part of the job

Casey was at his wits end. He couldn't bare to listen to anymore of Nina's blubbering over the fact that Casey's Dad died during the Gulf War. Then she was upset with him that he wasn't upset.

Finally, he'd had enough. Casey called his mother.

"Don't you hang up on me." He informed her he knew what she'd done. How could she? "You lied, didn't you? You told your best friend a boatload of shit, about somebody who didn't even exist! Didn't you!"

He waited for an answer. It was a long wait. He set himself down on the commode lid and pondered at all the effort Nina was putting into the bathroom to make it look like something from a magazine. But in the corner there were spider webs building. Dust seeping slightly. It was hard living the good life. The outside was always creeping back in.

"Its not like you think it is." She told him so slowly.

"But it is. Its just like I think it is. You, messed around with your best friend's husband. And what do I get? Nothing. Not a damn thing." He kept staring at the tiles as if maybe he'd find some solitude now in all this, but he hadn't.

"You're gonna be just fine, Casey." She informed him.

"Well, I don't think you give a damn. I just wish you'd tell me the truth. Just once, tell me the truth!" He demanded as his dark eyes were engrossed with anticipation. He would have kicked something, but he told Nina he had to go to the bathroom. He didn't want her calling 911 if she heard him breaking something.

"You always had food to eat, and you never went without." She reminded him.

"Yeah, thanks to Grandy's thrifting and canning everything from the garden." Casey lashed back.

"What is it, that you want? Money?"

"Its not the money." He closed his eyes. He just wanted real family reunions and people he could call his Aunt or Uncle. He wanted to be able to call his real dad, Dad.

"If its the money you want. Then you'll want to talk to your grandmother." His mother told him.

"Grandy has no money." Casey didn't even know why they were talking about this.

"Yes, but the Gilberts do." She told him.

"Gilberts?" Casey squinted hard.

"They know who you are." She told him. "I just didn't have it in me, to let them see you, when you were little. But they're so old now. I don't think they'd care if you weren't really their grandson."

Casey let out a breath. Just all he needed, more lies.