Wiley's Lament by Lono Waiwaiole

Author:Lono Waiwaiole
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Down & Out Books

FORTY-THREE

Fernando turned on the news at eleven. A skinny black dude started talking about a body found in a house fire somewhere in north Portland, and Fernando listened all the way to the weather report without hearing about a girl with her throat slashed on the southeast side of town. Then he turned the television off, walked to the wall phone in the kitchen, and punched in Morton's number.

"This is Morton," Morton said.

"You guys still outside?" Fernando asked.

"Where the fuck else?" Morton snapped.

"You might as well split. The bitch won't be back until tomorrow afternoon at the soonest."

"Split where? Avina'll tear us new assholes if we show up without you."

"Go somewhere she ain't gonna be. Just get back by noon."

"This shit is gettin' deep, Fernando."

"Shit washes off, believe me. I'll take care of Avina when this is done. Go get a room, get some bitches, get Jimmie his fuckin' Whopper, do whatever the fuck you want."

Fernando hung up the phone and looked from where he was standing in the kitchen to the sofa in the living room. The boy was asleep, but the woman was watching him through those slanted black eyes.

"Go to sleep," he said.

The woman made no response. He looked into her eyes some more, and her gaze did not waver.

"Then act like you're sleeping," he said. "I'm tired of seeing your fuckin' eyes."

"Look somewhere else," the woman said quietly. "My eyes will always be on you."

"I can fix that anytime I feel like it."

"I know you can," the woman said, but her slanted eyes didn't even blink.

Why doesn't everyone have a mother like this? Fernando thought. A ballsy mother like this one. Not that it was going to make a difference in this case—this family was fucked either way. But if everyone had a mother like this one, wouldn't it make all the difference in the world?

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