I don’t know how she’d managed to keep news of her sacking private this long but no one here seemed to know that she was unemployed.
She sat up front looking like what the world believed her to be. There were people there from the magazine as they had been invited before everything had gone down.
I wonder what those who really knew her were thinking as they sat there hearing her accolades? At least one person involved wasn’t a fan, because they had allowed Josh to have his five minutes.
That could be because I’d added my weight and told the organizers that it was just a little thank you we’d put together.
When it was time for Josh to do his thing, I thought he would be nervous or wanting to pull out. She was still his mother after all. But I had underestimated his resentment of her he was only too gung ho when the guy signaled him to get ready.
Kitten grabbed my hand and squeezed when he disappeared behind the curtain. She didn’t know what was about to take place but she knew it wasn’t going to be good for aunt Marion.
I couldn’t find it in me to feel sorry for what was about to happen. I’d finally got ahold of the woman that had approached us in the museum.
She was an actress or was training to be one. Marion had approached her with a job offer, convincing the unsuspecting young woman that she was just playing a harmless joke on an old friend.
She was mortified and full of apologies when I told her the truth, but I couldn’t blame her it wasn’t her fault.
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen, none of you here know me so let me introduce myself. I’m the new editor of La Femme magazine.”
I noticed he didn’t give his name just his title, that’s how we’d planned it. Marion might not recognize her son but she sure would recognize his name, the name her aunt and uncle had given him.
“I’m here tonight to honor my mother…” There were a lot of murmurs throughout the room. Many were just realizing that he was claiming the job title that had been Marion’s for the past five years.
Some people sat forward in their seats sensing that something big was about to happen. Marion was looking around at a lost and Kitten was digging her nails into me.
“Most of you know Marion Chester as the vibrant business woman you see here before you tonight. I bet none of you knew she grew up on a dirt farm in rural Nebraska.” The titters were getting louder and all eyes were shifting to the lady of the hour.
“What you farther don’t know, is that little Marion was quite the slut…”
“Oh shit.” I mumbled under my breath, the boy was going off script.
Now the murmurs were turning into sounds of outrage.
“Such a slut was dear old mom that when she turned up pregnant at fifteen she had no idea who the father of her child was.” It was then Marion jumped to her feet and started demanding security to remove the young man who had obviously been paid by someone out to discredit her.
No one paid her any mind they were too busy trying to hear every word of the young man’s discourse. Cameras rolled and flashbulbs went off.
Some people were even using their cell phones to record.
“If that wasn’t bad enough, she found a gullible aunt and uncle to take responsibility for her mistake with the promise that if they footed the bill for her education she would one day come back for that child.”
Kitten was crying and holding onto me as she listened to her friend tell his story of abuse at the hands of the people who had promised to care for him but who had lost all interest when their niece reneged on their deal and instead of coming back for him abandoned her son in a most spectacular way.
“I guess I should thank you for not flushing me mom. Congratulations on all you’ve achieved.” With that he left the podium.
The place was in an uproar. Marion went from being lauded to shunned in the space of five minutes.
I guess most could forgive a fifteen year old girl her indiscretions but they couldn’t overlook the woman turning her back on her own blood once she’d made it.
I grabbed Kitten and headed for the door but not before making eye contact with Marion one last time.
Josh refused my offer to come back to the apartment, he just wanted to be alone he said but he’d be by tomorrow.
I took Kitten home with plans to put her to bed early. She was still a little raw yet and tonight had been a bit too much.
When we reached the apartment, she just crawled into my lap and cuddled while I held her close and soothed her.
“Are you okay baby, it wasn’t too much?”
“No, I’m fine. I just feel so bad for Josh. What an awful woman.” We sat in silence after that before I took her to bed and loved her until she fell asleep.