Where Did You Come From?

Ding. Dong.

"Hey sugar!" My mom greeted me as she opened the door, stepping aside and allowing us into her home. "You must be Norman! It's super nice to meet you! Maebell hasn't said a word about you or well... anything. I get my updates from TMZ. That's how I know when she changes jobs, gets a new friend, gets into fights, overdoses..." she paused as I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. "She filled you in on me?"

"Not much. Shes a pretty private person." Norman uncomfortably responded at her flash grenade assault I'm sure.

"Oh god leave him alone mom!" My sister groaned, coming out of the kitchen, her phone surgically attached to her hand- coming to our defense without even looking up. "Hey Norm.." she shrugged, disappearing once again.

"You know her?" I asked quietly and he nodded, avoiding my gaze.

"Alexis is working for his publicist. She good at fixing everyone's image." My mom shared, filling in the gap. "She says he's a very caring gentleman who is very hands on with his work."

"Imma go smoke." He muttered and I nodded, following him out. I could feel the tension thick in the air. Soon as the door closed he sighed deeply. "So umm... baby... I fucked your sister. Should I go? This is fucked up. Oh god..." he groaned as he lit a cigarette and my jaw dropped.

"Wow. Okay.. umm... if you want to?!" I managed to reply as I began laughing, lighting a joint and sitting down on the step.

"You're laughing?!" He exclaimed, playfully nudging my leg with his foot. "You are such a dick!"

"This is awkward for you. Not me. I think it's kinda funny." I looked up at him as he mumbled under his breath. "Look... we can leave. But it doesn't matter what you did in the past. No judgment."

"Pretty sure I was invited just so you're mom could approach this in person." He chuckled. "You did warn me..."

"I did... I did warn you this was a terrible idea." I shook my head as I handed him the joint. "Take this. You are gonna need it."

We finished smoking and went back inside, my mom sitting on the sofa watching an interview I did years ago with Mark on television. She was really doing her damnest to make this whole experience uncomfortable. She loved Mark, despite the bruises and broken ribs he liked to inflict on me, his constant cheating and his abusive words.... he could do no wrong in her eyes.

"Let's eat mom, I gotta go. We are picking his son up tonight for a visit." I lied, hoping the thought of a kid would soften the blow.

"Ya know Maebell... you would be picking up Kai too if you didn't drive Mark to Suicide." She shot back, never taking her eyes off the screen.

"D... in here." Alex called before I could respond. I took Norms hand, leading him into the kitchen with me- past sexual experience be dammed. "There's no dinner. Like... she didn't even order anything. I really think she just wanted to chase him off."

"Typical mom...." I muttered and she laughed, shaking her head. "I ordered sushi from the place you love down the street. Plus..." she opened the cabinet, pointing inside. "We have liquor. So stay... please. For me. You too Norm. Please."

"Okay.." he nodded, "You help run defense.. I'll stay."

"Yeah.... let's get this over with...." I muttered as she responded by pulling me in for a hug.

Norm, Alex and I sat in the dining room drinking as we talked about growing up. Norm was laughing a ton at the bullshit our mom put us thru.

"So ya know... Kurt had D in all these vocal lessons and modeling classes, acting camps.... she was doing plays and shit at like six. So of course I was born three years before he passed. As far as our mom was concerned I was her only child. Imagine my dads suprise when Kurt and D showed up to my third birthday!" She roared, my mom glaring at us as she came into the room, grabbed some food and walked out as we all started laughing. Alex grabbed the photo off the wall and handed it to him, showing him the picture of me, my dad, Courtney, my baby sister and Alex. "I only met him the once. Dani has his eyes." Norm looked over at me and studied my face as well as the picture before nodding.

"You were a cute kid." He commented as he handed the picture to me. "You look really happy."

"I was. This was... oh I guess three months before...." My voice trailed off as I looked up at Alex.

