Piecing the puzzle

 "Hold up, wait a minute," Jay shook his head, after listening to Jody's rant about Charlie. 

"What?" She looked at him puzzled, holding the cold Blue Moon beer in her hand. It was all he had in the fridge that might cool off that hot temper of her's. He did wonder how Jody's boyfriend Andrew handled her. Jody was so much like mom, too high strung for her own good.

He sighed, "Quit calling him Dad, he's not even your dad." Jay clicked off the TV, no way was he going to watch Dateline now.

"But-" His little sister was in a pout as she plopped herself down on the couch.

"Yeah, I know you never met your real one. Charlie's been around since you were two, but did that bastard ever adopt you? No. So there." Possibly, Jay was blunter than he meant to be, but his sister needed to get her facts straight. If there was anyone who had been a father to her, it was him. But it wouldn't do much good to bring it up. 

"We're family," she was hurt that her Dad (Charlie) wouldn't take her calls nor text. She reminded Jay, his daughter Cara was like a sister.

Jay sighed more wishing his little sister would forget about Charlie and even Cara. It wasn't worth it.

"Just don't worry," Jay said hugging himself, thinking Amanda, his wife, should be home by now. She'd gone out with friends for a baby shower. "Mom will somehow bounce back." He shrugged, remembering how she was when he was growing up. Life was a party. She met friends at the bar. It wasn't nearly as happy as his mother might recall, but she always found a way, usually with a new man.

"She..she could go off the deep end." Jody nursed the beer and asked him if he had any snacks. She'd forgotten to eat dinner.

Jay went to see if he had any frozen patties in the freezer. He fried up a burger for her and one for his Amanda who never liked to eat at places she thought she might catch food poisoning.

It wasn't long until Amanda showed up. Of course, all smiles and happy to see Jody. No matter how pissed Jody could be, it never bothered Amanda.

The girls ate and Jay cleaned up. He went out with his black lab Bean to have a smoke. Seriously, he was staying out of his mother's way. He didn't want to know what was going on with her. Separating from the husband she'd been with all these years was good riddance in Jay's mind. What did Jody ever see in Charlie?