Almost numb, she was fully aware that her confident walk and talk was all make-believe while a mushiness of raw nerves sat directly underneath the surface. JJ was such a blessing to her, especially through this recent event with her father. Her son made everything seem so simple that sometimes she forgot he was a teenager, until he’d remind her of it with his behavior. “JJ, stop it. Will you please calm down?” she reprimanded him as he bounced of the walls and peeked in every room they walked past. “Okay, okay.” “Did you have too much soda or something? You’re acting like a child.” “I am a child,” he snapped back, and then, as if to stave off the impending fight, he winked and smiled. “I’m seeing my grandpa for the first time. I can’t help it.” She resisted the urge to slap him and walked on in silence while he hopped around Aunt Jessie. “What do you think, Auntie?”
