Trouble Down The Road. Bettye Griffin

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СКАЧАТЬ another nasty crack, I might forget myself and knock them out.”

      Flo gasped. It stung to know that people were making fun of her, but it would be even worse if Ernie got into a shouting match or, worse, came to blows at the home of their hosts. She’d made a terrible mistake in her choice of wardrobe, and the impression had been set in stone. “All right,” she said dejectedly. “Let’s go.”

      Chapter 7

      Suzanne worked in the kitchen, trimming fat from a thick ribeye steak and placing it in a long shallow dish for marinating, where other steaks already soaked in teriyaki-flavored liquid. Her mother kept her company, perched on a bar stool facing the kitchen, the usual highball glass present in front of her.

      “I thought you and Brad would have gone out to dinner, it being his birthday and all,” Arlene remarked.

      “It didn’t seem necessary, since we went out for brunch this morning at the golf club. It was especially nice to have Bradley and Lauren with us.” And because there was no sign of Micheline Trent, a thought Suzanne kept to herself. “We both felt a little guilty for banishing the kids to their rooms last night, but the party wasn’t for kids.” She paused. “Of course, they both pointed out that Paige would be there.”

      Arlene grunted. “I’m sure Brad gave them the line about Paige being a lot older.”

      “Yes.” Suzanne pressed a plastic lid on top of the dish with more force than the chore required. She hated it when her stepdaughter got to do anything her own kids couldn’t. Never mind that Bradley and Lauren were mere teenagers to Paige’s twenty-one. She still didn’t like it.

      But she didn’t want to concentrate on anything negative. Today belonged to Brad. She wasn’t even going to ask him if he’d known about Paige and Gregory. That could wait. “So I didn’t feel it was necessary to go out for dinner on top of that,” she explained. “I figured some nice boneless ribeye would make Brad happy. It’s his favorite cut of steak.”

      “It was nice of you to invite us…even if we didn’t get to join you for breakfast.”

      Suzanne sighed. If her mother had her way, she’d never go anywhere that didn’t include her. “Of course we’d invite you to dinner at the house, Mom,” she said, choosing to ignore the mild reprimand.

      “Derrick and Matthew will probably stop by a little later to pick up plates.”

      “That’s fine, as long as they don’t walk off with all the meat.” After a party Suzanne and Brad gave a number of years back, her brothers had collected all the meat and seafood leftovers. Brad was the one to discover what they’d done the next day, when he went to get a snack and found that all the leftover containers held nothing but salads and cakes. He’d been furious.

      Suzanne loved her family, and she tried to help them as much as she could, but sometimes they took advantage of her generosity, and that had definitely been one of those times.

      This seemed to be a good time to bring up a subject that she’d been worried about. “Mom, you do know your rent is due next week. You’ll take care of it, won’t you?”

      Arlene sighed. “I might be a little late.”

      “Mom!” Suzanne exclaimed in a whine. “I thought you told Derrick and Kenya that they need to contribute. It’s not fair. You’re paying the utilities, buying all the food…”

      “It’s hard for them, Suzanne. I manage. It’s just that I don’t get paid until the fifth.” She sighed. “That means an extra ninety dollars. Suzanne, why can’t you get Brad to stop those late fees?”

      “I’ve told you, Mom. Those fees go to the property manager. It’s not like Brad is getting the money.”

      Arlene took a sip of her drink. “Well, then, can you loan me a couple of hundred, just for two days?”

      Now it was Suzanne’s turn to sigh. “Mom, you say that every time, but you never pay me back. You always say something came up. I’m sorry, but I can’t risk Brad finding out that I was paying your rent, which means that he’s paying it, since it’s his money.”

      “All right, all right. Well, you won’t have to worry about the boys walking off with your leftover meat. Derrick will probably have eaten at work, anyway.” Brad had first offered the job of managing his Subway franchise to her youngest brother, Matthew, but he declined, citing that he needed his days free to attend classes at the local college. Instead he found a job at the hospital on the evening shift, using Brad as a reference. Suzanne knew Brad had been reluctant when Derrick volunteered to take the job, but he’d given him a try, at her urging. Suzanne hoped her brother would pursue a career in restaurant management. Derrick was nearly thirty years old and needed to think about his future. Takeout was always popular, even in lean economic times.

      “Is Kenya back from the store?”

      “Oh, yeah. She wasn’t gone long. I think she just ran down to Walgreens. She’s probably watching TV with Lauren.”

      “Good. Lauren felt kind of left out, with Bradley at the movies with his friends.”

      “She’ll be all right. What’re you making to go with the steak?”

      “Just a salad, some baked potatoes, and I’ll put some mushrooms on the grill.”

      “Mushrooms? Don’t you know some of those are poisonous?”

      “I didn’t pick them up along the side of the road, Mom. I bought them at the supermarket.”

      “That Paula is certainly giving you grand ideas about food.”

      “I’m trying to make more foods that Brad likes. But Paula has been a big help, yes.” Suzanne’s friendship with Paula, her closest in many years, helped her feel more confident about herself, and she was learning new things as well.

      Kenya entered the kitchen. “Hi,” she said dully.

      “Hey,” Suzanne replied. “Is the movie over already?”

      “No, but I missed the beginning, and it was too hard to keep up with. I promised Lauren I’d watch the next one with her. It comes on in about forty minutes.” She climbed up on a stool next to her mother.

      “Dinner will probably be ready when it’s over.” Suzanne looked at her sister quizzically. Kenya seemed so down. It had to be because of Gregory. “Did you buy yourself something nice when you went out? Sometimes when I’m in the doldrums I buy myself something new, and I feel a lot better.”

      Kenya responded by putting her head down on the granite counter, framed by folded arms, and sobbing.

      Suzanne cast a wild look at her mother. “I don’t get it. What’d I say that would bring this on?”

      Arlene returned the look of confusion before standing up so she could embrace Kenya from the side. “Kenya. Don’t cry, baby. Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad.” When Kenya continued to sob she tried again. “It’s Gregory, isn’t it? Don’t cry over him. There are plenty of other fish in the sea.”

      She lifted her tear-stained face. “None of them will want me. I’m pregnant.”

      Suzanne, СКАЧАТЬ