Scott's Stepmom

Scott slowed down and turned the bike around, heading back toward Franklin and the exit that would lead him to Meadow Park and a reunion he wasn’t sure he was ready for.

When they pulled into the park Suzie stretched her arms.

“Ow,” she said.

“Yeah you were holding on pretty tight there.”

“Not that you minded.”

“So how did you like it?”

“I loved it. Take me riding again some time?”

“Sure.” It was the moments when Suzie wasn’t flirting or teasing with him, but just talking with him that he found her the most appealing. He didn’t want the games or the show, he had enough of both of those to last a lifetime. He wanted, no, he needed someone that would be real with him.

“Where are we?”

“Oh yeah, you never saw my home before.”

“Wait, you lived here?” Her surprise was easy to pick up on.

Scott was a little offended, but he understood, Suzie lived in a big house that was always kept clean and in good shape. By comparison, a rusty trailer with a poorly kept lawn and trash bags stacked up against the siding would be tough to see.

“Yeah, ten years of my life, after my dad left.”

Scott walked up and knocked loudly.

“Martha, you here?”

He heard the sound of hurried steps, and the door swung open.

“Scott!” the voice yelled, as the speaker stood perfectly still, just looking at him. There was a lot of baggage floating to the surface in that moment, and neither Scott nor his step-mother knew how to go forward.

“Hello ma’am, I’m Suzie.” She said stepping forward and offering her hand.

Martha took it, “Its so nice to meet you Suzie, please come in.”

The floor inside wasn’t even and some spots felt like your foot might go through the boards.

It looked the same as he remembered, dingy brown walls, the same old yellow carpet with layers of stains and occasional burn marks.

Martha was smoking a cigarette, but quickly put it out.

“Sorry, can I get you something to drink, I’ve got Diet Cola and light beer.”

“I’ll take a Cola, thanks.” Suzie said. Scott was surprised, Suzie was handling this situation a lot better than he was.

“So how do you and Scott know each other, Suzie?” Martha asked while digging in the fridge.

“I’m Doug’s sister.”

“You mean Dougie Carter? Wait, you’re little Suzie Carter?”

Martha stood there looking at her and Scott.

“I’m not little anymore.”

“I can see that, well, it’s a pleasure to meet you again. How long have you two been an item?” Martha handed Suzie her cola and set a beer in front of Scott.

“Oh, we aren’t dating, I’m just tagging along, showing Scott around.”

“Oh, my goodness, I’m sorry.” Martha was shaking she was so nervous. She lit up another cigarette then realized she was inside.

“I’m sorry, can we sit outside, I’ve been so nervous and I try to not smoke inside.”

They moved outside, and it felt a little less suffocating.

“How have you been Martha?” Scott asked.

Martha **** a smile, “Well, I’ve been clean for two years now, so that’s the biggest thing.”

“Really?” Scott asked, looking skeptical.

“Yeah, I don’t blame you if you don’t believe me, but things got bad after you left, ended up running some kids off the road and crashing, the judge was really nice and I ended up in rehab.”

“No one got hurt?”

“No, they didn’t even crash their car, so I got off easy, they could easily have died and I’d be locked up now.”

“And you’ve been clean since?”

“Yeah, I have to go once a week to get tested, if I fuck up, I’m back in jail.”

Martha looked like she was about to start crying. “I’m sorry Scott, you were right to leave, I was so messed up, and you were just a kid.”

Scott took her hand, “It’s okay Martha, I’ve never blamed you.”

Martha had been gorgeous when she was younger, years of hard stress, smoking and **** had aged her, but she was still very attractive. She wasn’t that old either, she was only 13 years older than Scott, she had married his father when Scott was 6, and when Scott’s dad left two years later, she took care of him like she was his own mother.

“You made mistakes, but you tried, you took care of me when I had nobody.”

“I wish I was a better mother to you.”

“I know, but you need to stop beating yourself up over everything that went wrong.”

“Besides, look at Scott now, he’s amazing.” Suzie seemed to genuinely want to help. “He wouldn’t be such a good man if he wasn’t raised right.”

Just then a truck pulled up.