[ c u r f e w ]

Miami, November 2001

He sighs for the tenth time and rests his head against the back of the couch. “Lisa, honestly. You´re making something out of nothing.’

“Nothing,’ she screeched, remembering to hold her voice down midway through the word. “He´s two hours past curfew!’

He laughs, looking at her without turning his head. “I remember a few nights when you didn´t come home at all.’

She glares at him fidgeting on the couch. “Shut up.’

“As a matter of fact,’ he said, sitting up and turning to face her. “I remember one time in particular where you and I didn´t come home for three days in a row.’

Her eyes widen and he regrets saying that. “You think he´s not coming home?’

He shakes his head, resting a hand on hers. “Lisa, he´s 17, okay? He´s a kid sowing his wild oats. Don´t get yourself all in a fuckaroo about it.’

She frowns, sighing heavily and looking at him. “I´m being a worry wart, huh?’

He laughs, shrugging and sinking back on the couch, throwing his legs over hers as he lies down. “A wee bit.’

“Sorry,’ she whispers, picking at his tattered sweat pants absentmindedly. “I´m keeping you up.’

He shrugs, smirking up at her. “You think I go to sleep before 2 am?’

She started to answer but there was a faint clicking in the kitchen and she was up like a flash of lightening, throwing his legs off of her and almost toppling him to the floor. “Where the hell have you been,’ she growled at her son as he stared wide-eyed at her.

“M… Mom,’ he said, nervous eyes flicking towards his uncle watching idly from the couch. “I was-- my watch said it was--’

“Oh,’ she said, laughing and crossing her arms. “Yeah, I´ve never used that one, Jimmy.’

Jimmy sighs, his shoulders sinking. “Mom, I lost track of time.’

“Bullshit,’ she said, shaking her head disbelievingly. “You´re too smart to lose track of time.’

He bit his lip and closed his eyes, leaning back against the wall behind him and shaking his head. “I´m sorry, Mom. I really did lose track of time.’

She sighed, looking over at Sands and quirking an eyebrow up. “You buying this?’

Sands shrugged, his eyes never leaving Jimmy´s face. “Time *is* a tricky thing.’

She fixes Jimmy with the same look their mother used to fix on them and points at him. “This isn´t over. Tomorrow you and I are having a talk, this is happening too often.’

“Yes, ma´am,’ Jimmy says, smiling slightly.

“Alright,’ she said, nodding resolutely and walking over to her son. “Go to bed,’ she said, kissing him on the forehead and turning around. “Night Sheldon,’ she said with an apologetic smile.

“Night,’ he said, watching his sister walk back into the hallway that led to her bedroom. He shifted his gaze back to Jimmy and sat up slightly. “Come here,’ he said quietly.

Jimmy rolled his eyes. “I´m going to bed,’ he said, walking behind the couch towards the hallway.

“Hold it, kid,’ Sands said, grabbing the kid´s arm. “Uno momento, and then it´s off to beddy-bye for you.’

Jimmy looked wearily down at his uncle, gritting his teeth. “What?’

Sands smiled at him, sitting up further and quirking an eyebrow up in a fashion that resembled a more sinister version of his sister´s. “She doesn´t know, but I do.’

Jimmy rolled his eyes. “Know what?’

“That you´re high,’ Sands said, his grin widening as the boy´s eyes did. “So what is it? Coke? Meth? I know there´s pot in there somewhere, I can smell it. I can´t place the other one.’

“Let go of me,’ Jimmy said, jerking his arm away and backing up. “You don´t know shit--’

“Central Intelligence Agency, kid,’ Sands said with a smirk. “I know more shit than you´ll ever know… or need to.’

Jimmy looked at him for a moment and bit his lip a little harder than he intended to, drawing blood. “Are you going to tell Mom?’

Sands laughed, slouching back into the couch. “Nah,’ he said, shaking his head. “I´m not going to tell her, because you´re not going to do it again.’

Jimmy nodded, hiding the smile he felt creeping onto his face. “Right, okay.’

Sands laughed again, flicking his eyes to meet Jimmy´s. “Don´t bother with lip service, I know you´re lying,’ he said. “Just know, you hurt your mother and you´ll regret it.’

Jimmy snorted, rolling his eyes and starting off towards the hallway again. “Whatever.’

“I still know 14 ways to kill you with a fork,’ he called after him, lifting his head to see the kid turn to look at him with a suspicious look. “Plus a few I picked up along the way.’

“Ya know, my Dad says you´re crazy,’ Jimmy said, his voice just barely shaking.

Sands laughed, throwing an arm over his eyes and settling into his makeshift bed. “Gee, that´s swell, Jimbo,’ he said, his tone bored. “Maybe the fat fuck´s not as stupid as I thought.’

“You´re fuckin´ nuts,’ Jimmy muttered, trying not to take off at a run towards his room.

“Night,’ Sands called jovially, reaching up and turning off the lamp.

Intimidation was so fun, especially when you get to use it on snot nosed brats with no backbones.