Lisa Djahed - Bee Stanis 01- The Foolish Stepmom Read Free Page B

big.”
    “Oh Jesse, just hang on. Have you spoken with your lawyer?” Drew had hired a big gun of a lawyer to get Jesse’s sentence reduced to a juvenile crime but because of the amount of pot they found, he was sentenced to a year house arrest and five year’s probation, with adjudication withheld.
    “He won’t take the violation without more money.” Of course. You couldn’t even call a lawyer these days without first giving your credit card number for a retainer. And how was Jesse supposed to get money, with Drew dead.
    “Jesse, who is going to take care of things, the estate, that kind of thing?”
    “I guess my mom, when they find her. Can you go to the gym that Ray works at and find out if he left a number? I need her here . ” Jesse sounded so sad.
    “Of course, it’s the Workout World on Malabar right?”
    “Yes, thank you.”
    “Jess, you don’t need to thank me, what else can we do for you?”
    “Is there any way I could get some commissary money, I just need $20 to get some candy bars.”
    “Sure Jess, we’ll put it in tonight.” Just then the two minute warning lady came on to tell us to wrap it up.
    “We have to go now Jess, you take care of yourself, keep to yourself, pray if you can, this will all work out. We’ll get through this, we’ll find your mom and it will all be over soon.” I could strangle his mom for abandoning him this way.
    “Bye Bee, thanks for the commissary.”
    Poor Jess. Eighteen, in prison, in maximum security like he’s some dangerous criminal. He had two pot plants growing in his backyard and was caught dealing to a 17 year old kid who ratted him out. It was a felony charge, third degree. Five to seven years in prison. By the grace of god it was reduced .I hate to see stupidity treated like a crime. There is a difference between being plain dumb and being malicious. Jesse was not malicious.
    Not like Julie. Woops, did I say that out loud? It was time for me to pick her up and take her to dance class. She was studying dance only to improve her chances to get on the Junior Varsity Cheerleading Squad. After a failed attempt in ninth grade, she wanted to be on the squad so bad but didn’t want to put in any effort. It took all of our persuasive powers and some bribery to get her to try it again, with training this time. Ben and I were concerned about her, about her willingness to give up things because they were too hard. We were trying to teach her a lesson about perseverance, but I’m not sure it was really sinking in.
    Does anything you say to a teen sink in? Or do they just hear “blah, blah, blah, blah, blah”?
    I pulled up to the front of the school.
    “Your late.” Nice greeting and how are you my lovely step daughter from hell.
    “Well, sorry, Jesse called and I had to take the call. How was your day?” Oh lovely child. Ben had to work on my sarcastic baiting of Julie. I used to snip back when she snipped at me and soon enough: cat fight. Ben “trained” me not to take the bait, but I can still think sarcastic thoughts at her. He can’t stop me in my own head.
    “Fine.”
    “What’s going on with Jesse? Is he getting out? Do they think he killed Drew?” that was the most that Julie had talked to me in months.
    “No he didn’t kill Drew, Drew died of an overdose, we think. But no, he’s not getting out.”
    And that was that. The extent of our “girl” talk for the 14 minutes it took to get to class. Ben was always trying to get me to bond more with Julie. But it is like pulling teeth with a broken rusty plumber’s wrench. Beyond painful.
    After I dropped off Ms. Snot Breath- “see you in an hour” followed by a “ hurrmph” on her part, I drove the five minutes to Workout World. The local strip club atmosphere gym that Ray, Bev’s boy toy, worked at. I was never a fan of co-ed gyms, there’s just too much testosterone looking for a landing pad for my taste. Give me an all girls gym with rich little ole ladies any day. But pump iron