The Oddities of Grand Marquis - Book 3: Elegant Armageddon 🪼✔️

Fifteenth

"Are you here about Max?" Adah gave him a glare and he gave her a glare back. "What? What else would she be back in Grand Marquis for and in our house, no less."

"Mar-"

"No, he's right... That's what I'm here for... I just..."

Adah sat back down and touched my shoulder.

"I know it's hard to believe and it's too good to be true, but I think that the boy that came back from the ship is really Max. Mars says so too."

Mars crutched over and sat at the table with us. "It's really him, Mrs. Taylor. I know you have your doubts, but it's him. I wish I could explain all the different ways I know that, but you'd honestly have to see for yourself."

"I just can't bring myself to even think that what we buried was nothing more than a shell."

"Who cares?"

"Marsden."

"Seriously. Between you guys and Max, I'm starting to see the family trait going on here."

"That is enough out of you, young man. If you're going to insult people then we don't need you here. I'll deal with you later." Adah growled, getting up to make Mars get up.

"I'm not trying to be disrespectful! Would someone please just listen to me?!"

"What do you mean, Mars?" I asked, putting my hand on his hand. I looked up at Adah. "Mars usually isn't like this unless it's for a reason... at least never to me."

Adah sighed and flipped her brown hair behind her. I turned back to Mars. He sighed and put his face in his hands.

"I asked Max if he still loved Kasai even though he found out that the one carrying him was actually the clone and not himself. He didn't answer me, showing that he didn't really love him that much anymore. You're doing the same thing, Mrs. Taylor. So what if that's not really Max or not? I mean, he really is him, but for you, what does it matter? You lost your son, your child; even if this version is a clone, he still acts like Max, looks like Max, feels like Max -and I mean that emotionally and physically... Your son never died and you buried a clone. Your son is waiting for you, pleading for you to just talk to him... look at him... He needs you...

"This is the same conversation I had with Max about Kasai. What does it matter if he carried him or not? Kasai still needs him, wants him, and loves him... Why can't you all just... try? Why can't you just get past it and try to accommodate the people who care?"

I rubbed the back of his hand softly.

"I know you don't understand and I know you wish we could just see what was going on, but have you ever been in our situations, Mars?"

"I've been in yours. I lost Max that day too, my best friend, and then I found him again. He was on the ship and he's alive and he's real. Why can't you see that?"

"You've never lost a child. It's a very different thing. I'm not making up excuses, I'm telling you why it's so hard for me. You've never carried a child, gave birth to it, watched him grow from a sweet little boy to a young man, and then have him ripped away from you not once, but twice. He was suddenly gone with no way to know where he was and then he came back different, but we accepted that... and then he was gone again but this time... this time it was forever. After dealing with it twice, do you see why I'm a little hesitant?"

Mars looked away and fiddled with the table.

"I'm sorry... I... I shouldn't have..."

I got up, making my mind up.