Page 74 - Reason To Sing by Kelita Haverland

Reason To Sing

cooking tonight. Let’s order in for dinner. Mike, can you and
Kelita drive into town to pick it up?”
His cheer is fake too, but at least he’s trying. “Sure thing,
Honey.”
Honey? I hate when he calls her that!
My actress takes over as I join the charade. “Sounds good
to me.” I try to be enthusiastic. She knows how much I love
Chinese. But after such horrible news how can I possibly think
of food?
I head to the kitchen, second-guessing myself the whole
way. Maybe it’s not cancer? I mean, I didn’t actually hear the
word. Perhaps I’m just blowing everything out of proportion.
Maybe I didn’t even hear right. Maybe it’s no big deal. But why
is she keeping this all a secret from us? It’s so maddening.
I wish he wasn’t here right now. But he is always here these
days. At least on weekends. Mike and his wife are separated
but he still lives on their ranch because that’s where he keeps
all his cattle. He also works a full-time job in Calgary (for
Alberta Gas Trunkline). And now he comes to our place every
Friday and leaves early Monday morning to go back to work.
Sometimes he even comes down during the week and spends
the night. I hate sharing my mother with him.
What the heck does she see in this man? He’s overweight.
And his puffy, round face looks just like Archie Bunker from
“All in the Family,” balding head and everything. He’s really
rude at the dinner table, making loud chewing noises with
his mouth wide open. And if that’s not bad enough, he sees
nothing wrong with picking his nose! And I don’t mean just a
little pick. I mean he gets way up in there. It’s so gross! None
of this seems to bother him in the least. Or my mother. I just
don’t get it. Is it because Mike is American? Does that make
him special? He was born and raised in Texas and he acts the

60