I got my savings account balance sheet and brought it to the kitchen with me. I sat down at the table and took a bite or brownie followed by a swig of milk. "These are great," I said with a mouth full.

She sort of grinned. "You could have waited until you swallowed to tell me."

"Nothing I do is right." I scowled.

"Could you leave the sullen CW upstairs for once?" She cut her eyes at me turned her lips up in a parody of a smile. "I'd really like to have a pleasant conversation for a change."

I wiped the frown from my face. "Sorry, Momz."

"Momz?" 

"That's what's hip. You'll get used to it."

"It just sounds like bad grammar to me."

"It'll grow on you. And, you have to get used to CW because that is the name I'm going to be using from now on. But he isn't always a gloomy gus. I'll try to show you his good side."

"So CW is not Mr. Hyde to Wayne's Dr. Jeckyl?"

"Hardly." I sort of grinned at Momz literary reference. I was sure she didn't see the remake of the movie a few years back. I only saw it because my lame eighth grade English teacher showed it to us, trying to get us interested in classical literature. Like anyone was going to read a book written in the 1800s. "I'm still the same guy, just with a different hash tag."

"You could have fooled me."

"Well, teens are supposed to be sort of moody sometimes, aren't they? Besides, you have to admit, I had cause to kinda take a dive off the deep end."

"I'm sure you think so, and evidently nothing I say will change that."

"Nope, but I'm trying to cut you some slack. I guess lots of women do strange things in the name of parenthood."

"I'm not going to apologize for being your Mom, Way... um, CW." She almost choked on the syllables. "It's my job to look out for you and to try to protect you. Maybe you'll understand that when you have a child. In the meantime, lets both try to be civilized and maybe even show a little love."

I looked at her. She looked like she was about to cry. Even though she'd been cruel and unjust, she was still my Momz.

"Okay," I held out my hand. "Truce. Since you're trying by choking out the name CW, I'll try to..." I sort of trailed off as I tried to think of what I could say that wouldn't hurt her feelings or be a total lie. "Um, I'll try to cut out the sarcasm, at least most of the time."

She shook my hand while taking a shuddering breath. "It's a start."

I took another big bite of brownie. "I guess evil Momz didn't forget how to cook," I grinned. "Oops, I forgot. Throw out the sarcasm."

"You'd have to completely change personalities to get rid of sarcasm. I don't mind the joking kind. It's the intentionally hurtful kind I hope you'll lose."

I held up the savings account statement. "I was thinking about using some of my money to buy a TV for the shed." While we were being civil seemed like a good time to broach the subject.

"Why not just move the one from your bedroom?"

"I want one with a bigger screen for me and the guys to use for video games. Walmart has a 52 inch one on sale. I showed her the picture of the TV on my phone with the $550 price tag."

"That's kind of big. And the price is kind of high."

"If I can find one for under $400, can I get it?"

"Find it, and we'll talk."

I hurried upstairs. Momz didn't use computers much except at work. She could work the basic things on her smart phone, but she didn't do any on-line shopping that I knew about. I was sure I could find a used one on Craigslist for a good price.

I spent the next hour on Ebay and Craigslist. I searched for desks and TVs. Ebay was outside my price limit and the things listed weren't local. I had better luck on Craigslist. I found an old wooden teacher's type desk for $50. It even came with a rolling wooden antique looking chair. I figured I could refinish it or just stick it in the shed like it was. I didn't need anything fancy. Someone had a 52 inch flat screen TV they were willing to sell for $250. They'd just posted the ad for the TV. I called the TV number first. She was willing to hold it for me, but not for long. The desk guy still was looking for a buyer. I told both of them I'd have my Momz call back within the hour.

I bounded down the stairs. Momz was taking some ribs and baked beans out to the oven. There was potato salad already on the table.

"Look, Momz," I plopped my laptop down on the table. "There's a used desk and a TV on Craigslist. I called. They're both available. I told them you'd call and set things up."

"Whose Craig?" she asked.

"Craig isn't a who. Craigslist is a site where people post things they want to sell. They also post want ads like for roommates or jobs. Lots of things."

"How do you know it's not a rip off?"

"Momz! You set up a meeting. No money changes hands until you see the merchandise."

"And how do you propose to get these things?"

"I'll call Uncle Clarence. He has a truck."

She sighed. "Call your uncle. If he's willing to go with you, I'll call and set up the meets."

Uncle Clarence was free so Momz called about the desk and TV. I heard her talking on the phone. It sounded like she was getting life stories while arranging for Uncle Clarence and me to pick up the merchandise.

