Free The Key To Micah's Heart (Hell Yeah!) by Sable Hunter, Ryan O'Leary

should be able to indulge in a piece of effing French toast.
    Madison spotted the open window in the kitchen and walked over to close it. “I’d appreciate it if you kept the windows closed, Mom.” Maybe she was being a bit touchy about the windows being open, but the frustration she felt after Rudy ruined her shower reverie had her in an even more foul mood than when she’d first arrived this morning.
    “I’m sorry, Maddie. I was just trying to get the burnt smell out of your apartment.”
    Rudy had beaten Sunny down so much over the years that even her mother’s smile seemed apologetic. She was always embarrassed to come to her daughter for help, but yet she refused to grow up and take care of herself or leave Rudy. Madison still remembered how devastated she’d felt the day Sunny told her they’d gotten married. Up until that time, her favorite fantasy had been her mom coming home and telling her she’d left Rudy behind. Hugging her mother from behind, Madison apologized. “It’s okay Mom. The toast smells good.”
    “You got powdered sugar around here somewhere?”
    Madison opened the cabinet over the stove. “You know I always keep a canister on hand.”
    “You go have a seat at the table and I’ll bring you a plate.” Sunny dropped two pieces of gooey bread into the pan on the stovetop and Madison went to take a seat to dry her long hair with a towel while she waited.
    “How was the night at your friend’s place?” Sunny asked her daughter.
    Madison tensed. “It was nice, I guess.”
    “What did you girls do?”
    Hedging, she told her mother a half-truth. “We were going to stay in, but ended up going down to Angel House to help feed the homeless.” Perhaps Madison shouldn’t have been so forthcoming about her nocturnal activities, she’d hate for Rudy to ever know where she hid out. But she couldn’t deny how good it felt to sit and talk with her mother.
    “That sounds nice. I haven’t been to Angel House in years, thank God.” The two women shared a laugh. “Rudy’s been finding steadier work the last few years. I’m even thinking about going back to school to get my beauticians license. Rudy thinks I’d be good at doing nails and that kinda stuff. What was on the menu last night?”
    “Oh, Momma,” Madison wiggled with remembered pleasure, “they had the most spectacular brisket you’ve ever tasted.”
    “Brisket? Yum. I remember them usually serving something like beans and rice or canned corn with a stale piece of bread.”
    “I was surprised too, but this man came by and he brought it all with him. You should have seen it, Momma.”
    Sunny could see the stars in her daughter’s eyes as she relived the previous night. “You sure it was the brisket that impressed you so much?”
    Girl talk with her mom was fun and Madison didn’t hold back. “To hell with the brisket. This man was gorgeous. So tall and so handsome.” The butterflies returned as she told her tale. “At first I wasn’t helping, but then he came into the kitchen and got me. We worked side-by-side, dishing up food. It was amazing, Momma. He was amazing.”
    “Sounds like you two hit it off.” Sunny placed a plate in front of her daughter. The mere sight of the toast with all its sticky syrup and sprinkled powdered sugar was enough to give her a cavity. Madison dug in anyway. “When are you going to see him again?” Sunny asked.
    “I wish,” Madison groaned after savoring a bite.
    Rudy came back into the room. “What do you wish?”
    Sunny dropped two more pieces of bread in the pan. “Madison met a man last night.”
    Rudy took a smoke out and lit it from the remnants of his last cigarette, completely disregarding the fact that Madison was eating right beside him. “Did you now?” Madison waited for him to make a nasty comment to her. “What’s he like?”
    The question surprised her. Rudy was a miserable bastard, but even he was capable of being civil, although the frequency of this type of