to hide the worry on my face if that makes any sense.”
“I get it. You want your mom to see you as she always has and not as the worried little girl you feel like. I’ve been there, but it’s just a little frosting. Your mom can see right through it.”
“Can we swing by the church? I need to light a candle this morning,” I asked and Brooklyn nodded her head as I sat at the vanity in our bathroom and got ready.
An hour later, I was sitting beside my mom as the nurses scurried to get everything done to take her into surgery. Henry had not even bothered to show which was probably for the best.
With my mouth and his lack of respect there was sure to be a fueled amount of hatred which would not be healthy for my mom.
“Mom,” I whispered as I picked up the hand that didn’t have an IV in it. She looked up at me and tried to smile, but her exhaustion was evident. Her body was so emaciated that she could barely sit up to see me.
“I know you are worried Kate, but I will be fine. We are stronger than most women because we are the soda pop girls. So, no matter what happens today you will always be the cherry to my coke.”
A tear strolled down my face and dropped onto her hand. We both looked at it and then she held out her arms and I curled up beside her as I had done a million times before when she was too tired to walk to the bedroom after her second shift of the day.
“Ma’am you are going to have to get up so we can take her upstairs,” the nurse said as soon as my mom wrapped her arms around me. I reached up and showed the nurse my middle finger. My mom laughed as the nurse scoffed and left the room to go tell on me. I was engulfed in a world of adult tattle tales.
“Kate, she is just going to come back in here with more people.” My mom stated with a saddened tone.
“Let them, I have a finger for them too.”
“Come on sweetheart, if it is time then it is time,” my mom whispered and I took the message as if she was no longer talking about surgery. I climbed off the bed and turned on a dime to stick out my pinky finger and she locked hers with mine.
“Promise me, that when you feel tired, or when you feel like giving up that you will think of me and borrow my strength to get through it. I’m not ready to let you go. Selfish as it is I am not ready to be an orphan.”
My mom brushed my blond hair away from my face and said those words that made me want to punch a wall.
“You will never be an orphan as long as Henry is around.”
I wanted to tell her he was an asshole. I wanted to tell her that I hated him and everything he stood for. I wanted to point out that he didn’t even show up when she needed her family the most, but instead I shook my pinky with hers and laid a kiss on her cheek as a stampede of orderlies came to remove me from her side.
“Mike is family too Kate, don’t forget that,” my mom whispered, but I would never forget. I loved Mike and as I caught his view in my peripherals I could see he loved us too.
“I will be right here when you wake up,” I shouted as they scurried around my mom and got her out of the room. I followed until they took her up in the elevator then I stared at those silver doors for what felt like an eternity.
“Kate,” Mike called my name from behind me and within seconds I felt his hands on my shoulders. “Let’s not wait here as if it is goodbye. We can go to the waiting room and wait to say hello again when she wakes up.”
“I love you Mike,” I whispered as I turned and wrapped my arms around him.
“I love you too baby girl,” he replied and held me there while I struggled to get my emotions under control.
“Why didn’t you ever marry my mom?” I asked and Mike released me to step back.
“Because your mother deserved better than some mechanic. She has always been worth more than I could ever give her.”
I merely shook my
“I get it. You want your mom to see you as she always has and not as the worried little girl you feel like. I’ve been there, but it’s just a little frosting. Your mom can see right through it.”
“Can we swing by the church? I need to light a candle this morning,” I asked and Brooklyn nodded her head as I sat at the vanity in our bathroom and got ready.
An hour later, I was sitting beside my mom as the nurses scurried to get everything done to take her into surgery. Henry had not even bothered to show which was probably for the best.
With my mouth and his lack of respect there was sure to be a fueled amount of hatred which would not be healthy for my mom.
“Mom,” I whispered as I picked up the hand that didn’t have an IV in it. She looked up at me and tried to smile, but her exhaustion was evident. Her body was so emaciated that she could barely sit up to see me.
“I know you are worried Kate, but I will be fine. We are stronger than most women because we are the soda pop girls. So, no matter what happens today you will always be the cherry to my coke.”
A tear strolled down my face and dropped onto her hand. We both looked at it and then she held out her arms and I curled up beside her as I had done a million times before when she was too tired to walk to the bedroom after her second shift of the day.
“Ma’am you are going to have to get up so we can take her upstairs,” the nurse said as soon as my mom wrapped her arms around me. I reached up and showed the nurse my middle finger. My mom laughed as the nurse scoffed and left the room to go tell on me. I was engulfed in a world of adult tattle tales.
“Kate, she is just going to come back in here with more people.” My mom stated with a saddened tone.
“Let them, I have a finger for them too.”
“Come on sweetheart, if it is time then it is time,” my mom whispered and I took the message as if she was no longer talking about surgery. I climbed off the bed and turned on a dime to stick out my pinky finger and she locked hers with mine.
“Promise me, that when you feel tired, or when you feel like giving up that you will think of me and borrow my strength to get through it. I’m not ready to let you go. Selfish as it is I am not ready to be an orphan.”
My mom brushed my blond hair away from my face and said those words that made me want to punch a wall.
“You will never be an orphan as long as Henry is around.”
I wanted to tell her he was an asshole. I wanted to tell her that I hated him and everything he stood for. I wanted to point out that he didn’t even show up when she needed her family the most, but instead I shook my pinky with hers and laid a kiss on her cheek as a stampede of orderlies came to remove me from her side.
“Mike is family too Kate, don’t forget that,” my mom whispered, but I would never forget. I loved Mike and as I caught his view in my peripherals I could see he loved us too.
“I will be right here when you wake up,” I shouted as they scurried around my mom and got her out of the room. I followed until they took her up in the elevator then I stared at those silver doors for what felt like an eternity.
“Kate,” Mike called my name from behind me and within seconds I felt his hands on my shoulders. “Let’s not wait here as if it is goodbye. We can go to the waiting room and wait to say hello again when she wakes up.”
“I love you Mike,” I whispered as I turned and wrapped my arms around him.
“I love you too baby girl,” he replied and held me there while I struggled to get my emotions under control.
“Why didn’t you ever marry my mom?” I asked and Mike released me to step back.
“Because your mother deserved better than some mechanic. She has always been worth more than I could ever give her.”
I merely shook my
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