Mariah and Midler sat on the couch staring at the young boy. It was supposed to be their date night but there was other plans. The couple had even gotten Hol Horse to agree to watch their kid, Manny. Not actually Hol Horse himself, but his adoptive kids Oingo and Boingo said they'd take good care of him. Yet here they were sitting on the ugly yellow couch that was a few decades overdue staring at Dio's son. The walls were painted a beige color and there were no decor on the walls. It was definitely a man's house.
The kid was sweet; he told them hi when his father ushered them into the house before disappearing into one of the back rooms.
"What's your name little guy?" Midler asked. She was better with the small talk and overall mood. Mariah sat beside her wishing she was outside smoking a cigarette.
"I wanna be called Gio," he responded.
"OK Gio, I'm Midler and this grumpy butt is Mariah," (insert a 'hi Ms. Midler and hi Ms. Mariah' here from Gio) "so what are you doing here?"
"I dunno," he said looking at the ceiling, "I didn't want to be home…and I'm hungry."
After that sentence, Dio finally peered out from behind the hallway wall. He motioned for Mariah to follow him. She rose and rolled her eyes. Midler volunteered herself to keep an eye on Gio. Dio, for once, had the decency to put a shirt on. Normally he lounged around the house topless with his roommates, the D'arby brothers, coming and going as they pleased.
Mariah stood in front of closed door to Dio's room. She crossed her arms and gave him a steady gaze. The only furniture in the room was his bed and a small nightstand that boasted a lamp sans shade. The bed was unmade. The brown sheets more on the floor than on the actual bed.
"Don't tell me you're afraid of the kid," Mariah said.
"No I, Dio, am not afraid of him. It's just weird."
"I bet but then again I'm not the one hiding from my son. You can't even deny it. I mean, his hair's black but he sure as hell looks like you."
"I'm not denying him! But to have your kid of things to show up on your doorstep is a bit terrifying."
"Mhmm, whatever. I'd love to help you more Dio but me and my wife have reservations," Mariah reached for the doorknob.
Dio grabbed the sleeve of her blouse. He stared at her with his intrusive eyes. He was a massive man that towered over her. They were so close to each other that Dio could have easily placed his hands around her neck and snap it. "Can you at least take him? You both are doing so good at raising your own kid, what's his name?"
"Our son's name is Manny. You should know this Dio. We've been your neighbors for years now."
"Forget that. But you two are far more suitable to raise this boy instead of me. I, Dio, cannot continue my lifestyle with him around the house."
"It was that lifestyle that brought him into this world. I hate to break it to you Dio but maybe it's time for you to own up to your consequences."
With that, Mariah left the room. She gathered her wife in the living room who was playing word games with Gio.
"Sorry buddy but Ms. Midler has got to come with me," Mariah said giving a little smile.
Dio had reappeared from the back and awkwardly in the middle of the hallway. His eyes shifted over to the kid then back to the ladies as if for a final plea that they would take the boy with them. They did not. The couple left the house after Midler promised Gio that she would come visit him again.
The sun had set an hour or so before but the grass was already a bit damp. It was probably from the humidity. The weatherman had said that there were a chance of scattered showers. Nothing that they would need an umbrella for. Midler stopped at her rose bush that separated their house from Dio's. She fingered a rose bud before following her wife to the vehicle. The two crawled into their SUV: Mariah in the driver's seat and Midler in the passenger's. Their son's booster seat sat in the back. Hol Horse said they were going to spend a night in so they won't be needing it.
They drove in silence. The light posts created slants of light that passed their faces with no empathy. It was at the second red light when Midler broke the silence.
"Gio was abused," she simply said.
Mariah looked at her wife. She was staring out the window with her mouth in her hand. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail. Mariah could see that there were tears pricking in her eyes in the reflection.
There was a lump in her throat, so she swallowed before speaking, "What did he say?"
"Something along the lines that she would put him in a dark place and his stepdad said he was very bad so he deserved to be punished. I mean I'm paraphrasing it but holy shit I'm so glad he got out of there."
The light had turned green but Mariah didn't drive forward. The cars behind them honked before driving around them. She just stared at her wife before noticing that the light had changed. She pulled off the road onto the parking lot of a gas station. There were a few cars parked at the pumps but most of the people were inside the store searching for some night snacks. The gear was put in park and Mariah crawled over the central console. She held her wife in her arms and kissed the top of her forehead. Midler smelled faintly of rose petals and talcum powder. They held each other for a few minutes. Muffled sobs rose from Midler while Mariah fought the urge to cry also. The moment passed and Midler finally drew herself away.
"Ha whoops, I guess I messed up my makeup," she laughed.
"We don't have to go to the restaurant tonight. We can just go home and relax like usual. There's some tv dinners in the fridge."
"No, no. We finally got out the house and I brought my mascara along."
Midler flipped the sun visor down and grabbed a napkin out of the glove box. She wiped away the black running lines of makeup. Mariah crawled back to her side of the car and pulled back onto the road.