Late night with Mama (Gab/Ang)--Age 16

[Gabriela Torres]

Gabriela sighed. It always came back to this, and she supposed it always would. Carlos. But still... "Angel, do you really think that if it was..." she couldn't come up with a name on the spot, "It was anyone else they'd be pleased to know what you've been doing? I think any father would get upset."

[Angel Dumott Schunard]

Angel frowned at her mother. "Some fathers don't care f'their kid's. . ." And she couldn't quite come up with the word for what she was. Gay, yes, but that wasn't all of it, was it? Still, it would have to do. "Gay. Some people's papas love 'em no matter what."

[Gabriela Torres]

Unfazed by hearing him say he was gay, Gabriela just smiled sadly. "Papa loves you," she told him, something she'd said countless times in his young life. "But parents... Just want what is best for their children. They want them to be happy. We want you to be happy. And safe. I'm worried about where you're heading with this job of yours. It seems... dangerous."

[Angel Dumott Schunard]

"No he doesn't," she mumbled, fiddling with the dirty makeup cloth. "N'it's not dangerous. M'being careful. Nothing's gonna happen." Naturally she knew that wasn't exactly true, but she could keep that to herself. Mama didn't need to know everything.

[Gabriela Torres]

It was frustrating, the fact that he didn't seem to realize the trouble he could get into. Or maybe he did, and just didn't care - and that was truly frightening. Gabriela knew she had made the decision just moments ago not to push him, but she had to. She couldn't let this dangerous game go on any longer. She was his mama, and it was her job to keep him safe. Some job she was doing... "And bringing a boy home from work is nothing?" she asked, keeping her tone casual, hoping she could catch him off-guard and get him to keep talking.

[Angel Dumott Schunard]

Her cheeks burned at that next accusation. Though she didn't really register right away that it was Sullivan her mother was talking about, she knew she'd been caught at something. It was really only a matter of time anyway. She shook her head, still not connecting what had been said to what she'd done. "I didn't bring a boy home from work," she replied, though she realized midway through the sentence what her mother must be referring to. Best to stand on the letter of the accusation and hope that her mother didn't push it.

[Gabriela Torres]

Her eyebrows raised at the denial, surprised that he would lie to her like that. Angel new full well that she could tell when he was lying, and usually he didn't try. "Who was it, then?" she asked, not willing to let it pass.

[Angel Dumott Schunard]

"He . . ." She'd been caught now, surely. And it was best not to lie, she knew that. But that didn't mean she had to tell the whole truth did it? "He's a boy I met. He didn't have anyplace to stay n'so. . .I brought him here to stay the night." But her eyes didn't meet her Mama's. She couldn't look up, even though she wasn't lying.

[Gabriela Torres]

She could only imagine how awkward, and perhaps embarrassing, this was for him, but she couldn't let him off the hook. He couldn't be bringing boys home and doing... things with them in this house. If Carlos found out... Gabriela didn't want to think about how he might react. "Darling," she said softly, squeezing his hand, partly to reassure him that she wasn't angry and partly to ensure he didn't leave the table before they could finish talking, "Do you really think it's wise to bring strange boys home to... to..." She couldn't manage to get it out, "It's not safe." For so many reasons...

[Angel Dumott Schunard]

"He needed a place to stay," she answered, studying her mother's hand in her own. Maybe mama didn't really know what had happened here the other night. She wasn't going to tell her, that was for sure. "I was just tryin' to be nice. N'he's really sweet. He's not, like, dangerous or anything."

[Gabriela Torres]

"How do you know?" Gabriela asked, using all her willpower to keep the frustration from her voice. How could he not see what was happening? Did he not care that he was heading down a dark road? "You can't decide these things after only a few hours, bebé."

[Angel Dumott Schunard]

"'Cause. . ." She fiddled with the tablecloth with her free hand. Suddenly that was the most interesting thing in the room. "'Cause I know. He's sweet, mama. Tonight he even brought me dinner after the show. He brought me McDonald's. It was really sweet!"

[Gabriela Torres]

Gabriela closed her eyes, briefly. She understood what it was like to be so young and believe you knew everything about the world. Heaven knows, she'd done a few things at that age and beyond that she wasn't proud of. She just wished she could make Angel see that he was being reckless. "I'm sure he is very sweet," Gabriela said, not believing it, but not wanting to be too hard on either boy, "But you really don't know him. When did you meet him? And did you use a condom?" That last bit was blurted without her intending to say it. Still, it had been weighing on her mind ever since she'd seen the two of them together. That AIDS virus was all over the news now, and spreading so quickly...

[Angel Dumott Schunard]

She was about to answer the first question, but then the second came at her. Her face burned bright red and she dropped her mother's hand and the tablecloth instantly, in favor of covering her face with both hands. She was mortified!
"Mama!" she exclaimed, unable to think about much other than her own embarrassment. Mama sounded just like China, but somehow when China pestered her to use condoms it was more of an annoyance, not nearly so embarrassing. "I can't believe you just said that!" In Angel's mind, as far as her mother knew, she was still a virgin. That hadn't been true for a long time, but surely Mama didn't know that.

[Gabriela Torres]

"What do you want me to say?" she asked, pulling her own hand back into her lap, both hands now wringing together. "I know what you did, and I know I can't stop you from doing it again, but you can't expect me not to try to make sure you're being as safe as you can! Do you need me to buy you some?" Gabriela didn't have much money - very little passed through her hands that Carlos wasn't aware of - but she'd do what she had to.

[Angel Dumott Schunard]

Her eyes widened, she simply could not believe what she was hearing! She was so swept up in her own embarrassment that she didn't notice Gabriela's.
"I um. . . I gotta go to bed," she insisted, and stood, heading for the stairs and her room.

[Gabriela Torres]

Standing quickly, Gabriela crossed to Angel before he could leave and took him by the arm. "No," she said, firmly. Normally she wouldn't have stopped him, but he was not getting out of this conversation, no matter how embarrassed either of them might be. "Angel, this is something we need to talk about. I know it embarrasses you to talk to your Mama about these things, but you must."

[Angel Dumott Schunard]

She couldn't believe Mama had stopped her. "I don't wanna talk about it, mama." She glanced down at her mother's hand on her arm then back up into her eyes. "S'not a big deal. Everything's ok. S'not like he's sick or something."

[Gabriela Torres]

"It is a big deal. Even if it isn't to you, it is to me," she said, a little more gently, though she didn't let go of his arm. "Maybe he isn't sick. I don't know. You don't know. Are you really willing to risk that?"

[Angel Dumott Schunard]

She sighed deeply, unable to talk about this. But her mother was insistent. "You sound just like China," she mumbled. "She always bugs me about it too."