brushes right past me, dressed like she’s on her way to a nightclub. If that Victoria’s Secret push-up bra were one size bigger it would still be too small. But I’m polite. “Good morning, Nurse Kim. Everything’s fine. You look lovely as ever.”
“Why, thanks so much for noticing,” she says, and I just wave as I head on out to the car, which is when that skank yells out, “And tell Omar I said hey!”
I take my cell phone out of my purse and don’t care if they see it. I call Betty Jean at work. “I just stopped by your house to give you a hug because I heard you’ve taken on even more responsibility than you need to at this time in your life. What time do you go to lunch?”
“Venetia’s got a big mouth, you know that?”
“She was simply sharing important information and you know the only reason she told me is because you were probably too embarrassed to and she and I are both worried about you and the boys and Trinetta, which is why I wanted to see you in person. What time?”
“I’m not in the mood for a lecture, Arlene.”
“I don’t lecture. I simply offer a different point of view. Sometimes we do agree on things, Betty Jean, so please don’t go getting defensive. What time?”
“I’m leaving at two, but meet me around the corner at Denny’s in a half hour. I’ve got twenty minutes and that’s it.”
“Not Denny’s. Please. It’s not real food and they’re racist. Pick somewhere else, please. Besides, aren’t you the supervisor?”
“Okay. IHOP. And no, I am not the supervisor.”
And she hangs up.
The place smells like bacon, link sausage, pancake batter, and syrup. It looks the same now as it did twenty years ago. I wouldn’t eat this mess if it were free. I see Betty Jean sitting in a booth. She’s drinking coffee. She already looks tired.
“You look tired,” I say even though I didn’t mean to say that. I sit across from her.
“I am tired. So what does that make me besides tired?”
“So how long do you plan on keeping them?”
“They’re not pets, Arlene. As long as I have to,” she says.
“Do you really expect Trinetta to stop doing what she’s been doing anytime soon?”
“I can’t speak for my daughter.”
“Well, have you spoken to her since whatever she did or didn’t do happened?”
“She left me a message on the home phone this morning, when she knew I’d be driving the boys to school.”
“And what did she have to say?”
“The same thing she’s said before, Arlene. When she’s cleaned up her act, she’ll be back to get the boys.”
“Which means they could be in college.”
“In my heart of hearts I really don’t believe she wants to lose her kids, Arlene.”
“As long as she can count on you to take care of them every time she falls off the wagon, she doesn’t have to worry about losing them, now does she?”
“Sometimes you have to have a little faith in your kids, Arlene. You more than anybody should know that.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, you’ve only got one, and look at how you dote on him.”
“I don’t
dote
on Omar.”
“Do you make him breakfast and dinner every day?”
“So what? We live in the same house.”
“And that’s the other thing. When is he ever going to move out and get his own apartment?”
“When he can afford to. Is that all right with you?”
“I love Omar, and he’s got a good heart. I just always thought he’d be some hotshot businessman or something.”
“What are you trying to say, Betty Jean? Just say it.”
“You might want to stop giving him so much advice and monitoring every move he makes. Let him make his own decisions and whatever choices he wants to make, even if you don’t like them.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Betty Jean! Can I help it if he always asks me what I think?”
“He needs to learn to think for himself.”
“You know what, I can say this about my son. At least he’s never caused me any problems
“Why, thanks so much for noticing,” she says, and I just wave as I head on out to the car, which is when that skank yells out, “And tell Omar I said hey!”
I take my cell phone out of my purse and don’t care if they see it. I call Betty Jean at work. “I just stopped by your house to give you a hug because I heard you’ve taken on even more responsibility than you need to at this time in your life. What time do you go to lunch?”
“Venetia’s got a big mouth, you know that?”
“She was simply sharing important information and you know the only reason she told me is because you were probably too embarrassed to and she and I are both worried about you and the boys and Trinetta, which is why I wanted to see you in person. What time?”
“I’m not in the mood for a lecture, Arlene.”
“I don’t lecture. I simply offer a different point of view. Sometimes we do agree on things, Betty Jean, so please don’t go getting defensive. What time?”
“I’m leaving at two, but meet me around the corner at Denny’s in a half hour. I’ve got twenty minutes and that’s it.”
“Not Denny’s. Please. It’s not real food and they’re racist. Pick somewhere else, please. Besides, aren’t you the supervisor?”
“Okay. IHOP. And no, I am not the supervisor.”
And she hangs up.
The place smells like bacon, link sausage, pancake batter, and syrup. It looks the same now as it did twenty years ago. I wouldn’t eat this mess if it were free. I see Betty Jean sitting in a booth. She’s drinking coffee. She already looks tired.
“You look tired,” I say even though I didn’t mean to say that. I sit across from her.
“I am tired. So what does that make me besides tired?”
“So how long do you plan on keeping them?”
“They’re not pets, Arlene. As long as I have to,” she says.
“Do you really expect Trinetta to stop doing what she’s been doing anytime soon?”
“I can’t speak for my daughter.”
“Well, have you spoken to her since whatever she did or didn’t do happened?”
“She left me a message on the home phone this morning, when she knew I’d be driving the boys to school.”
“And what did she have to say?”
“The same thing she’s said before, Arlene. When she’s cleaned up her act, she’ll be back to get the boys.”
“Which means they could be in college.”
“In my heart of hearts I really don’t believe she wants to lose her kids, Arlene.”
“As long as she can count on you to take care of them every time she falls off the wagon, she doesn’t have to worry about losing them, now does she?”
“Sometimes you have to have a little faith in your kids, Arlene. You more than anybody should know that.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, you’ve only got one, and look at how you dote on him.”
“I don’t
dote
on Omar.”
“Do you make him breakfast and dinner every day?”
“So what? We live in the same house.”
“And that’s the other thing. When is he ever going to move out and get his own apartment?”
“When he can afford to. Is that all right with you?”
“I love Omar, and he’s got a good heart. I just always thought he’d be some hotshot businessman or something.”
“What are you trying to say, Betty Jean? Just say it.”
“You might want to stop giving him so much advice and monitoring every move he makes. Let him make his own decisions and whatever choices he wants to make, even if you don’t like them.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Betty Jean! Can I help it if he always asks me what I think?”
“He needs to learn to think for himself.”
“You know what, I can say this about my son. At least he’s never caused me any problems
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