Page 12 of Throwing Shade
Stepping out into my bedroom, I fished an elastic from my pocket, pulled my hair into a low ponytail, and headed downstairs to find a crazy ringmaster complete with a purple velvet coat, top hat, wide-legged striped pants, and thick black eyeliner circles around her eyes, eating cereal at the kitchen counter.
I removed an empty carton of milk from the fridge and held it up. “You know, we got rid of your sister for lesser infractions.”
“Yeah, but she was one crazy bitch,” Sadie joked back through a mouthful of Shreddies.
“This from the kid who looks like an escapee from Ringling Brothers Asylum.” I squashed the carton and unlocked the kitchen door to toss it into the recycling container on the back porch, doing my best to move normally so Sadie wouldn’t wonder what had happened to me.
My sixteen-year-old heaved a sigh that carried all the weight of the world. “Ringling Brothers? Geez, Mother. This insane mannequin only performs in the finest of netherworld circuses. Give my cosplays more credit.”
“The milk.” I tugged on the short blonde wig hiding her black straight hair.
She pushed my hand away and adjusted the wig. “Fine. I’ll go buy more, but you need to give me money.”
I grimaced. “You’re going to go dressed like that, aren’t you?”
She shot me an angelic smile and I pushed the knife block out of her reach.
“Ha. Ha.” Sadie rinsed out the bowl and put it in the dishwasher. “Tell Aunt Jude to play her next Scrabble move already. I’ve been waiting three days.”
“I will. Take five bucks from my purse.” I swallowed a couple of painkillers, flinching from the movement of putting the bottle back in the cupboard.
“You okay?”
“Yup.” Banim Shovavim manifested their magic in puberty. I’d been watching Sadie closely for years, but to my relief she didn’t show any signs, and since she was now sixteen, we’d probably dodged that bullet. The magic often skipped generations.
“Mom, you’re spacing.”
I poured myself a coffee, dumping in a ton of sugar to compensate for the lack of milk. “Sorry, Sades. What?”
She held up my wallet. “I said, could I have twenty instead? Nessa wants to go for dim sum later.”
“Is Ah Ma going?”
My daughter busied herself searching through my wallet. “Perhaps.”
Busted. If her grandmother was taking her and her cousin to eat, she’d be treating the kids.
“Five bucks,” I said. “You want cash, go work in the coal mines.”
“Like my poor sister?”
“Yes, she got paid double time as a canary.” I swatted Sadie’s butt. “No more extortion today and please wear Ah Ma appropriate clothing because you know she’ll phone me about it.”
“Of course, Dad’s her prince. Ooh, how about I extort him?”
“Totally acceptable.” I hugged her tightly, wrinkling my nose at the sickly sweet stench of baby powder from her off-gassing wig. “Be safe. Be smart. No headphones if you’re walking alone.” I kissed the top of her head. “You’re my joy and my delight, kid. Love you.”
“Blech. Your perimenopause is making you emotion vomit again.” She squirmed free. “Go away now, but be sure to give Jude my message.”
I would have, except Judith never showed.