When she hung up, she said, "I hope that poor woman gets a handle on her bitterness."

"What?" 

"She's selling the TV cheap because it was in her husband's man cave. He left her, and she's selling things cheap as revenge. She wants the room revamped before he can try to come get anything."

"Geez, Momz. Did you need to get their life histories?" I shrugged and threw up my hands. "Anyway, her revenge is my gain." I grinned.

Momz didn't say anything. She just shook her head.

Uncle Clarence came over for dinner and then we headed out to get the stuff that would make Popz man cave into a teenage boy's dream crib, or at least this teen's dream crib.

The TV turned out to be even better than I hoped. It wasn't even a year old. It had all the right hookups to connect it to our in-home wi-fi. There would be no problem hooking up Marlow's tablet either.

Uncle Clarence brought a dolly. Even with it, we had a struggle getting the heavy wooden desk out of the truck. A big burly guy had helped us load it. We put it under the window at the back of the room. I brought a four-shelf bookcase from my room and put it to the left, in front of the Blue Ox. That gave me a place for books and games. There were power tools on shelves to the right, along with a table saw under them. The cabinets ran the length of the wall from the table saw to the far wall. The fridge and microwave had been on the cabinet tops at the far end by the recliner. I moved them to the other end, and we mounted the flat screen TV to the wall above the cabinet behind the recliner. I turned the chair so that the TV was now in front of the recliner, giving me a place to sit while playing.

"Pretty cool place to hang." Uncle Clarence gave me a double thumbs up. "I guess this will replace the Funk."

"Probably, but the Funk is still right outside my window and gives me a place to go when I want to shut out the world." I stood back and admired the newly hung TV.

"I need to get going," he hesitated slightly, "but there's something I need to tell you. I'm going to see Paul on Thursday." I turned quickly, hoping for some good news. I could tell from the look on his face that I wasn't going to get any. "I talked to Patty, but she won't let me take you. She used the school excuse. When I said I'd see if I could rearrange things so we could go on Saturday, she told me not to bother. Evidently she promised you a laser tag party that day. Do you have anything you want me to tell him? I'm not allowed to bring in letters or things like that. I can only bring food for us to eat while I'm there."

Suddenly the newly renovated shed meant nothing. The excitement evaporated, replaced once again by rage. I clinched my hands and gritted my teeth. "She'll be working on Thursday." I rushed to finish, hoping Uncle Clarence would see things my way. "I can come as long as we're back before 11pm. She'll never know. I can get home and erase the message from the school."

"You know I can't do that, Bud." He held up his hand to forestall my protest. "Besides, she changed the numbers the school calls when you don't show. They now have her cell number."

"How do you know that? Are you in league with her?"

"No. She asked it if was all right to give the school my cell number. I'm the backup contact in case they can't reach her, remember? She said that land lines are outdated, but I could figure out what she was doing, even if what she said about land lines is true."

That comment just fueled my anger. I guess Uncle Clarence could tell.

"Look, CW," He jabbed me in the shoulder. "Don't get all mad and bent out of shape. You just got off of your grounding. You don't want to do anything to jeopardize getting to hang out in your new crib."

I nodded. "I suppose." But in my mind I was plotting ways to thwart Momz again. The truce we'd just declared in the kitchen was over.

After he left, I confronted Momz. "How come you told Uncle Clarence I couldn't go with him to visit Popz?" 

"You've already planned the laser tag thing." Her eyes were all big an innocent, bu I called her bluff.

"That's on Saturday. He's going on Thursday."

"And you have school."

"I would have changed the laser tag to another day, and you know it. You just want to keep me away from Popz."

"You haven't even gotten a letter back from him yet."

"So? You know he's been trying to write to me for years. It's your fault he hasn't gotten to do it yet. I'm sure I'll be getting a letter soon now that I have his new address."

"I imagine you will. Why can't you be content to get to know him that way first?"

"Would you have been down with writing to Seth for a while before you got to see him in person?"

"That's different."

"How? Popz is family. Seth is just some horny guy."

"You're treading on thin ice," Momz took a deep breath, "C-W," she ended emphasizing each syllable. She stared at me for a minute but I refused to drop my eyes. "Seth and I were friends and colleagues a long time before we dated." I started to say something but she held up her hand. "Some women do correspond with men before dating. They do it on Internet dating sites or by email."

"Well, I can't email Popz. I'm stuck with snail mail. But even if I could, I used to have a real relationship with him. I need to see him."

