“That may be so, but that is no reason to simply forget about it! And what makes you think I was only blaming your mother? It would do you some good to reflect about your own behavior, young man. No wonder that boy is angry when he has to listen to your insults all the time!” I heard her take a deep breath, as if to calm herself. “Claire, it would’ve only been prudent to at least do the same for him as you did for his siblings, and those two got cars for their sixteenths. Now Tim bought one himself instead, so he clearly wanted one! I also can’t imagine him being happy to pay for everything himself, so don’t even THINK about telling me he wouldn’t have accepted it!” Grandma scolded Logan and Claire.
“We didn’t even know he got his license, Granny!” Logan called out in a whiny tone.
“Logan. I am trying to have a serious discussion with your mother. Not with you! So, stop answering for her and stop distracting her by fondling her.”
There were a few seconds of Logan protesting and assuring Claire how she didn’t do anything wrong, before Grandma finally and firmly threatened to whip him if he couldn’t behave. I smiled at that.
“So, again Claire, how did this happen?”
“I honestly don’t know, Mom. It’s just ... he’s rarely home anymore... ”
“After what I saw during dinner, I can’t really blame the boy! The most praiseworthy thing he seems to have accomplished in his parent’s eyes was that you don’t have to care for him anymore!” Grandma sounded angry by now.
“Of course I do! It’s just ... hard! He doesn’t talk to us anymore either. Any of us. If we talk, it’s always like we’re fighting. We really didn’t even know he had a driver’s license.”
“Well, one of you had to know.” I heard Uncle John partake in the conversation for the first time.
“What do you mean, dear?” Grandma asked, her tone suddenly loving. A stark contrast to the scolding she had handed out until now.
“Minors can’t just walk into the DMV and get a license, Mom. Normally, they need documentation of parent-taught driving lessons, but Tim got around those by asking Bill instead. He’s licensed to give lessons because of that safety course Tim talked about, and so he can teach his men how to handle armored cars. But at the very least, Tim absolutely had to have a guardian’s signature on the paperwork. So, either Claire or Aaron must have signed off on that.” He explained.
“Aaron!” Aunt Danielle called out loudly. “Did you sign off on Tim’s application for his driver’s license?”
“I think ... OH GOD! That’s so good honey, keep going!” His voice was barely loud enough for me to hear his answer, so he must’ve been with Ava.
“Oh, for Christ’s sake, Aaron. If you can’t be bothered to participate in this discussion about YOUR SON, can you and Mike at least stop spit roasting Ava for long enough to answer a simple question!?” Grandma called out, more than annoyed.
