"You're calling the dog, Max?"

"Yes, what's the problem?"

"It's the name of a white middle-aged, champagne socialist from Hampstead that drives a four by four in the city with the smallest roads on the planet, not a cute puppy, that's the problem."

Natalia sniggered uncontrollably at Lima's comment, catching Gabe's eye. He gave her an amused look and returned to playing with their new puppy in the garden.

It had barely taken a week to crack him. They had driven to the dog pound after work and had visited with a dog that she had read and watched endless videos about online. He was a hound mix puppy, just about a year old and the cutest thing she'd ever seen, followed very closely by Gabe playing with the puppy as the second cutest thing she'd ever seen.

Gabe had approved of her choice, he said the puppy had a high food motivation so he could train it to be more protective, whatever that meant.

"Tell me more about the wedding."

"Lima, I haven't even begun to think about the wedding. I've only been engaged for like a week."

"And? We need to start thinking about dresses and venues and the guest list. Do you want to come to Paris with me in summer? I'll be looking at some French lace for my new line, we can look for dresses there too. If not we can maybe try Milan."

"I'm not going to fly to Paris for a dress, are you tapped in the head?"

"Don't tell me you want to get one of those ghastly American dresses? Oh my god, I think I'm having an asthma attack..."

"Lima, you're such a snob."

"I'm Black, being snobby is a symptom of white supremacy. I'm just a woman with discerning taste."

Natalia laughed again. "Actually, I think I've found the perfect wedding venue, but Gabe needs to get on board first. It's this old barn that needs conversion work but sis, the cute country vibes are unmatched."

"Send me pics ASAP so I can see. I'll help you put together a mood board so you can convince him."

"I'm going to get my way, I ain't worried about that. It's just a lot of hard work involved." Natalia said confidently, eyeing Gabe's muscular back as he threw a ball for the caramel coloured puppy to fetch.

"Wait, you're not thinking of renovating it yourself are you?" Lima asked sceptically.

"Why not? Gabe's handy with DIY, I could learn and plus we have a long summer ahead of us." The plan had started forming in her head as soon as she had seen the property. She was obsessed and spent all her time watching YouTube videos of other people that had converted barns into amazing, aesthetically pleasing homes.

"You're so mad. This is how all your crazy schemes start. This is how you got me designing dresses."

"Okay and? Did you die? You're on your third collection. First two sold out completely, may I add."

"You're right," Lima conceded. "Maybe I should match your crazy and do your wedding dress?"

Natalia gasped. "You would?"

"Bitch, I'm dying to!"

"Oh my god." They both screamed excitedly. The puppy came running over to see what the noise was all about, barking and jumping around where Natalia was seated in the garden. He had a serious case of FOMO and was always looking for the next thrill.

"He's so cute," Lima said from the iPhone screen. "But if you let that dog slobber on your face and eat from your plates I'm disowning you."

Natalia laughed. "That's not my bag at all, tell your friend," she told Lima flipping the camera over so Gabe was in the frame.

Gabe rolled his eyes. "Just cos I'm white don't mean I go around kissing dogs."

Lima and Natalia started cracking up, and that was Gabe's cue to leave. "C'mon, Max. Your Mommy's lost it. Yes, she has." They cracked up even more when they heard his dog voice.

"Oh man, I needed that," Lima said, wiping real tears of mirth away from her eyes. "Okay, I gotta go. I've got a meeting with a stylist in a few minutes."

"Okay, love you."

"Love you more, bitch."

When Natalia went inside, Max was curled up in his new bed in the living room, busily chewing on a bone with the TV on. As if he understood the 9 pm news and Gabe was laying out the table for dinner in their open plan dining area.

Natalia took a seat, on the couch and absently watched the news for a bit. An interesting story caught her eye about a Republican senate nominee and her ears pricked up. She only knew one and that was Gabe's father.

She was right, the imagine of the handsome older man she had met once filled the screen but the headline associated with him made her almost choke on air and fall off the couch.

"Oh my god!"

"You ok?" Gabe asked with concern, coming over to where she was sitting.

He looked over to the television, and had a neutral expression on his face as he watched the video of his father being harassed by paparazzi and the press.