"Maybe someday." She held out a hand beseechingly. "Let's get through this school year first."

"Gee, that's good of you. The first semester isn't quite over. Let's wait another six months. Next week is Thanksgiving. You could give me something to be thankful for."

She looked miserable. "I just can't, CW," she almost whispered.

"Maybe you need to start a support group with that lady you talked to on the phone. Maybe you two could be bitter together," I spat out before storming upstairs to my room.

After that dust up, I expected Momz to screw me out of the laser tag party, but she didn't. She must have been feeling guilty. Maybe the Thanksgiving jab got to her.

I had gotten a pocket calendar and marked the days on it as f for off and n for on so that I'd keep up with Momz schedule. She had been off on Monday and would be off again on Tuesday. She would work Wednesday and Thursday and then be off Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Monday and Tuesday she'd work. She'd be off Wednesday and Thursday and work Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The days rotated on a schedule like that so she worked every other weekend.

That was why she let me do the laser tag on Saturday. She'd be off, but I had Wednesday and Thursday of this week with no Momz and no Seth. Jake and Marlow could come over, and we could get the games hooked up and working. On Saturday after laser tag, I'd let the other guys think we used the Play Station. It would be out there anyway so that Momz would think that's what I was using to play games. She had to green light all of the games I had. She 86ed war games so I had things like Mario, but I had played some of the games she disliked at friend's houses. She knew she couldn't control what I played elsewhere, but she said in her house there would be no war games or zombies or things like that. Of course she had no idea that I played some things she wouldn't approve of on my phone. I kept those apps hidden.

Jake and Marlow were amped when I told them. On Wednesday, they were ready to bounce and go without even showing their faces in homeroom.

"Look, I gotta play along with Momz. The school calls her cell now if I bounce. I'll be banned from the new crib before you can sneeze if she gets a call. We can set up the Funk Too after school. She won't be home until eleven."

"Funk what?" Jake asked.

"I call it the Funk Too. I have a tree house my Popz built me. It's called the Funk, short for CW's Funkie Hideaway. Popz dubbed it that when I was five. I shortened it to the Funk." I wasn't about to let on that it was really Chauncy's not CW's. "I decided to call my new crib the Funk, T-o-o. You know, give Popz some props while dissing Momz."

"I dig it," Marlow said. "Jake and I can bounce after lunch and get my tablet. We can meet you at 'the Funk Too'," he sort of snorted after saying the name, "around three."

"No, problem. See you at lunch."

When I showed up at our tree for lunch, Jake and Marlow weren't there. I sat down and started eating the Doritos I'd brought. I wondered if they'd gotten in trouble in one of their classes and were holding down a seat in the principal's office. I sent a text: "Dudes wru(where are you)?" Phones were supposed to be banned at school, but the administration had given up on trying to enforce the rule. The understood rule was that as long as you kept your phone on silent and weren't caught using it in class, it wouldn't be confiscated.

A shadow fell across me as I hit send. I looked up, expecting to see one of the guys. Instead, BJ stood there. "Whassup? Your homies ditch you?"

I shrugged. "They're busy." BJ looked like something was eating him. I patted the ground. "Take a load off." 

"What if they show? They don't like me, you know."

"They'd be here by now if they were coming. They just don't know you yet, that's all. They didn't like me at first, either."

I took out my e-cig and took a drag.

BJ sat. He pointed. "At least your smoke isn't an actual cancer stick."

"Wanna try?" I offered him my e-cig.

He took it and gave it the once over. Finally he put it to his mouth and sucked. He started to cough and his eyes watered. He handed it back. "How much nicotine are you smoking?" he finally gasped out.

"I dunno. Jake gave me this big bottle of juice he had. His aunt gave him an e-cig and the juice. He broke the e-cig, like the third day he had it. He said he preferred his smokes."

I pulled the juice out of my backpack and handed it to Beej. "Man, this is like a six. That's a high nicotine yield. Maybe you should try backing that down to a three."

"Maybe when that's gone. I only smoke here, so I'm not getting that much of a nic fix."

"Look," BJ finally got to the point. "Dave and Nick are only coming on Saturday because I said I'd come. I want to be your friend, but if you're just using us..." He sort of trailed off. "If you say Jake and Marlow are okay, I'm willing to give it a go. But are they going to give us a go? You know what I mean?"

"I talked to them." At least that much was true. "They're down with getting together with you guys over laser tag."

I held out the Doritos bag to BJ. He reached in and took a handful. "Okay," he said, but his tone implied he was just rubber stamping. He still wasn't won over, but he'd show.