“Mama!” I shouted as soon as I walked through the front door.
The light in her room was on, which meant that she was awake. I shut and locked the door behind me, shutting off the front light. Then, I kicked off my shoes and turned up the heat in this damn house because it was f*****g cold outside.
When Imani had told me that she spotted Mom on Main Street, I believed her. I didn’t know why; I had trusted Mom for years to do the right thing, but … I couldn’t stop thinking about Mom going back down to where she had gotten r***d.
“João, it’s almost two in the morning.” Mom wiped her tired eyes and padded out into the kitchen. “I’m tired.”
I glossed over her once, looking for any fresh needle marks on her arms, any sign that she had gone down there to get high. The thought killed me on the
