Free My Sister's Ex by Cydney Rax

my mother, suddenly waltzes in the kitchen. She must’ve just gotten here. I doubt she was invited, but formal invitations never keep her from showing up.
    Mama continues what Perry started: “Yep, that’s her, all right. Miss Loretta—the Whore Whose Tongue Is a Dick Wetter.”
    “Eww, I can’t stand y’all. How can you sit up here and diss my mama? She’s not even here to defend herself.”
    “Believe me, honey, whores and man stealers can’t defend themselves.”
    “Oh, there you go, Brooke. You still can’t get over the fact that Blinky picked my mama over you. That was, what, twenty-something years ago. Get a life, loser.” Marlene laughs like something is funny, but I’ll show her what’s funny. I cock my fist and punch Marlene square in her forehead. Her head snaps back, and she lets out an eerie wail. My knuckles are now burning and that pisses me off.
    “Don’t you talk to my mother like that, you idiot.” I yell at her so loud everyone grows quiet. Jeff runs up to me and grabs my arm, and I reluctantly push him off me.
    “Leave me alone. You have nothing to do with this. You need to run after her , since she’s the one who brought you to this party.”
    “Rachel, please. We should talk. Even though you’re mad, I hate seeing you and Marlene act like this. You shouldn’t be hitting your sister. Apologize.”
    “Nooo,” Marlene butts in. “Let her dumb butt stay dumb. I’m fine. Thanks for being concerned, since no one else is.”
    Face red, my mama forcefully takes me by the hand and leads me to the family room. Alita follows behind us asking, “You need anything, sis? Need a glass of ice water or trash can punch?”
    “She doesn’t need that. She needs to watch who she’s hitting, though, I know that much,” says Marlene, hollering after us and following us into the family room.
    Aunt Perry, who is right behind me, Mama, and Alita, says, “You gotta watch your temper, Rachel. You may be pissed, hell, I’m pissed for you, but you don’t need things to escalate where you catch yourself a case.”
    “Yep, I’m gonna file assault charges on you, Rachel, you hear me?” Marlene screams. I look toward the kitchen, but she’s standing several feet behind me, apparently listening in.
    “Girl, get your fat ass out this room. Nobody’s talking to you, and nobody’s going to sue anybody,” screams my mama. “Dare you to make me mad.” And, like a wise woman, Marlene twirls her big butt around, clamps her mouth shut, and disappears.
    “Dang,” Mama complains. “She is one of the nosiest people, I swear.”
    “It’s cool, Mama,” I say. “I didn’t mean to go off on her, but she’s crossing a line when she says things about you in front of your face. I won’t stand for it.”
    “Well, thanks for defending me. That girl needs to watch herself.”
    “She’ll be all right. She just wants an apology. But don’t worry about her, okay?”
    “Oh, she’s not the one I’m worried about.”
    “You worried about me, Mama?”
    “I don’t want you to go through the shit I went through, Lord knows. It’s like some doggone déjà vu.”
    “Ain’t that the truth,” says Aunt Perry. “I remember like it was yesterday. Shame.”
    “It’s getting crazy,” I say. “None of this makes any sense. How did we get like this? I know I shouldn’t be swinging at her—.”
    “You did more than swing,” Alita murmurs.
    “I know, it wasn’t cool,” I admit. “But she started this. I’m really shocked that she brought my ex to this party. That was pretty bold. Is Marlene that much like her mother?”
    My mama’s eyes are blazing from ancient traumatizing memories. She looks how I feel. Sad. Frustrated. And I know even though things have calmed down a notch, it’s gonna be later rather than sooner before this mess blows over.
    The more I think about myself and my mama and the hurt we’ve been through, the more I know the battle has just begun. I head back to the kitchen to