Suzie’s House 223 : A Good Influence.

“So… what are you going to do?” Suzie sprinkled herbs on the roast, then glanced over her shoulder to where Gene sat at the kitchen table.

“About the test Friday?” Gene wouldn’t look her in the eye. He hunched over a plate of cut vegetables and dip. The fact he actually put a carrot stick in his mouth spoke volumes about how strong his feelings were. If he hadn’t wanted to talk about the real issue, he would have politely excused himself as soon as she set the plate in front of him.

“I already know what you’re going to do about the test.” She put the roast in the oven with a clatter. “You’re going to study. Right?”

He smiled guiltily, but remained mute.

“Right?” She said a bit more insistently.

“Yes ma’am.”

She’d have to double check, though Gene had turned into a deceptively hard working student since school started over a month ago. Deceptive because he liked to do it when no one was looking, as if actually doing his homework might be considered beneath him.

On the other hand, Tracy had been a great, if unreliable influence. She liked to bring her books over to study, but who knew what she’d actually do. Sometimes she worked hard at it. Sometimes she just goofed off.

Like when she used Suzie’s computer to check on the Facebook page she’d made for Gene’s guitar.

Which brought them right back around to the problem here.

Suzie eased into the chair across from him. Her own feelings were too much of a jumble. She wasn’t entirely sure she could give him the guidance he needed. If only Drew were here. He’d have a viable solution. He was so good with Ben. How much more might he have done for Gene if he hadn’t taken the case in New Mexico?

Suzie braced her elbows on the table, hands folded in front of her mouth, and bumped a knuckle into her lips, trying to think of what to say.

“All right,” Gene said irritably. “I know what you’re thinking.”

Suzie quirked an eyebrow. She didn’t know what she was thinking. How could Gene?”

“You think I should go meet her. You’re always saying how I should give my mother the benefit of a doubt.”

“Yes…” Suzie said hesitantly, feeling her own words come back to bite her.

“You think I should go and ask why she abandoned me when I was only five. You think I have a right to know how she could do that when she knew what my father was like and what he could do to me.” Gene’s eyes flashed, full of both anger and longing.

“Yes, but…” She braced her hands against the table, desperate to slow him down and afraid anything she said might send him off in the wrong direction.

“I have a right to know this.”

“Yes, but it’s dangerous. She says she’s your mother, but she could turn out to be anyone. All you know is what she said on the guitar fan page and in her emails. It might not even be a woman.”

“So you don’t think I should go?”

“No, I didn’t say that,” Suzie said hesitantly, more than half afraid he’d swing the other way and go off about how he didn’t need a mother, and – gasp – he was a big boy now. She’d heard that refrain a few too many times.

“You’re right. Like I told you already. I don’t need a mother.”

Suzie groaned, one hand to her forehead. “No. That’s not what I’m saying. If she really is your mother, then I think it’s important to meet her. Like you said, she owes you an explanation at the least. You’ll never get one if you don’t reach out for it.”

“Then what do I do?” Gene growled, looking as wild-eyes as she’d ever seen him.

“You set it up in a public place at a reasonable hour, and I go with you.”

“You what?” He looked completely incredulous, as if she’d suggested going with him on a skateboarding tour.

“That is non-negotiable,” she told him firmly. “And not just the first time, either. I want to be sure of this person before I let this run. That means I’ll be there for the first, second, third, however many meetings I feel necessary. And you don’t give out too much information. Not our address or your phone number, or anything about me except that I’m your guardian.”

“You don’t trust me,” he said stiffly.

“I don’t trust her,” Suzie countered. “I care too much about you to run any risks.”

“Yeah. Right.” He bit into a carrot stick so hard it snapped, the pop echoing in the kitchen like a gun shot.

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