"Judge Mercier, are you dropping out of the senate race?" Someone asked, as he shielded his face with a briefcase and got into a sleek black car.

The image cut to the studio, where the newscaster explained that reports and accounts from multiple sex workers had confirmed that Judge Mercier had soliticed their services for years.

Natalia couldn't believe it.

What a scandal.

Then it came back to her, that threat Gabe had made at the hotel. Where he said he too, could play dirty. He knew what his father had been up to twice weekly for the last 20 years.

Gabe and Natalia looked at each other when the report was over. The silence between them was long and tense. Gabe had a look of apprehension on his face waiting for Natalia to speak.

"Damn, Gabriel. Remind me to never get on your bad side," she said walking over to the kitchen. "I need some wine to unpick this. Wow, why would such a good looking man need to pay for sex?"

"When are you going to stop calling my father, good looking?" Gabe said, still looking perturbed.

"What? He's a very good looking man. I have eyes. You're lucky to have such a good gene pool, I'll be making googly eyes at you until you're 60 at least. " Natalia said with a wiggle of her eyebrows. Her ridiculous statement brought the tension in the room down.

"So I can't relax and grow a gut?" Gabe said his lips forming into a grin.

"Absolutely not, I'll trade you in for a younger model."

"I thought only men did that."

"The world's achanging old boy. Everyone is having a midlife crisis now, not just middle aged white men."

Gabe chuckled as they ate dinner, with Natalia asking questions about how he knew about his father's extramarital activities.

When they had eaten and cleared the table up, there was a knock on the door. Natalia went to get it since she was the closest to it. She was picking up after the puppy and doing some light cleaning, as Gabe washed up the dishes.

She found a crying and gaunt, Elizabeth Mercier on the doorstep with masses of luggage around her.

"Gabriel," Natalia called in panic, not knowing how to deal with this new turn of events. What a crazy evening it was turning out to be.

"Mom?" Gabriel asked, confused when he came to the door.

"I've left him and I have nowhere else to go," the older woman said by way of explanation. With that they obviously had no choice but to let her in.

Natalia made up the guest bedroom for Gabe's mum as he got her something to eat. The poor woman looked tired and miserable, as anyone would on finding out their husband paid hookers for sex. She must have felt humiliated.

Natalia wouldn't know what she would do. She'd probably also run away. But she was dramatic and she'd probably get on a plane somewhere exotic and expensive. She'd charge it all to her husband's credit card and shop her blues away.

Gabe met Natalia in the upstairs hallway as he was carrying his mother's multiple pieces of luggage up the stairs.

"Hey, Natty. Is this okay with you, baby?"

"Of course, Gabe. It's your mother."

"Mmm, you let me know if she says anything out of turn to you."

"I'm a big girl, Gabe. I can handle it."

"Still I — "

"It's fine, your mother needs you. I'll never make you choose between me and her."

"Okay." He pulled her into a tight hug and pressed his lips to her cheek. He was grateful, he worried far too much about her feelings.

"Plus, it's also kinda your fault," Natalia reminded him in a whisper.

He sighed. "It is, ain't it?"

"Yeah, go make it right."

The next morning, Natalia was putting together a quick breakfast before work while Gabe went out for a jog with the puppy.

She worried about the sleeping older woman, would she be okay on her own? Maybe one of them needed to stay home from work.

"I heard you, last night." A voice interrupted her thoughts. Elizabeth Mercier was standing in front of her, her makeup was on and she was dressed for the day. She was one of those women. Impeccable at all times. Some of Gabe's mannerisms were starting to make sense to her.

'What did the old woman hear?' Natalia thought in panic. Her and Gabe had fallen asleep right away. No funny business. Natalia wasn't the type to feel comfortable doing anything with a parent sharing a wall anyway.

"You said that you wouldn't make Gabriel choose between you and I. Thank you for that. I appreciate it."

"Uh...you're welcome. Breakfast?" Natalia offered, relieved.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad?

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Yes, an update! I was in the mood to write today.
Let me know your thoughts! Is Mama Mercier a reformed character or not?