Cecelia chimed in, all fake concern for Alex, "You haven't worked for years. It's been tough on Alex alone. If you needed money, why not just talk to him? Why pull a stunt that hurts everyone?"
Alex backed her up, "Your mom's been hustling at that stall forever, could only see the small gains."
His tone now, just like those girls back then, slagging my mom... It felt unreal, like déjà vu.
For a second, I wondered if the brave guy who stood up for me and my mom was just a figment of my imagination.
Cecelia, all high and mighty. "Get your mom out here, let her clear the air. Say she did it to cash in on Alex's fame. None of this mess is on us."
My heart sank watching them tag-team like this.
My husband, my supposed lifelong partner, here accusing me and my mom without a shred of proof.
He'd written off my mom without even checking the facts.
Mom always treated him like her own. Felt bad for him losing his folks young, sometimes put him first before me.
She'd say we were all he had. "If we don't love him, who will? Poor guy."
Ha, guess he didn't see us as his only family after all.