"You're almost forty. When are you going to settle down? All those men you dated were no good. I told you a homosexual relationship wouldn't work. All those years wasted. If you don't hurry up and get it together, you won't be able to find a good woman and have some kids."

Shaugn rolled his eyes and went down the stairs. If he had a nickel for every time this came up in their conversations, he'd be a multi-millionaire living the good life. He walked into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.

"Seriously. All those men were animals. Do people even raise their boys with any sense of chivalry? Any decency? How did such rotten men come into existence?"

He grabbed a trail mix out of the pantry and tossed it into his backpack that was on the counter. Checking off things on his mental checklist, he grabbed the bag and headed toward the foyer. She had a point. But those men started off just like all other little boys. They had good home training. At some point, they just turned into assholes.

"A good God-fearing woman is what you need. Yes, lord."

Oh hell no! That's the last thing he needed. Some gossipy, busy, homebody like his mother trying to control his every waking minute. Just because his mother was ultra-religious and knew the bible like her children's clothing sizes, doesn't mean he was about that life.

He rolled his eyes. "Mom, you say that but, church women have their issues too. Remember the deacon's niece?"

Two years ago, the sixteen-year-old relative of the most loved and respected church board members dated a boy that was dealing drugs and got pregnant. Nevermind that the deacon was hospitalized and his wife became mute, the girl had been raised up in the church. She was one of the church's little darlings so naturally all the mothers and aunties lost their minds. They used the bible to spew hate and judgment. They called her every bad word in the bible and condemned her and her demon seed to hell. It didn't stop there.

The children of the church were just as bad and many of them attended the same school as her. The high school boys would make lewd remarks and call her easy and ask for a taste. The girls would call her an attention whore and disgrace. Tormented at school and at church, eventually, the girl broke down and stopped going to school and church. Her mother decided to homeschool her.

It was the first time since Shaugn's mother joined that church that she saw for herself there is nothing more poisonous than the mouth of a bunch of religious zealots. They tormented the deacon, his wife, the girl's mother, and father. Some of the high school boys even were so bold as to find her 'baby daddy' only that didn't end up too well for them. He and his boys taught them a lesson.

In the end, the family denounced the church, packed up, and left.

The deacon's parting words were, "The Lord is about forgiveness, tolerance, and acceptance. None of you are without sin and the Lord will come for you for what you've done."

Shaugn's mother was silent on the other end as he put on his shoes. He'd told her point-blank how he felt about the members of the church. He'd even tried to get her to switch churches. She refused, of course. As long as stuff was happening to other people, all was good. She hadn't participated in any of that nonsense so her conscience and soul were clean.

"Shaugn, I just want you to be happy and you're my only son. I'd like to see a grandchild or two before I die."

He snorted and opened the door. "My sisters have given you eight. Isn't that enough?"

"But they all look like their fathers. Not that they're ugly. They're all beautiful. But none of them look like your father."

He shook his head and hopped into his truck. Even freshmen in biology would tell you that genetics was a statistical gamble. If not, how could two brown-eyed parents have a blue-eyed kid? Besides, that was a little bit of too much pressure to lie down at his door. The old man was gone. Let go.

The truck drove out of the trendy downtown area and got onto the highway. "Mom, even if I had a child that was biologically my own, it would also carry all the genes of its other parent. It might not have a physical trace of the old man either."

A loud sigh. "Okay, Shau."

As the bustling steel and concrete city gave way to untouched nature and rugged roads, they talked about everything else under the sun. He told her about a history book he'd started reading comparing the development of different cultures during the feudal period, mainly black people. Only Chinese, Japanese, and European endeavors during that time have been mentioned in the history books because most Africans didn't believe in writing their history down. They relied on the oral tradition of things. The mainstream history books forgot that a black man named Yasuke was a samurai. So if a black person made it from Africa to Asia, wouldn't other black peoples have experienced some sort of greatness during that time? Must history always only begin their history with slavery?

"Shaugn, you're such a bookworm. Just like your dad."

He sighed. The man's dead going on six years now. Enough's enough. "Mom-"

She sniffed. "Sorry, sorry. But you two are so much alike. He also liked to study stuff no one else had an interest in. And you followed in his footsteps being into teaching."

"What can I say? His love of history rubbed off on me."

"I say it worked out pretty damn well for you. Working as a big-time college professor and all."

He chuckled to himself as he parked the truck. "Alright, mom. I'm going hiking for a bit. Burn off some energy. I'll call you later tonight."

"Alright. Be careful. Watch out for snakes and bears. Oh, last week on the news some hikers ran into them murder hornet things. And the week before that a cougar-"

The woman was impossible. Shaugn rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Ma! I'm hanging up."

She laughed softly. "Sorry. Love you."

"Love you too." He shook his head as he disconnected the call. Sheesh, the woman could talk. He grabbed the solar charger from the dash and threw it into his bag before getting out of the truck and locking it up. After all that nagging he needed some fresh air.