182|Bitter Fight—Part 2

His mom noticed his foul mood as soon as Elijah walked through the front door. But no matter how hard she tried to get him to open up, he wouldn't. After Noah's arrest, something she and the rest of their family still blamed him for, he'd decided not to burden her with his work issues.

"So, how are things with Anaya?" she asked, changing the subject when it became obvious her mollycoddling wouldn't get her anywhere.

"Ma!" Elijah said sharply. “Asseblief man, kan ons in vrede eet?”

"Ek vra net, dis al," she retorted as she dished more of the curried fish and basmati rice for him even though he'd barely touched his plate.

"Eat, eat. Look at how thin you've grown!" she encouraged him while she poured herself another glass of Four Cousins. Her third since he came in. Her out-of-control drinking was another direct consequence of his actions, a piece of debris of the collateral damage left in the wake of his brother's arrest. And because of his guilt, Elijah couldn't voice his concerns or as