Page 3 of Shadow's Surrender
“I may have a good prospect. I better go—I’ll be late for work. Stay inside, okay?”
“Yeah,” he mumbled as he watched her walk away.
Shadow never thought about his mother dancing—that would just be too weird, so instead, he pretended that she was a bartender at Satin Dolls and that seemed to work for the most part.
After an hour, Shadow called Eli and told him he was coming by in a half hour. For the past six months, Shadow had been going out at night even though he knew his mother would be livid. He always made sure to come back before she returned from work. He and his best buddy, Eli, usually hooked up with some other friends and they’d just hang out at the diner or the park. Sometimes they’d pick up chicks, graffiti some street signs and buildings, go to the movies—Eli always paid for him—or play pool at Cues. Dirk, the owner, let them come in after 10:00 p.m. even though they were underage. One of Dirk’s friends, Banger, came around sometimes, and he had one of the coolest motorcycles Shadow had ever seen. Each time Banger set foot in the pool hall, he’d go over to Shadow and talk to him for a bit. Shadow looked up to him, and he admired how the biker commanded respect the minute he’d walk into Cues. When Shadow found out Banger was the president of the Insurgents MC—an outlaw club in town, he wasn’t surprised. Banger spent time telling him about the ride and how motorcycles worked, and the more he talked, the more Shadow wanted to be part of the MC world someday.
Shadow kept the desire to own a Harley-Davidson and to check out the Insurgents’ clubhouse when he turned eighteen—Banger’s rule, not his—to himself, not even confiding in Eli. As far as his mother was concerned, he would graduate high school then go to Pinewood Community College for a couple of years and get a good-paying job. Shadow didn’t have the heart to tell her that he wanted something more than to be tied down to a nine-to-five job.
Several weeks later, his mom started coming home with bags of new clothes for him, a new computer, and a new phone.
“Where’re you getting all this money from?” Shadow asked before he shoved a forkful of hamburger casserole into his mouth.
“I’ve been saving all my tips.” His mother put another scoop of green beans on his plate.
“Enough,” he said, lightly pushing her hand away.
“You need to eat more vegetables to stay healthy,” she replied as she put the spoon back into the serving bowl.
Shadow put his fork down and stared at his mom. “Now tell me the truth about where the money’s coming from, and I don’t believe for a minute it’s from your tips.”
Carmen touched the bottom of the sterling silver pendant with her fingers. Since he’d bought it for her birthday a few months before, his mother always wore it. He’d seen it at one of the booths selling Navajo jewelry at a biker rally Banger had invited him to. The minute Shadow had seen the pendant, he’d thought of his mother. The cross was sterling silver with red coral and turquoise inlaid in the intricate design. It dangled on a silver chain. The price for the necklace was out of his range, but Banger had offered to loan him the money, and Shadow had been paying the biker back a few dollars every week.
“Are you selling drugs?” He picked up his fork again and speared a couple of string beans.
His mother’s eyes widened. “No! How could you ask me that?”
Shadow chewed slowly, his eyes never leaving his mom’s. “I’m not judging you, Ma. There’s nothing wrong with trying to make some extra money. We’ve been poor long enough.”
“Don’t ever have anything to do with”—she looked behind her at the broken-down screen door and lowered her voice—“drugs. They’re evil and they’ll destroy you. Have you tried them?” Her blue-gray eyes glistened.
“No, and stop changing the subject. Where you getting all this money?”
“I met a man,” she whispered, looking down at her plate. “He’s rich and he wants to help us.”
“I’m sure he does. Did you meet him at the club?”
“I’ve seen him around town, but, yes, he comes to the club. We’ve known each other for a while. I was going to tell you, but I wanted to wait until the time was right. He’s a very nice man who has a generous heart.” A smile spread across her face.
“Are you gonna marry him?”
“I want to. He’s in the middle of getting a divorce, so we have to keep our relationship low-key for a little bit.” Carmen ran her fingers through her long hair. “Stop looking at me like that—I know what you’re thinking. Heisgoing through a divorce.”
“Don’t all married dudes say that?” Shadow stood up and took his plate to the sink. “Be careful, Ma, or the jerk’s gonna break your heart.”
“No, he’s not. The only one in my heart is you, and there’s no room for anyone else. I want you to have a better life.” She stood up and came over to him. “I want to get outta this dump—you deserve a safer place to live and … I want to stop dancing.”
Shadow hugged his mother. “If he makes you happy, then I’m good, but the minute this rich dude gives you any trouble or pain, I’ll bash his damn face in.”
“Deal,” she whispered.
A few months later, Shadow and his mother were living on the top floor of a luxurious apartment building overlooking the Rocky Mountains and the Colorado River. His bedroom was bigger than the whole trailer they’d lived in. His mother didn’t dance anymore and she was always smiling.
Shadow hadn’t met the new man in his mom’s life—didn’t even know his name, but several times in the past two weeks, she’d hinted that he may have a richstepfathervery soon.
It was a late summer’s night and school was starting the following week. Shadow sat on the couch staring at the television screen when he heard the familiar click of his mother’s heels on the hardwood floor.
“You know the rules about staying in, right?”
