Chapter 10

Rio waltzed in with two cups of coffee, dangling one to Agatha above the bed. “Morning.”

Agatha sat up slowly and took the cup. She had a lot on her mind since the night before, but felt at a loss for how to describe any of it. How did one explain what was going on in their head if they didn’t even know?

She sipped at her coffee and found that it had a lot of flavors she liked, “This is pretty good.”

Rio smirked. “I paid attention to which cookies you went after online, I know a lot about spices, I’m half Puerto Rican.”

Agatha folded her fallen hair behind her ear. “You seem to watch me a lot…” She smirked as she looked into dark eyes. “I’m still on this stalker theory.”

Rio shrugged. “I saw something I liked, I did my research.”

Agatha leaned forward. “You know, I had thought that having my tarot card be the three of swords was pretty terrible, but death? How do you explain that one?”

Rio snorted. “It’s not like I put it on all my dating profiles. ‘Come to the show,” She lifted her hands like she was shooting a scene. “50/50 chance of destruction or rebirth.” She licked her lips as a little drop of coffee had lingered. She sighed, content, before glancing at the woman in the bed. “You know… we probably should learn a little more about each other on the way to your parents’ house today. Kinda important to know more than just your coffee order… and your tarot card.”

Agatha tilted her head in thought. “Fair enough. So what’s the story with the ex with the homophobic mother?”

Rio glanced at her sideways. “Oh, we’re discussing exes already? This should be fun.” She shrugged. “There’s not much to tell. I had thought she was… pretty.” She shrugged. “We had a good time in bed, but the closeted thing… was a bit much for me.” She swirled her cup. “I told myself after that if I was going to be anything to anyone that I was never going to be a secret again.”

Agatha leaned back into her pillows listening. “The mom caught you together didn’t she.”

Rio smiled. “Right in the middle of the act.” Her eyes glanced out the window. “Is that something you want?”

Agatha about choked on her drink on the next sip. Coughing up a storm as Rio gently patted her on the back. “No… no, I think just touching or kissing would be enough to send my mother into an early grave.”

Rio rubbed at Agatha’s back eyes looking around the room as if searching for something. The older woman’s head tilted when she thought she spied something and her hand reached out to lift Rio’s hair away from her upper neck, having thought she spotted a tattoo on their first night together but now more curious as to what it was, “What’s this?”

Rio lifted a finger to tap at Agatha’s hand. “A tattoo.” She said flatly. Her smile came a moment later. “It’s a Japanese death flower.” She looked a bit lost for a moment. “I really lean into the whole “death” thing. I’ve always been a bit drawn to the darker things in life. Not like that was ever accepted.”

Agatha ran her thumb gently over the tattoo. “It’s beautiful.” At Rio’s smile she continued her questions. “So, you didn’t have homophobic parents. That must have been nice.”

Rio shrugged. “They were… distant. Especially when my sister died. I just… didn’t feel anything at the time and that wasn’t… accepted.” She leaned back slightly. “They stopped speaking to me. Luckily I had finished law school, because they pulled any and all funding to get back at me.” 

Agatha lifted Rio’s chin. “Well, it seems you showed them. Partner? That’s exciting at any age, but you’re still young so it’s even more impressive.”

Rio smirked. “When my parents dipped, I had this best friend, Alice. She came from Singapourian money. She got us a place and helped me find work. We have always done a pretty good job sound-boarding things off of each other, together have been pretty unstoppable.” She nodded in thought. “Scratch comes from a long line of lawyers. Good kid, young too, but he has gotten everywhere in life on Mommy and Daddy’s money. Sadly, he’s too soft for the work we do a lot of the time. I wish he would follow his dreams and become a writer… he would be good at that. Nicky… her writes songs. He’s” She blew out a breath smiling, “He’s quite good.”

Agatha sat back, playing with her own hair. “Why did you become a lawyer?”

Rio poked her tongue in her cheek, rolling her eyes internally. “Because I love puzzles. I manifest but I’m gifted in other ways.” She nodded towards Agatha’s phone. “Tell me more about cell phone lady.”

Agatha crossed her arms, but her smile remained fond. “Lilia kidnapped me when my ex, the one I ran away with, cheated on me and dumped my ass. Shannon knew what my family life was like and yet… I wasn’t worth even a thought in her head. Lilia found me crying on a bench, somehow she couldn’t walk away and took me home with her. Got me into school, let me stay with her till I was on my feet… she insists that I’m part of her family, but she has a kid and grandkid…”

Rio’s brows drew in. “Why can’t she have space for you, too?”

Agatha looked down into her lap as she shrugged. “No one has space for me… Lilia… she must be insane.” She blew some fallen hair from her face.

Rio sighed, seeming to weigh her next question. “What else should I know about your mom?”

Agatha bristled. She didn’t need Rio digging and asking more questions. Lilia was a safer topic, but she had no intention of telling Rio much about her own experiences with her mother’s abuse.

“She's just your typical hypocrite. Any deviation from god is an abomination, but at the same time she used so many rituals that are, at their core, pagan. I pointed that out a few times and learned not to any more.”

Rio joined her at the head of the bed sitting beside her. “Want me to cast a curse on her? I can.”

Agatha smiled. “I mean… if you’re offering.” She nudged Rio’s shoulder. “So what’s the plan?”

Rio pointed her finger at Agatha and then at herself. “You and me, we give her the show of her life and then we roll out. It’s not going to be hard.” Her eyes swept over Agatha. “I already find you insanely attractive, it’ll be like a nice little holiday for me.”

Agatha snorted. “You haven’t found someone your own age? You need to be chasing any vulnerable MILF in sight?”

Rio licked her lip, her eyes sweeping Agatha’s body with an appreciative gaze. “You’re not that old.” And her head tilted in question. “And you don’t have a kid.”

Agatha shifted and nodded. “Right, but I could have by this age.”

Rio shrugged. “I mean I could have too, but I didn’t.”

Agatha set her cup aside. “Mother wanted me to have a child, but then at the same time– would tell me that anything that might come out of me would surely be wicked. So ya know… I didn’t think it was best to risk it.”

Rio’s face fell. “Agatha, I’m sure you would be a great mother. Did you… did you want children still?”

The woman shrugged. “It’s too late for me.” She let her eyes connect with Rio’s, “I like my life how it is.”

Rio nodded. “Okay, I think I can use this knowledge to my advantage.”

Agatha rolled her eyes. “I think it would be pretty hard to knock me up…”

Rio shook her head, smiling to herself. “Not impossible.”

Agatha glanced at the clock, her fingers suddenly digging into the sheets.. “I really don’t want to go do this today.”

Rio leaned her elbow on the pillow, her head finding her fist. “Then why do it at all?”

Agatha’s fingers twisted in the sheets. “Because it’s… the only thing my father ever did for me, and I want to have the assurance that no matter what, that I have truly gotten away from her for good. Server all remaining ties. Find freedom.”

Rio’s dark eyes took her in without judgement and Agatha started to wonder if maybe she wasn’t so wicked after all if she hadn’t scared Rio away with the little details she had told her. That maybe she had been worthy of Lilia’s love all along and maybe… that her mother was never right about her.