A week after Eli and Angel's return from the wedding, Harris was feeling uneasy. Life was running so smooth he wondered when a monkey wrench would jam the cogs. He'd taken first place in Albuquerque without even a pulled muscle and their next stop was Santa Fe. Eli and Angel were running his career like a well oiled machine with no complaints from sponsors or fans. Lucinda tagged along with him during the day, taking notes and pictures and looking adorable. As for Larry, he kept pretty much to himself and appeared healthier than he had since Harris stumbled across him. So, for Harris, his seemingly perfect life had him wondering when a boulder would drop.
He didn't have to wait long.
The day after their arrival in Santa Fe there was a knock on his RV after he, Eli, and Larry had cooked up a breakfast of bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, hash browns, pancakes, and biscuits. Since they were waiting on the girls to arrive, they assumed the knock was from them. Harris was flipping pancakes and Eli was pulling biscuits from the oven, so Larry said, "I'll let the girls in."
The next thing Harris heard was his mother's screech of, "Oh, my God!" He jerked his head toward the door just in time to see Larry backing away with his hands in front of him, as if warding off a monster. Then he turned, mouthed "Tooty" to Harris, and fled the room through the driver's door.
Harris looked at Eli, and Eli looked at Harris. Eli said low, "Bro, this is your dance. You handle it."
Squeezing his eyes tight and inhaling a calming breath, Harris prepared himself for his mother's wrath. When he reached the front door, she simply stared up at him with bewilderment. He opened his mouth to explain but she shouted, "I came here to surprise you and what do I find?" She placed a hand over her heart and yelled, "The devil himself!"
Speaking evenly, Harris said, "Mom, calm down. Just come in and sit down and we'll talk about it."
His mother's face became a mask of horror as she climbed the two steps into the RV and glanced around.
"He's not here," said Harris. "Have a seat, Mom."
Eli interjected inanely as he tossed Harris' burned pancake into the sink, "Are you hungry, Mom? We made a great breakfast."
Tooty replied just as inanely, "I don't call burned pancakes great," before plopping on the couch and dropping her purse on the floor.
Harris sat in the chair opposite his mother and searched his mind for words to explain.
Eli said, "I'll call Angel and Lucinda and tell them breakfast is off."
Tooty crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm waiting for your sorry-ass explanation, Harris."
Harris rubbed his temples. "Let me start at the beginning." He then began his tale with the bartender who had pointed out Lucky Larry mopping the floor. When he finished his mother said, "Miles is not going to like this; not at all."
Irritated, Harris retorted, "The guy's already admitted he's a jerk. What more do you and Dad want? He's got health issues, he ekes out a living, and he admits to all his wrongs. And," his voice rose in volume, "he's my father, so I'm not going to turn him out on the street."
Tooty's voice also rose. "He's not your father! Miles is your father!"
Exasperated, Harris said, "Of course Miles is my father, but I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Larry."
His mother's expression of anger outraged Harris even more, so he forcefully said, "Mom, since when did you become a grudge bearer? How is it that you found it in your heart to forgive Dad's old girlfriend, Monica, after she humiliated you, but you can't forgive the man who sired me? What's going on?"
Tooty's expression registered shock and Harris almost wished he could take the words back. But his mother needed a wakeup call. Unexpectedly, her face crumpled and that's when Harris wished he could take the words back.
Tooty covered her face with her hands and sniffled, "You just don't know how bad things were. He was awful when I told him I was pregnant and even accused me of lying. Then he showed up at my door when you were four demanding visitation rights if I didn't give him money." She released a huge sob. "But Miles was there and told him to get lost. After that he had his attorneys draw up a contract giving Larry a lot of money if he promised to leave forever." She glanced up. "I bet you didn't know about that. So what do you think of Lucky Larry now?"
Harris moved to sit beside his mother and place his arm around her shoulders. "Mom, you're just going to have to trust me that Larry isn't the same man he once was. And I already know about the contract. He told me the first time I confronted him."
"He-he did?"
"Yes."
Tooty placed her head against Harris' chest and softly cried. "I was so young and scared and my family wanted me to give you up for adoption, but I wasn't about to give my baby away."
Harris glanced at Eli in the kitchen, his expression a mixture of sadness and pity. He supposed his brother was seeing a side of their mother he hadn't known existed: a young, scared, unwed teenager, whose own mother and father almost disowned her. Harris remembered when it was just the two of them against the world. He remembered hearing his mother cry herself to sleep and promise that someday they'd have their own home.
While Tooty continued to softly cry, Eli walked to the couch and sat on the other side of her. He also placed an arm around her shoulders. "Mom, maybe its time to forgive the past. When Harris showed up with Larry I was really angry, but after I got to know him, I found out he's an okay guy. Maybe he was a creep years ago, but I truly believe he's changed."
For several minutes, Tooty continued to cry, then she sat up straight and said, "You're right, Harris and Eli, it's time to leave the past where it belongs. Life's too short to carry grudges. I need to talk to Larry."