew-Mew padding along at my heels. It was a Saturday, so Joshua’s mom didn’t have to go to work, and everyone had slept in. Breakfast was long and casual, eaten at the kitchen table. Joshua’s mom made pancakes and sausage. I sat at the table and watched them interact, feeling awkward. They laughed and talked and teased each other. They were so fucking happy it made me want to cry. For the first time I hated Joshua, just a little, because he had a mom that loved him and a life I so desperately wanted to have.
As we were eating, Joshua asked if I wanted to come with him to a volunteer event that morning. “We’re doing some outreach work for the homeless, providing them with a meal and connecting them with programs that can help them get off the streets.”
“No, thanks.” I gave Mew-Mew a piece of sausage and he gobbled it down. “Not that I’m like, opposed to it or anything. On principle. But I’m really not good with people.”
“Come on, you can give it a try,” Joshua urged.
“No, seriously. I’m bad with people. Like disastrously bad.” I hoped I didn’t have to get explicit and tell him that people got seriously hurt or dead when I tried to interact
“Alex asked me if he can stay here for a few days. Can he, Mom?” Joshua said.
“Oh, of course he can. If your father is doing this to you, you should get out of that situation. We could take you to Child Protection.”
I imagined what would happen if CPS or the police showed up to my house. Not good. “No. I just… it’s not that I don’t appreciate… or that I don’t know he’ll keep doing it.” I’ve seen a few Lifetime specials with spouse and child abuse galore. Cultural education, baby. “I know I should get out, but…”
“His father is the devil,” Joshua said.
“Joshua, I know he’s a bad man, but you shouldn’t say that. You should know better than anyone not to use that word lightly.”
“No, Mom, I mean he’s the devil. Literally.”
She stared at me.
“Um, yeah. That.” It was like the graveyards all over again, and all the gods and spirits I’d met, defending myself yet again, telling someone their expectations were wrong. “It’s not like I had a choice with who my parents were, and I’m not evil. Not all evil, anyway.”
Joshua’s mom crossed herself and looked over at her son. “You know what he is and you want him to stay under our roof?”
Joshua took her hand. “He needs help. If you turn him away his father will find him and abuse him again. He’s just a kid, like me. He has good in him, I know it.”
She took a deep breath. “If you say so, Joshua. Your heart is big enough to even forgive the Antichrist.” She crossed herself again. Catholics, man, always with the rituals.
“Thank you.” Joshua gave her an angelic smile.
“And just to let you know, I don’t want to do any of those things I’m supposed to do. I don’t want the world to end.” So I told her about saving the world. She didn’t want to believe there were other gods, but Joshua set her straight. Good thing the painkillers kicked in, because I was doing an awful lot of talking.
They gave me the small guest bedroom. I was extra polite, feeling like I had to prove myself. Joshua was taking in what was supposed to be his mortal enemy. I mean it’s right there in my title, I’m his opposite. So I was going to be on my best behavior, for once in my life. Mew-Mew curled up with me and after a while his purring lulled me to sleep.
In the morning I took a shower and checked myself out in the mirror. I was a lot less sore. Most of the pain had settled into an ache in the places where he’d hurt me the worst, like my ribs and my face. My black eye was mostly green and yellow and my eye itself looked bloodshot. The other bruises were healing too. I’d be mostly fine by the next day.
I went down to breakfast, Mew-Mew padding along at my heels. It was a Saturday, so Joshua’s mom didn’t have to go to work, and everyone had slept in. Breakfast was long and casual, eaten at the kitchen table. Joshua’s mom made pancakes and sausage. I sat at the table and watched them interact, feeling awkward. They laughed and talked and teased each other. They were so fucking happy it made me want to cry. For the first time I hated Joshua, just a little, because he had a mom that loved him and a life I so desperately wanted to have.
As we were eating, Joshua asked if I wanted to come with him to a volunteer event that morning. “We’re doing some outreach work for the homeless, providing them with a meal and connecting them with programs that can help them get off the streets.”
“No, thanks.” I gave Mew-Mew a piece of sausage and he gobbled it down. “Not that I’m like, opposed to it or anything. On principle. But I’m really not good with people.”
“Come on, you can give it a try,” Joshua urged.
“No, seriously. I’m bad with people. Like disastrously bad.” I hoped I didn’t have to get explicit and tell him that people got seriously hurt or dead when I tried to interact
Similar Books
