Slash (Novella I) (10 page)

“
Momma-“

Fran’s eyes fluttered until they remained closed and she dropped backward against the couch arm.

MT rushed over and grabbed her mother’s shoulders. “Momma!”

“
The woman is exhausted,” Tatu said. “It took a lot to clear a mind as cluttered as hers. MT, I will be honest and say your mother will live the entirety of her life as a mad woman. From what I’ve been told, she spent a lot of hours dabbling in the madness and has loss all since of reality. Her true self is buried deep inside, but will never regain control. I have to agree with the woman, you need to move on.”

“
I can’t just give up on her,” MT said as she made her unconscious mother comfortable.

“
Listen to your mother. She said you’ve done enough and I agree with her.”

MT stood and paced. “I don’t know what to do with my life.”

Tatu boxed up her tea. “It should be obvious. You need to get back what’s missing.”

“
I don’t know what that means.”

Tatu rose to her feet. “MT, don’t be a fool. You are lifeless, you have no soul. You’re indeed empty.”

MT stopped pacing. Her mother wasn’t the only one whose mind was cleared this evening.

Chapter 11 – Family Matters

The day of Harriet’s party arrived and Ford stood in his mother’s crowded backyard chatting with Sidnee.

“
Are you sure this Levi guy can fix what’s ever wrong with your house,” Ford asked.

Sidnee sipped from her cup of punch. “I’m willing to give a chance.”

“
Well, at least you now have some good material if you ever decide to write a third book.”

Sidnee nodded. “I’ve been too busy stressing about getting my home to behave to even consider that.”

Ford overheard somebody ask where the host was hiding.

“
I’m going to go check on my mom,” Ford said. “Fix a to-go plate for Bravo; he’s stopping by on his lunch break.”

Sidnee headed off to prepare the plate of food and Ford walked towards his mother’s home, nodding and smiling at a few of her friends. He made his way into the kitchen searching for his other-mother. He stepped into the living room to discover Harriet checking her teeth in the mirror.

“
Are you feeling okay?”

“
No,” She cried. “I’m getting worse.”

A few threads were loose on the pencil black dress she wore and it was torn around the thigh area.

“
Other-mom, can you even breathe in that dress?”

She took some quick breaths. “I swear this dress fit me perfectly a few weeks ago. Not only did I plan this party to perfection, but my entire wardrobe and performance. It’s all falling apart. I’m gaining weight like crazy, rashes appearing all over my body, and I shaved this morning.”

“
We all shave, men and women.”

She motioned at her face. “I shaved face stubble. I paid a lot of money not to do that anymore.”

“
I think you should contact the doctor who did your surgery.”

“
I did and he’s not taking any responsibility.”

“
And you visited local doctors?”

“
Yes and they all prescribe antibiotics. None of them work.”

Ford crossed his arms and chewed on his bottom lip. “I’m scared for you other-mom.”

She approached him, her eyes teary. “I told you not to stress.”

“
I know, but it’s hard. Your sickness, mom’s absence…”

“
Wait, Valarie isn’t here,” She questioned, eyes widened.

“
No.”

“
But she never misses a party, especially one with an open-bar.”

“
I did get a phone call from her; I barely could make out her sentence.”

Harriet scoffed, “She’s probably in some cheap hotel sniffing or injecting something.”

Ford fought off the thought. “Don’t say that.”

Harriet snobbishly turned up her swollen nose. “I’m just stating the truth.”

“
You want the truth, you’re a mess.”

She lightly pushed him. “What is wrong with you? Why would you go there?”

“
I take it back. For real, I’m sorry.”

She fanned her hands at her armpits. “Shit, I’m sweating like a pitcher of tea.”

A stagehand holding a microphone rushed into the room. “Harriet, everything is set and the crowd is waiting.”

She snatched the microphone from his hands. “Thanks Mike. It’s time.”

Mike nodded, scratching at his goatee. “Just hit the power switch on the side.”

Harriet looked at Ford, repeating, “It’s time.”

He smiled and bounced where he stood. “Yup, your big return to the stage…well, patio deck.”

“
It’s time,” She let out once more, her voice shaky.

“
Don’t be nervous, you own the stage,” Ford said.

“
I’ve always performed as Harry, not Harriet.”

“
Harry lacked grace,” Ford joked. “Harriet on the other hand is quite graceful.”

She smiled, revealing a few missing molars. “It’s time.”

“
Harriet,” Ford shouted and clapped his hands together. “Snap out of it, stop stalling and hit the stage.”

“
Not until you’re in the audience, then it will be time.”

“
Alright, I’m leaving. Don’t make us wait long.”

As Ford arrived outside Mike informed the crowd to gather before the back patio that was equipped with speakers. Ford took a spot on the front row. He glanced over his shoulder to discover Lu and Jace arm-in-arm. Lu wasn’t officially invited to the party but Ford accidentally mentioned the event and she invited herself and her date.

Applause started, as Harriet made her way on the patio. She gripped the microphone as if it was her lifeline.

A disco track played and the crowd shuffled to the beat. Ford recognized the song as one his mothers had used to perform together around the time they started to allow him to attend their shows. He had seen them perform this track over one hundred times; Valarie being on stage today would make it even more special.

