Page 77 of Outspoken

“He's always respectful to me,” Mom says. “I know underneath his pain, he's a good kid. Está bien. Bring him here.”

She smiles with such conviction, I'm almost persuaded, but I shake my head—I have to protect my mom. Angel might be too much for me to handle while also doing my caregiver duties.

“No,” I say firmly. “You need my full attention. And what about Patty? She doesn't want to deal with him, and he'd be home during the day while she works.” I pat Mom's hand that's on my knee. “I love that you see the good in everyone, but he's troubled and heading down a bad path. He needs extra help. Maybe we can get him into a home for youths.”

Mom touches my cheek with her warm, leathery fingers. “Bring him here, mijo. You help guide him to a new path.”

Me?I’m speechless and not understanding what she’s thinking.

“Hello?” Maribel asks loudly.

I raise my phone. “Yeah, uh…” I continue staring at Mom, feeling on edge and like I’m moments from jumping into a bottomless pit.

Mom doesn't look worried, though, only content with her suggestion.

My head and heart are waging a war inside me. I really hate the idea of abandoning family, even someone as difficult as Angel, so I want to give him a safe place to stay. But if others, especially Maribel, have all had problems and failed to get him focused on his future, what hope do I have?

I'm completely unsure and kind of terrified, but I trust Mom one hundred percent. She seems completely confident with this plan.

“What?” Maribel asks.

I swallow, knowing I'm about to get yelled at. “I guess…I'll take him?”

“No.No, Miguel.You can't. You're taking care of Mom.No!That's not even an option. I don't want him around her.”

Mom reaches for the phone, so I hand it over. Then I sit there helplessly—resting my head on the back of the couch cushion and staring at the ceiling—for another twenty minutes while they argue in Spanish. Maribel is tough, but she's never been a match for Mom. Finally, I get my phone back and reach for a charging cord—it's almost dead from all these heated discussions.

“Fine,” Maribel huffs at me. “I don't know where he is right now. When I yelled at him, he said he was going to stay with some friends. Might be weeks before he shows up. I don't know, but I'll text him and say he can go to your place. I hope you know what the hell you're getting into. Youbetterkeep Mom safe.”

“I don't see him doing anything to Mom.”

She mutters something to herself and then says sharply, “I have a headache so fine. Good night.”

She disconnects.

A wave of restless energy rolls through me.What am I getting myself into?

Before I can process this shit, my phone rings again.

I answer without looking, expecting it to be Maribel again. “What now?” I say forcefully.

“Hey. Just me,” comes Brody's baritone voice.

I lean forward, holding my forehead. “Shit. Sorry, man. Didn't mean to answer so rough. A lot going on.”

“Everything okay?”

I sigh. “I don't know. Just family stuff. Everything okay with you?”

“Yeah,” he says. “But if you're busy, we can talk tomorrow.”

“It's okay. What is it?”

“You remember we talked about my trip?”

“Yeah. Are you having trouble rescheduling clients next month? I can help out. That's no problem.”

If that's what he needs, I'm relieved and happy to do it. Since things have been tense between us because of Amber, helping him out could smooth things over.

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