Philip feels in control of his life -- at least until his best friend, Jonathan, contracts AIDS, passes away, and leaves him feeling disconnected and uncertain about the future. Then the one steady influence in his life, his mother, becomes seriously ill. The doctor who makes the diagnosis of ovarian cancer is not hopeful. Once his mother commits to the treatment plan, there is nothing Philip can do but follow the blueprint they both hope will lead to her recovery.<br><br>In late April 1992, Philip accompanies his mother to Los Angeles for her monthly treatment. When he accidentally takes a wrong turn off the freeway, all hell breaks lose. Suddenly they find themselves in the center of the Rodney King riots. Gunshots ring out. Helicopters hover overhead. People loot and vandalize stores while others burn and overturn vehicles. Fires spring up all over the city.<br><br>In unfamiliar territory, Philip must guide his mother through this labyrinth of chaos to safety. With wit and insight coupled with a maternal concern for what's best for her son, Philip’s mother proves the old saying: a gay man’s best friend is truly his mother.

Your Mother Should Know

Philip felt the kid’s body go limp. “I think he’s out.”


“No, he’s just visualizing like I taught him.”


Philip was literally running on pure adrenaline. Not bad for an old duffer of almost forty.Inside the hospital with one hand holding tight onto Ambrose, who was still hanging from his back, he dragged his mother through the crowded lobby to the ER waiting room. Victims of the riot were everywhere; some were stretched out on gurneys; others leaned against walls or sat in plastic chairs, holding ice packs to their heads or injured limbs, while nurses moved among them with clipboards taking down information. A long line led to what Philip assumed was the ER reception desk. In a corner, mounted on a wall, a TV showed live footage of looters carrying stacks of clothing, boxed appliances, and liquor bottles parading across the screen while a running banner announced a state of emergency


Chapter 13