hundred different colors. Her robe of a dress looked like something a cavewoman would wear. Made of a patchwork of small tanned pelts, I could see tiny rat claws here and there. The bones in her face were beautiful and proud, but now she looked like a former beauty queen who had been forced to fend for herself in the wilderness.
While I felt bad for her, and I had tried not to let Father's poisoned opinion influence me, I distrusted her. Every time I saw her, she wanted something. And not just that, but she always got shrill and hysterical like her generation.
"Thank goodness you're ok!" she said, as she leaped up and came toward me with open arms. "You have to leave," she said, as she hugged me. She smelled of barbecue smoke and soap. "Leave before it's too late."
"Mrs. Rivers-Zssne," said Joelene, pulling Mother's arms from me. "I don't believe you're authorized to be here today."
Mother stepped back and glared at my advisor with her wide, fearsome sage-colored eyes. "I am!"
"May I see your pass, please?"
"A mother needs a pass to come and hug her son! And to think that we were supposed to be the perfect family. What a lie it all was!"
"Regardless," said Joelene, smiling stiffly, "I must see your pass."
As embarrassed as I felt for my mother, my advisor was right—especially after a terrible security breach.
While glaring at me as if this were my doing, Mother pulled a card from her pouch. Somehow she'd been able to bend the hard plastic. After straightening the crease, Joelene checked her screens. "It was valid," she said. "It expired one hour ago."
"I spoke to his father," said Mother, trilling her fingers dismissively. "He said I could have a word with my poor, injured son."
Joelene handed back the pass. "No disrespect, but you did not speak directly to his father, and we are extremely busy. Additionally, I would advise you to hurry if you want to, wisely, avoid Mr. Rivers senior."
"If you don't mind!" bristled Mother. "A moment, please."
Joelene didn't blink. "If you're asking to be alone with Michael, I'm afraid that won't be possible."
I wanted to tell Joelene that it wasn't necessary, that I'd be fine, but I knew she wasn't going to budge. She probably felt responsible for the freeboot's bullets.
"It's okay," I told Mother, "we can talk. She's family."
Mother's face paled; her mouth shrunk to a dot. "Don't confuse family. She is not your family. She never will be. Your real family loves you. And they desperately need you," she said, her tone shifting into her familiar pleading. "They're waiting to meet you. They've been waiting for so long. It just breaks my heart." Mother covered her face and began to sob. "I'm so sorry for everything! I'm so sorry!"
"I feel fine." I held out my hands with their tiny scars for her to see. "I'm healthy." I thought that was the answer to the question she hadn't asked.
Mother wiped her face, glared at Joelene, and hugged me again. I put my arms around her and, up close, I could see that a multitude of tiny metal and glass charms had been woven into her rainbow hair: birds, hearts, aphids, cars, sunglasses, phalluses, and what looked like a tiny caribou stared back at me.
"You really must leave," she said, sniffing. "It's not good here. It's all about the wrong things, and your father uses everyone and anyone he can. Look what's happened to you." She took my left hand in hers and rubbed my palm with her thumbs.
"It was a random breach. I'm perfectly fine." The words came off my tongue too easily and I regretted that I was, after two minutes, trying to appease her so she'd leave.
"Come with me," she whispered. "Come be part of Tanoshi No Wah."
"Ma'am," said Joelene, stiffly, "please."
"We live honestly, and we're not ashamed," continued Mother. "We show ourselves. And I'd love for you to see who you really are."
"Please," said Joelene, raising her voice.
"The families and their laws are pollution to the human spirit. They're all hypocrites! We're trying to do
While I felt bad for her, and I had tried not to let Father's poisoned opinion influence me, I distrusted her. Every time I saw her, she wanted something. And not just that, but she always got shrill and hysterical like her generation.
"Thank goodness you're ok!" she said, as she leaped up and came toward me with open arms. "You have to leave," she said, as she hugged me. She smelled of barbecue smoke and soap. "Leave before it's too late."
"Mrs. Rivers-Zssne," said Joelene, pulling Mother's arms from me. "I don't believe you're authorized to be here today."
Mother stepped back and glared at my advisor with her wide, fearsome sage-colored eyes. "I am!"
"May I see your pass, please?"
"A mother needs a pass to come and hug her son! And to think that we were supposed to be the perfect family. What a lie it all was!"
"Regardless," said Joelene, smiling stiffly, "I must see your pass."
As embarrassed as I felt for my mother, my advisor was right—especially after a terrible security breach.
While glaring at me as if this were my doing, Mother pulled a card from her pouch. Somehow she'd been able to bend the hard plastic. After straightening the crease, Joelene checked her screens. "It was valid," she said. "It expired one hour ago."
"I spoke to his father," said Mother, trilling her fingers dismissively. "He said I could have a word with my poor, injured son."
Joelene handed back the pass. "No disrespect, but you did not speak directly to his father, and we are extremely busy. Additionally, I would advise you to hurry if you want to, wisely, avoid Mr. Rivers senior."
"If you don't mind!" bristled Mother. "A moment, please."
Joelene didn't blink. "If you're asking to be alone with Michael, I'm afraid that won't be possible."
I wanted to tell Joelene that it wasn't necessary, that I'd be fine, but I knew she wasn't going to budge. She probably felt responsible for the freeboot's bullets.
"It's okay," I told Mother, "we can talk. She's family."
Mother's face paled; her mouth shrunk to a dot. "Don't confuse family. She is not your family. She never will be. Your real family loves you. And they desperately need you," she said, her tone shifting into her familiar pleading. "They're waiting to meet you. They've been waiting for so long. It just breaks my heart." Mother covered her face and began to sob. "I'm so sorry for everything! I'm so sorry!"
"I feel fine." I held out my hands with their tiny scars for her to see. "I'm healthy." I thought that was the answer to the question she hadn't asked.
Mother wiped her face, glared at Joelene, and hugged me again. I put my arms around her and, up close, I could see that a multitude of tiny metal and glass charms had been woven into her rainbow hair: birds, hearts, aphids, cars, sunglasses, phalluses, and what looked like a tiny caribou stared back at me.
"You really must leave," she said, sniffing. "It's not good here. It's all about the wrong things, and your father uses everyone and anyone he can. Look what's happened to you." She took my left hand in hers and rubbed my palm with her thumbs.
"It was a random breach. I'm perfectly fine." The words came off my tongue too easily and I regretted that I was, after two minutes, trying to appease her so she'd leave.
"Come with me," she whispered. "Come be part of Tanoshi No Wah."
"Ma'am," said Joelene, stiffly, "please."
"We live honestly, and we're not ashamed," continued Mother. "We show ourselves. And I'd love for you to see who you really are."
"Please," said Joelene, raising her voice.
"The families and their laws are pollution to the human spirit. They're all hypocrites! We're trying to do
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