"Yeah. About that." She answered. "And then I had a sister but she couldn't live here for a long time. Then one day she just shows up, I was like seven? Stayed for about a year- got her licence, GED, a hundred tattoos... then left to go tour with her band. We keep in touch- my mom and her- not so much."

"Well Alex... our mom did drop me off in Seattle when I was five and leave me with a very confused guy who had no clue he was a dad. She shot dope and lived in her car while I begged for money before that." I responded and she nodded while Norm shook his head, wrapping his arm around me. "I tried.... when I got pregnant and had that shotgun wedding in Vegas... I tried being a daughter."

"And yet she would always introduce you as her neice." Alex stiffled a laugh. "She is pretty awful to you."

"No worse than Courtney." I reminded her. "I was the maids kid. When I turned sixteen and immancipated I had to sign paperwork I would not reveal Kurt was my dad till I was twenty five. Then I could get the rest of my inheritance. I only got ten percent at sixteen."

"Hence why you wrote the book...." Norm chuckled. "Literally... you wrote the book about those days with Nirvana. The pictures, the stories...."

"Wait. You read that?" I asked and he nodded. "How? Courtney still has it off the shelves and tied up in the courts. To this day. Only like... ten thousand sold before it was pulled."

"Day one man... it was serious!" Alex added as I laughed. "Woah. Wait.... I gave it to you... didn't I? God that was like seven years ago at least.... I used to keep it in my office."

"Technically.... I borrowed it without telling you. And just never returned it." He chuckled. "Sorry..."

"I'm so glad you all had fun in my house. But dinners over." My mom barked as she stood in the doorway glaring at me.

"I'll walk you out." Alexis muttered, grabbing the bottle of wine and heading out with us. The cool breeze hit me as we stood there, watching the world of Harlem buzz around us.

"You don't have to live here. My condo in the city is empty." I told my sister, handing her my set of keys. "I took Kurt's guitars and my art and my guitar.... just... leave Kais room alone, please?" I asked her and she nodded.

"I uhh.... I might. You know I'm staying here for Nina. She's twelve and she needs someone to be responsible. Moms back on the shit. Again. It's why I moved home from LA."

"Who..?" Norm began to ask just as my baby sister came running around the corner, running up to me and hugging me tightly.

"Hi Dani!" She said excitedly. "How are you?!" She asked before looking up at Norman and smiling so big and bright it hurt my face. "You're Darryll!!" She shrieked as he chuckled. "Oh my god!"

"My friends call me Norm." He told her as she hugged him before he could react while me and Alex stood there smiling.

"Can we keep him?" Nina asked Alex as she shook her head. "Oh... okay..." she pouted as she let him go. "Will you sign my Daryll funko?" She asked as he nodded. "Be right back!"

"Soo... our little sister is a huge Walking Dead fan. She knows your dating shes just... over the top about things." She laughed as Nina appeared again with a sharpie and a shopping bag of Funko pops. "Okay... listen... can you sign Daryll and possibly have everyone else sign theirs? Please? I'll have Alex keep them in our safe so my mom doesn't sell them like she did the other stuff."

"I got you." He said, finding it and signing it, handing it back to her. "Wanna take a picture for Instagram?" He asked as she squealed, her smile wide as he pulled out his phone and wrapped an arm around her to take the picture.

"Can Dani be in it too?" She asked and we both nodded as I stood beside her, kissing her cheek. "Tag me when you post it- I'm @barbiepunkrocker" Norm chuckled, posting it and she squealed seconds later when her phone went off. "Alex! He called me his biggest fan!" She squealed, hugging him again and taking Alexs hand in hers.

"Goodnight." Alex said, smiling at us as we stood there- watching them go in the house. "I'll keep the keys. Who knows.... maybe she will let me take her..." she shrugged as they closed the door behind her.

I sighed deeply, looking at Norm as he smiled down at me.

"Lets go home baby." He said gently, hailing a taxi.