Dana groaned as she turned onto her street, her whole body shivering
with what she’d seen. Parked in front of her house was her parents’
car, and her mother was on her porch, pounding on the door.

“Oh *****!” she sighed. “Now what?”

“Drive on by, honey,” Tonya soothed, reaching out and caressing Dana’s
cheek. “Maybe they won’t see us. We canI don’t know, go for coffee or
something and wait for them to leave.”

Dana swiveled her head and looked at her wife. “Tonya, you don’t know
my mother. When she doesn’t want to see me, the National Guard couldn’t
find her. And when she does, the Marines can’t stop her. She’s a
Republican, for god’s sake!” Dana almost yelled, letting out a long
sigh from her perfect lips.

Tonya patted her hand. “Well, sweetie, you know best. Let’s just go get
this over with. Whatever this is.” Tonya said reassuringly.

Dana pulled into her driveway, turned off the ignition, and got out of
the car, legs a little shaky at the thought of yet another
confrontation with her mother. “Hi, Mom! I wasn’t expec—” Dana began,
but Sharon cut her off.

Sharon Fairbanks wheeled around and screamed, “How COULD you!” Face
red, eyes swollen, she appeared on the verge of a stroke. She stepped
down off the porch and steamrollered toward Dana, who took two steps
back and slammed into Tonya who wrapped her arms around Dana in
protection.

“Uh, how could I what, Mom? I don’t.”

“How could you let THIS happen?” She waved a sheaf of papers in Dana’s
face. Dana blinked, thinking her mother had seen the billboard and she
sighed.

“What? This what?” Dana’s face contorted in confusion, grabbing at the pages.

“THIS!” Sharon bellowed, and held the pages up, one at a time in a badly shaking hand. Dana gasped.

“Oh God!” Dana went pale and covered her mouth with her hand. “I don’tMom, believe me.”

“What is it?” Tonya craned her neck around from behind Dana’s head,
trying to see. Tonya saw and then she looked away, her mouth working on
words that didn’t come to her.

“They were taken at YOUR wedding party!” she spat the last two words out as if they were poisonous.

“How do you know? Mom, I .” Dana began, her hands in front of her as if praying to the Alter of Sharon.