Listen for the Lie

by Amy Tintera

“Men say shit,” Mom says, and I reel back in surprise at the curse. We’re a bad influence on her. “They talk and talk and sometimes it’s horrible, but that’s the way they are. It doesn’t mean anything.” “Of course it means something,” Grandma says. “They wouldn’t say it if it didn’t mean something.

“You’re not fucking me and my grandma, are you? That would really bum me out.” “I am not fucking your grandma. Honestly, I don’t think Beverly could fit me into the rotation. She has a lot of men coming around.”

She answers the door with a rightfully annoyed expression. This is what she gets for inviting me over. There are real benefits to not letting me know where you live.

I can’t believe I just spent over three weeks in my hometown. I deserve a medal.