Page 104 of August Lane
Jojo:
There was money coming in, so no. But she started giving me these warnings about how I should act around the men in the building. It was mostly women who worked directly with us, but men ran everything, the pageants, the concerts. The whole ride over, I had to listen to all the ways these men could hurt me. How they could damn me to hell before I became a woman? It messed with my head. All these folks smiling in my face were secret demons? And I was just a little girl, so how was I supposed to protect myself ? How do you fight a demon?
Emma:
That sounds horrible.
Jojo:
I didn’t know any better. It’s probably why I liked Theo. He never hid what he was. And when you’re scared of the unknown, a known danger feels safer, even when it isn’t.
Emma:
Have you ever talked to your mother about this?
Jojo:
I tried. It never went well. Eventually I had to let it go. Birdie had early-onset dementia. Barely recognized anyone when she died.
Emma:
I’m sorry to hear that.
Jojo:
I found this nurse who grew up in the next town over to help take care of her. Birdie always remembered her. Never forgot her name. But she confused me with August all the time.
