Castles

Chapter 8

It was a relief to put the last horrid event to rest—literally. And I was doing okay the first couple of days since the incident. I fell back into my normal routine easier than I expected.

And as I pushed the shopping cart through the store looking for the things she needed, I reminded myself it would be over soon, at least for a few days, maybe a week before she would be my problem again.

"What about this one?" Max asked, standing next to a bunch of different style area rugs. He was pointing at a red one. It was shaggy and very similar in pattern to the last one we had.

"Why would we want something like the last one?" Why would he want to remember anything from our childhood? I felt happy watching dirt cover that old rug. "We slept on that rug a lot when she was freaking out. Do you remember?"

Max paid no mind to what I said. He scratched the back of his neck and moved on to the next one. Like the first but brown. "What about this one?"

"I don't want to get her a rug. I'd much rather her live the rest of her miserable life with no rug." But I knew that would never happen. Our mother got what she wanted whenever she wanted it. If she wanted a rug, you got her a rug.

If she wanted to call you in the middle of the night to take her garbage out she would. And if you didn't help her, she made you pay.

"She will not live the rest of her life with no rug. She will live the rest of her life punishing you for not getting her that rug." He started biting his fingernails.

I grabbed his hand and shook my head. "Stop. Models don't have ugly nails." He'd chewed his nails since he could walk. It was a nervous habit.

"Do you ever think about what she is capable of?"

I didn't understand what he meant. "I've seen what she is capable of. We both have our entire lives."

He shook his head. "No. I mean... if she didn't get her way?"

"I try not to think about that." I admitted. If I didn't think about it I could get through each day.

The stubborn side of me wanted to push the limit and defy her because I hated her. Max on the other hand was paranoid. He feared her and he jumped every time she called. But he was younger than me and I understood it. He was that way about everything. Everyone had a hidden agenda, everyone was out to get him. He barely had a life because he was dealing with her all the time.

"The red one." I told him. If buying her a new rug made him sleep better at night, I could be okay with it.

We went to the check out.

Joy texted just as we were unloading our stuff on the conveyor belt. She told me she was okay with me meeting up with Sheppard, which put me at ease. I didn't like being difficult. Because that only caused problems I didn't need.

Max was reading what I was texting. "What are you talking about?"

"A client."

"Is that all it is?" He searched my eyes for an answer.

"I showed him a house and he didn't buy. So I'm showing him another. That's what realtors do. They show people houses."

"Just be careful."

"Why do I need to be careful?" I raised an eyebrow, we came from a family of crazies, I knew crazy. Nothing about Sheppard was crazy.

"Because you know nothing about him, you know nothing about anyone."

"You're right. I don't. But I'm willing to sell him a house." That was my job.

The cashier told us what we owed and Max paid. I pushed the cart out to my car and let him load it before I told him goodbye.

"We should have dinner sometime. I can cook you something other than fast food. You're starting to look skinny."

"You mean I look like a model?" He grinned, ignoring my mothering. "I'm fine. I'll call you sometime this week. Don't forget to take her her things."

I nodded. "I won't."