"Sounds like your ma and mine would get along like gangbusters." The idea turns his smile into a laugh; he points to her with his cigarette. "Fierce as a dragon and filled with hot air?"

That's his ma, some of the time. More often than not she carries through on her threats. Even so, he'd defend her to the death. Of course he would: she's his mother and he's her only living son. But she ain't here, so it's fair game, talking about her with a stranger. They're just comparing notes anyhow.

"Good intention, bad execution? Don't get me wrong, I love my mom. She's just not what anyone would call delicate."