Blossoming In The Mud

uncil, I got harassed by a sponso

tness it, and the stor

d of the gossip, she s

sponsor's tie and roared, "You think this is over? My

y, desperate to save face, actua

ey", which meant that as long as someone had mo

ction accident, my mom threw

nd he had been drinking be

nd died i

dn't want to tak

ed his body out into the open, brought me alo

orpse, on the other, my mom was pinning me do

ned into anot

couldn't

gave in, and

in hand, my mom sud

opped all the drama and quickly rem

my dad's compensat

didn't t

five bucks and told me to go to t

lutching the change, both my mom and the strange ma

rstand what h

town mayor. "Did my mom leave me behind?

tears and assured me

ldn't

kept h

she came back from the

to be picking up her dau

care of me either. The moment she walke

rd! Who the hell as

, foul and furious. "Our family busine

d bright red

n't take your daughter with you, I'm calling the police. I'l

eph. She lived in the city

p the law and the threat of ac

d being forced

he house, and saw me playin

l her anger fo

ace dark, and kicke

the torren

dramatic, and laced

ts were, in the end, she still h

kept making silly faces,

stone-faced,

she reached over and twisted my

collector," she ground the words throug

he wouldn't have gotten that much money

Rios, my stepfather, w

k me out fo

ld's in our town, but we did

fries in front of me, gr

derly, holding my mom's hand. "From now

ed and leane