Mom wheeled up and pul ed herself out of her chair for her own Lottie hug. Lottie helped her sit back down, then turned and shot a bleached-teeth, LA smile at me.
“What’re you doing here?” I asked, stil smiling.
“Gotta cal from Lavonne, then from Trixie, then Lavonne again and final y Mom,” Lottie said.
My smile died, and with it, my excitement at seeing Lottie.
“What’d they say?” I asked.
Lottie’s smile died too. “They told me what’s been going on.”
Wonderful.
My hand went back to my hip. “They shouldn’t have done that.”
Her hand went to her hip. “Why not? No, wait, why didn’t you tel me?” she asked.
“I was handling it.”
She shoved my shoulder.
My entire body froze.
“You weren’t handling it, you crazy bitch,” she said.
“That’s what I’m sayin’,” Smithie put in.
Lottie didn’t even know who he was and she nodded at him.
I pul ed out the Double Diva Threat and put both my hands on my hips.
“I’m handling it.”
She shoved my shoulder again.
“Don’t shove me,” I snapped, shoving her back.
“Girls,” Mom warned.
As we had our entire lives, we ignored her.
“You’re crazy,” Lottie told me. “Al this shit going down with Dad and you, workin’ in a titty bar!” I shoved her again. “Nothin’ wrong with working in a titty bar,” I said.
“No, you’re right, there isn’t anything wrong with working in a titty bar, except you working in a titty bar. You aren’t the in a titty bar, except you working in a titty bar. You aren’t the kind of girl who works in a titty bar.”
She shoved me and then she yanked my hair.
“What’s that supposed to mean? And don’t you yank my hair,” I yanked hers back.
“Girls,” Mom repeated, realizing from lots of experience that the hair yank was a significant escalation in hostilities.
“I’l yank your hair if I wanna yank your hair!” She yanked it again and I shoved her. She ignored my shove and kept talking, “Always taking it al on your shoulders, not cal ing, tel ing me you needed money, taking two jobs. You’re an idiot.”
“I’m not an idiot!” I yel ed.
“You are, you should have cal ed,” she yel ed back.
“I didn’t want to worry you. I wanted you to live your life,” I told her.