And then she twisted the knife deeper.
"You've been alone for over twenty years. Don't tell me you don't crave a man!"
"God, you're disgusting! Fantasizing about your own son like he's your husband!"
"If you're really that desperate, go find some retired old geezer. At least you could squeeze his pension out of him for your son!"
The crowd erupted again.
"A single-parent household on top of everything!"
I was shaking with rage. I looked Muriel dead in the eye and bit out every word.
"Is this how your parents raised you? Apologize to me. Now."
She didn't apologize. What came out of her mouth next nearly made me black out.
"What, are you gonna sleep between me and Dylan? When we're in bed together, should we ask for your permission first?"
People around me pointed and whispered. Muriel opened her mouth to keep going, and I slapped her across the face.
"Your parents couldn't teach you to respect people. So I will."
Everyone froze.
Muriel let out a shriek and lunged at me.
I was about to dodge when Dylan drove his foot into my leg. The kick buckled my knees and I dropped, landing hard on the ground right in front of Muriel.
I stared up at my son, unable to believe what he'd just done. Tears streamed down my face.
"Apologize to Muriel!"
"Do you get off on tearing this family apart? Is that what makes you happy?"
Dylan's expression was vicious. If I weren't his mother, I had no doubt he would have struck me across the face.
Muriel clutched her cheek and pounded her fists against Dylan's chest.
"I don't care! My own parents have never hit me! If you don't make this right today, don't ever come looking for me again!"
Dylan swore under his breath, snatched the $2.99 t-shirt off the ground, and hurled it down.
He jabbed his finger in my face and snarled.
"You really can't help yourself, can you? How the hell did I end up with a mother like you!"
"This is all your fault! You were so selfish, insisting on that divorce. Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to find a girlfriend?"
"You don't help. You just stir up trouble!"
"Thank God Muriel doesn't look down on me for coming from a broken home. Thank God she doesn't hold it against me that I have a mother like you! She's a good person. So she says things bluntly sometimes. She doesn't mean any harm!"
"Why do you have to nitpick every little thing?"
"I see it clearly now. Sticking with you means I'll never have a decent life. From this day forward, you're not my mother. I'm going to find my dad!"
I laughed out loud.
I bit down hard on my lip, forcing the tidal wave of emotion back down, and rose to my feet. I walked over to him.
Then I slapped him across the face.
"That one's for being a disloyal, ungrateful son."
A second slap.
"That one's for growing up on my blood and sweat, then turning out worse than a dog I could've raised."
A third slap—
It never landed. He seized my wrist mid-swing.
He shoved me backward. I heard the crack before I felt it, a clean snap in my ankle.
I looked up at my son's cold, indifferent face and let out a bitter laugh.
If he thought I wasn't good enough, he could go find whoever was. His precious father was probably counting on Dylan to fund his retirement right about now.
I turned and gave Muriel a slow once-over.
And this girlfriend of his? Besides bleeding him dry, I couldn't imagine what else she was good for.
My son. Six years out of college. Hadn't held down a real job for a single day.
Three selfish idiots in one pile. Didn't take much imagination to picture how that circus would end.
The son I'd poured my life into raising was a total loss.
It stung. God, it stung. But cutting my losses now mattered more.
I wiped the tears from my face in one clean motion, then lowered my head and dialed my lawyer.
"I want to legally sever my relationship with Dylan Lawson. Effective immediately."
