A Mother and Her Son

A Mother and Her Son Chapter Three (Lenn Meet Motto)

The two women spent most their free time together. Lenn didn't even knock anymore. She'd just let herself in. Sometimes Grijs wasn't there, it was just Her... and the 11 year old.
Lenn would sit silently, organising Grijs' old pictures. The boy... he'd watch from afar, not daring to even come close to the other woman.
Lenn would sometimes spot him, give him a friendly smile along with a wave. He'd just duck behind counters.
She got lots of nasty notes, his handwriting neat. "Get out of my home... I don't like you."
She'd laugh and fold the note up, sliding it into her pocket. Lots of harsh glares were delivered... but smiles and waves were given in return.
But yet, he persisted. Tossing note after note at the woman.
"Get out."
"This isn't your home crackhead."
Day after day, there was more notes. Notes slid into her jacket, coffee. She still kept coming, and he continued writing.
"F*ck you, get out of my house." Lenn read over the note and looked up at the boy who peeked over the counter. He ducked down and Lenn carefully folded up the note.
"That wasn't very nice." She whispered and the boy sat on the floor behind the counter, tears running down his cheeks. "What's your name? Your mother never told me."
He peeked out, her eyes bloodshot. He raised his hands shakily. "M O T T O." He signed. Lenn hummed, opening her computer trying to find a signing chart.
"M... O... TT... O. Your name is Motto..." she said and he nodded frantically. "Well Motto... I'm Lenn, can we have a little talk?" She asked. He froze up and looked down at his hands. "It's okay... I can come over there..." she said picking up a notepad and pen. She slowly sat down and he snatched the notepad and pen. She watched him as he quickly wrote on the paper.
"It's not that I don't love you... it's the sound of a hand or belt to my mothers back as she leaned over me to protect me. The sound of the door slamming when she left us, I swear it shook the house." He wrote and Lenn stared wide eyed.
"I-I'm Sorry." She mumbled, her voice trembling.
"She drank and drank, she broke bottles over tables. She threw bottles. She took pill after pill."
Lenn continued watching, tears welling up in her eyes. "Oh, my god." she mumbled.
"When she left... it was almost if mama died." he finished, then looked up at Lenn who had tears streaming down her tanned cheeks.