When A Leader Follows

Chapter 2

Jase started high school yesterday, my baby is a freshman. I'm so proud of him. Today is the 7 year anniversary of Sadie's death. Every year we go out and have a nice fancy dinner. This year we are going to a sushi place off of Main Street. It always brings us both up, feeling like one of the upper-class for a night (even though we kind of are every night). Last year, he came out to me as gay during dinner. We were out till 2:30 in the morning, shopping, eating, painting the town red. Best night I'd had in a long, long while.

"Mom? Can we go shopping like last time? Please? And go get icecream from Uncle Jaidyn's!" The last time he smiled this way, we had gotten trapped in the Macy's store at the mall. We had to call the police to come get us out. That was a year ago.

"Haha, yes Jat. But this time let's leave the store when they tell us to. I don't think Sheriff Williams would be very happy to see us again."

"Yeah, probably not huh? Well sick him!" We both laughed hysterically in the Starbucks outside my office. Trying to keep our voices down, which of coarse made us laugh harder, got us some irritated sideways glances. But we didn't care.

That was one of our inside jokes. A few months back, we were listening to the police scanner app on my phone, just for fun. And a few cops were chasing a druggie with a little under 3 pounds of dope in his pocket. One of the police men said that they were gaining on him; so the other one yelled in a Thick-as-syrup, Southern accent, "Well sick 'im!"

"Are you ready to go pick up Mariah? She's probably ready for us by now. And if she's not? We will just sit and chat with Mrs. Rax." Mariah is Jase's best friend since before Sadie died. Megan Rax along with Sadie and I were all good friends since elementary school. "Did she tell you she got new colored contacts?" I'm trying to keep my eyes off the older man with a patchy beard, attempting to have a staring contest with my breasts, from the corner.

"Yes! I saw them Wednesday night when we were out with them, for Lucas's Birthday dinner. He got a new car! He said I could have his old one if you were okay with it. I know you were planning on getting mine though." I could see that he wouldn't mind either way.

"Your choice Sweetie. Doesn't matter to me." I said with an honest smile on my face.  "Let's go get Mariah. Okay? We're gonna be late for the movie. And we have to get her back by 6:45 if we want to make our dinner reservation at Sushi Island on time."

"Oh right! Let's go Mom!" He said with utter delight.