Free Grounded by Jennifer Smith

~ 1 ~
Dion, Meet Patty
     
    "You simply cannot continue like this!" Ira pounded his fi st on the gold desk in front of him. He glared at Dion, obviously struggling to restrain his desire to commit homicide.
    "Get out! Get out! GET THE FUCK OUT!"
    Dion grinned and bowed deeply. "As you wish," he said without the least bit of remorse evident in his tone, or his demeanor. He backed out of the room, and as he shut the heavy iron door, he heard a muted thud. Dion laughed, imagining his brother throwing something in a fit of rage.
    Not easily provoked, Ira did not usually display such temper, and evoking such rage in him was nearly impossible, but Dion seemed to have a knack for it. He had been able to piss Ira off almost from the moment of his birth. Of course, his brother had been a bit more patient with him when he was a child, but as Dion grew into a young man, Ira’s patience wore thin. Lately, it seemed non-existent. At least where Dion was concerned.
    Dion blew out a breath, still chuckling from his brother’s diatribe. He really would have to try and behave himself. He could behave himself. Of course he could.
    Sometimes.
    Rarely.
    Maybe…
    "Dion," his mother said, appearing in a blue cloud of smoke, "what have you done this time?"
    Dion kissed Aurora’s cheek and she returned the affection. "I don’t know what you mean," he told her innocently.
    "Bullshit," she said flatly. "Your brother rarely takes time out of his day to contact me, yet today, not only did he contact me, h e commande d my presence!"
    Dion raised a brow. "And you obeyed?"
    She waved one elegant hand, as if dismissing the idea. "He is my son and I had nothing else to do this afternoon."
    "What, no storms to gather, no rain, no wind, no mayhem to spread?"
    She smacked him on the back of the head. "Watch it, boy. I am still your mother!"
    "How could I forget?" he answered dryly.
    "Tell me you’ll behave yourself and I won’t have to hear another long, drawn out tirade from your brother. He wants me to ground you."
    "I’m a little old for grounding, Mother."
    "He means permanently," his mother said and cut her eyes up at him, waiting for a reaction. She got what she wanted.
    "Permanently? Permanently! That son of a—"
    "Dion, dear," Aurora said quietly as she grabbed him by the ear just as he turned to go back to his brother’s office. She pulled him down so that his ear was next to her full red lips, and she whispered, "Since I am the bitch you are both sons of, I’m going to tell you one more time. I love you, you’re my youngest child, and very special to me. But believe me, boy, if you don’t calm down, I’ll take you out myself. Got it?"
    Dion gritted his teeth. He clenched his jaw. He curled his hands into fists. "Yes, ma’am," he finally ground out.
    Releasing him, Aurora smiled and patted his hand. "That’s my good boy." Then she was gone on a gentle breeze.
    Dion waited, looked around, wanted to make sure she was really gone. "That smug bastard!" He said aloud. "Telling mommy on me? What, is he five years old? Can’t handle his own shit anymore? Needs his mother to help him with every little thing? Well, fuck him! I’ll do as I damned well please, and if Mr. High and Mighty doesn’t like it, he can kiss my ass!" Having already forgotten the pledge he’d made to behave himself, Dion clenched his jaw and disappeared.
    ~ * ~
    Patty made her way through the crowd on the street. Her feet ached because she’d forgotten her tennis shoes and she was still wearing the black pumps she’d put on this morning before going to work. Now her arms ached from carrying the heavy box filled with everything from her desk. Downsizing. That’s what her boss had said. The company was downsizing and since she was the low person on the totem pole, she was the one who got the axe.
    Now what would she do? It wasn’t like her landlady was going to let the rent go unpaid, nor would the electric company keep her lights on unless they were paid. Same with