Page 68 of Bad at Love
Laz is driving, his eyes on the road.
"What happened?" I ask, my voice groggy. I try to sit up. My head is pounding from all the crying and screaming earlier.
"You fell asleep," he says simply.
I squint at him, trying to see if he's been hurt, if he has a black eye, but he looks fine. "What happened with my father? Is everything okay?"
He nods. "Eventually. It was a rough start."
He doesn't go on.
I prod him. "Please. Tell me what happened."
I tense up, waiting to hear the worst.
"Nothing much," he says. "He had a few more insults up his sleeve. He called me a bitch too, if that makes you feel any better. He shoved me around a few times."
"Oh my god. I'm so sorry."
I am so ashamed.
"Nah, it was fine. I just didn't want him to hurt himself, he nearly fell on the coffee table at one point. But he tired himself out. Sat back down on the couch. I asked if he wanted a beer and he looked at me like I was the angel of mercy."
"Laz..."
"I went into the kitchen, found an empty can. Filled it with water. Brought it back to him."
"He knew it was water."
"I'm not sure. He drank it. I think he was just happy thatI was on his side, you know? That's how my mother always got me to deal with my father. His drink of choice was gin, so she'd always have some juniper essence on hand and just add that to a highball glass along with ice and water. I'd bring it out to him and my father would immediately calm down. He never caught on that there wasn’t any gin. Not at that point, he was too far gone. He saw me as someone he could trust, that I was on his side. I figured the same would work with your father and it did."
"Like good cop, bad cop?"
"More or less. So I just sat with him and talked to him like he was completely sober. He didn't say much, just slurred and mumbled about who knows what but at least I made him feel like he was normal and I wasn't against him. Eventually he fell asleep so I cleaned him up as much as I could."
"You did what?" Now I'm horrified.
"I cleaned him up." He glances at me. "What's wrong?"
"I...I just...Laz. You didn't have to do that, he...you saw the state he was in."
"Oh yes, I saw it all. But like I said, I've had to do that before too."
"When you were just a child?"
He nods. "Yup. Another thing my mother had me do."
Jesus Christ.
"Laz..." I want to cry right now. I didn't think I had any tears left in me but I do. "You know you didn't have to do that."
"I know I don't have to do anything. But I wanted to, Marina. I wanted to help him, I wanted to help you. I did it for you."
My heart inflates, inflates, inflates.
I can't believe it.
That he would dothatfor me.