His attention drifted away from his other-mother’s performance as he observed the crowd. He caught a few of the guests whispering to each other and subtly pointing at his mother. Ford’s attention shifted back to Harriet as he heard her miss a few of the lyrics and started to experience pitch problems. Harriet nearly tripped, drawing whispers of criticism.

Ford gritted his teeth and rubbed his sweating palms together. “Hold it together.”

Harriet’s big finish approached. Harriet inhaled, stared up at the sky that was painted with an orange hue and let out a loud note that sounded like a growl. The crowd covered their ears, winced, and a few turned their heads away as she poorly brought the song to a close. Harriet fainted to the patio deck.

The unsatisfactory with her performance was overshadowed by concern as some within the crowd gasped and encouraged her to get up. Ford discovered agility he didn’t know he possessed as he leaped from the ground to the patio. He rushed over to his unconscious other-mom and dropped down beside her.

He rested her head on his lap. “Harriet, are you okay?”

He noticed the skin on her right cheek peeling away.

Mike the stagehand leaned over them. “I’m going to call the ambulance.”

Ford nodded. “Please.”

Lu and Jace climbed on to the patio.

“
Is she going to be okay?” Lu asked.

“
I don’t know,” Ford snapped.

“
Is there a pulse,” Jace asked.

Ford grabbed Harriet’s wrist. “Shit, I don’t know how to check.”

Jace squatted down beside him, resting his fingers against Harriet’s wrist. “She’s alive.”

Ford breathed a sigh of relief.

Jace took a closer look at her hands. “She’s missing her fingernails.”

Ford could not bring himself to look at Jace’s discovery. “She’s sick.”

“
How exactly?”

Ford held his mother closer to him. “Nobody knows.”

Jace rested his hand on Ford’s left shoulder. “She’s going to survive.”

Ford sat in the same position until he heard the sirens of the ambulance. The paramedics rested Harriet on a gurney and supplied her with oxygen. Ford followed them to the nearest hospital. That moment as he held his other-mother in his arms, Ford was not an ally of death but instead an indirect victim.

The moment his mother arrived to the hospital, she was rushed away, leaving Ford to sit in the waiting room. The room was decorated with pale colors and old magazines were scattered around. His night of uncertainty transformed into a morning, still no update about his mother.

He made himself a cup of coffee and watched the morning news. There was a death that night. Ford nearly spilled his cup of coffee the moment the news displayed a photo of the victim on the television. Another member from the slasher support group was discovered with multiple stab wounds.

“
This is not good,” Ford said as he kept his focus on the television.

“
You’re right, it’s not good but at the same time you should be thankful,” A male voiced stated.

Ford directed his eyes to the voice to discover a bald doctor. He stood up. “Excuse me?”

“
Your mom’s condition,” The doctor clarified.

“
Any idea of what’s wrong with her?”

“
I can only suggest bed rest and antibiotics.”

“
She’s tried antibiotics, nothing works.”

The doctor passed him a pink slip. “This is a prescription.”

Ford grabbed it. “For?”

“
The strongest antibiotic on the market. She can leave the hospital tomorrow after a few more tests.”

“
Alright, well I’m going to head home to shower and change.”

“
Remain strong young man, you both will survive,” The doctor said before walking away.

Ford found that hard to believe as the slasher death toll in town was on the rise. He headed home and arrived to his porch to discover and young, brown-skinned guy standing on his porch.

“
Maxim,” Ford said. “What are you doing here?”

Maxim wore a sad look on his face and hung on to a backpack. “I need a place to stay big cuz. I messed up.”

The last thing Ford wanted was more family trouble.

Chapter 12 – Fame

Harriet recently lost her right ear, developed athlete’s feet and spent hours coughing up blood. Ford found himself on her computer often, researching her symptoms. It was nearly impossible to pinpoint her illness. Ford had spent the weekend over at her house and let his cousin Maxim stay at his place. He had yet to discover why his cousin had arrived in Draper, but for now had to focus on his mother.

Ford knocked on her door, peeking into her darkened bedroom. “Hey, other-mom?”

“
Ford, my head aches. You can‘t imagine the pain.”

It only made him feel helpless when she would complain. “It’ll get better.”

“
I’m so exhausted,” She sobbed.

He could barely see inside her room. “Try to sleep.”

“
Are you leaving?”

“
I’ll be back tonight. I have to go check on Maxim. He showed up two days ago.”

“
Maxim, my brother’s son? Is everything okay?”

Ford nodded. “I’m not sure, but don’t worry. I can deal with him.”

“
Well I’m going to try to sleep, okay?”

“
Yeah, but do you need anything before I leave?”

She stalled to answer. “No, I just want to be me again.”

He debated his follow up, but couldn’t resist. “A man?”

Harriet’s soft chuckling turned into coughs. “You’re mean.”

“
You put that one there for me, I couldn’t let it slide. I’ll be back later.”

He cautiously closed her room door. Ford slipped on his sneakers and headed out to his car. On the drive home, he kept an eye out for Valarie. A few homeless people hung out near a bus stop, his mother not a part of the crowd.

He arrived home, stood in the center of the apartment, and relaxed his muscles as he sighed. “I missed this place.”

“
Cuz, you’re back,” Maxim announced from the couch. “I ran out of food last night.”

“
I’ll get some stuff later.” Ford sat on the arm of his couch. “But first, why are you in Draper?”

“
I ran away. I’m ready to start my own life without my crazy ass mom.”