I scoffed. "I'm in my fifties, and you want me to grovel with my wallet?"
He must have been terrified I'd hang up, because his voice went stiff and serious.
"Muriel's trying to fix things between you two. She even wants to take you shopping for clothes at the mall. So quit being difficult and stop stirring up trouble."
That caught me off guard.
But then I thought about it. He was still my son. Maybe this was just his clumsy, roundabout way of making peace without losing face.
I could live with that.
I grabbed my coat and headed for the mall.
When I got there, Muriel was holding a cup of coffee that probably cost five bucks. She didn't greet me, didn't even glance my way. She just turned on her heel and walked into a women's clothing store.
I took a few deep breaths and followed her inside.
She drifted through the racks without interest, then looked me up and down.
"Where's your clearance section?" she asked the sales associate. "The cheapest stuff you've got."
I blinked, not quite processing it. Before I could say a word, Muriel turned to me with a saccharine smile.
"Don't overthink it. I just feel like someone your age shouldn't be wearing anything too nice."