Page 67 of Brother In Arms

Trudy’s dark, gleaming eyes went to rake angrily over her daughter but the second they fixed on the bruise staining her face, they hardened and I could tell her anger had redirected. I didn’t know what to make of Bailey who was half a step behind me but still clung to my hand. It was as if she were back to being a small child or something, waiting for the wrath of her mother to come down. I suddenly had images of Joan Crawford screaming ’no more wire hangers ever!’ in my head. It’d been a favorite movie of Norma-rae’s. She watched it every time it came on the damn TV and I swear to fuck, I hated that goddamn film. Especially after the first time she picked up a wire coat hanger against me.

Trudy’s eyes trailed from her daughter’s face to mine and she asked so calmly it was scary, “Did you kill the man who did this to my daughter?”

“No, ma’am. Not for a lack of trying. Bailey just wouldn’t let me. Your daughter’s a good woman.”

“Did you at least break his hands?” she asked and Bailey’s mouth fell open.

“Mother!” she cried and Trudy lifted her hand, palm out to stop her daughter’s objections.

“No ma’am, I broke his face. Bailey didn’t let me get to his hands.”

“No worries, Trudy. I broke his hands for you,” Dragon said and Trudy turned to look at him.

“Thank you, José.”

“No problem.”

I pulled out a chair for Bailey and she dropped into it saying, “It’s like I’m in some kind of alternate dimension!”

“Think they call it the Twilight Zone, baby.”

“Think for our generation it’s an episode of Black Mirror,” Dray said.

I shrugged and told him, “Haven’t seen that one, dude.”

“It’s on Netflix, you should check it out.”

“Enough,” Trudy snapped and looked disgusted. Bailey’s hands were over her mouth, her elbows propped on the edge of the table, I dropped into an empty seat near hers and put a hand on her knee under the table, propping my elbows on my own.

“Great, so now what?” Bailey asked.

“Now, you listen to your mother,” Dragon said, clearing his throat. He leaned back in his seat and Trudy leaned forward.

Bailey looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

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