JAY
You know what I did today? No? You’ll never guess. I talked to her. Yeah, that’s right; to mother.
Mother on the phone and I could tell that she was drinking; don’t ask how but I just know, okay? Scotch and water. Little sips between sentences. Oh it was silent as a ghost but I could hear it. The ice must have melted cause it made no sound-- but I could feel those cubes click anyway. Little men with little hammers in my skull.
Beat.
Do you know what she said to me? I can’t believe she had the nerve. She said, “Jay, Nathan is in town, and you’re going to have him over.”
Seems a little presumptuous, huh? But she insisted. “Nathan’s your brother, Jay.” She said ‘brother’ the way religious people say ‘Jesus’. Said it like meant something special.
Brothers? What’s so special about brothers? I had four of them, always running around with their ding-dongs out, demanding things. And sisters, three of them. Not so special, neither. They had to get fierce since they were outnumbered. They were all teeth, the sisters. Teeth and claws and sass, like a little posse of cats.
There comes a knock on the door.
I gave in in the end though. Said he could come over. And that’ll be him now.
At a shout:
Come in!
