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Authors: Jennifer Johnson
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the kitchen.”
Kylie looked back, scrunched up her nose, and stuck out her tongue at her brother.
“Now, Dalton, don’t go picking on Kylie. Why don’t you call Tanya and have her come over, as well?” She opened the freezer and grabbed several packages of chicken. “Your daddy will be tickled pink to see all of us here when he wakes up.”
Kylie wrinkled her nose when her mother handed her a ten-pound bag of potatoes and a paring knife. She hated peeling potatoes. Trudging to the trash can, she pulled it beside the table so she could throw the peels into it. “I can’t wait, Mama.”
Later, as Kylie placed the last dish on the dining room table, she had to admit helping Mama in the kitchen felt wonderful despite the nick on her thumb from cutting some apple slices and the cut on her finger from dicing the onion.
“You helped Mama with all of this?” Sabrina, Kylie’s oldest sister, set up the card table for her three boys and Natalie’s son.
“Yes, I did.”
“I’m impressed.” Natalie smiled. “We thought you were only good at schoolwork.”
“Ha-ha. I’ll have you know—”
“Is that my Kylie?” Daddy’s deep voice sounded from just outside his bedroom door.
“Daddy!” Kylie ran and hugged him. “I’ve missed you.”
“And I’ve missed you.” He looked past her. “Looks like the whole family’s here.”
“Yep.”
He turned his head and coughed several times. He looked back at her, then wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Well, let’s eat. I’m starved.”
His cough and the weariness in his eyes tugged at her heartstrings. She loved her daddy and couldn’t imagine life without him. Soon God would provide her with the income to help her parents.
As everyone gathered around the table, Kylie walked her father to his seat. Soon the adults settled at the big table, and the four grandchildren sat at the card table.
“Are you ready for me to bless the meal?” asked her father.
“Yes, Daddy, let’s hurry it up.” Twenty-one-year-old Amanda snorted. “After all, I am eating for three.”
“What?” Mama stopped arranging the serving dishes to make room for the butter dish and gawked at her fourth child. “Did you say three?”
“Me and my big mouth.” Amanda hit the table. “I wanted to surprise you guys after dinner.”
Kylie watched as tears glistened in her daddy’s eyes. “I remember when Chloe and Cameron were born.” He looked at his youngest children, the twins. “We had the best times, didn’t we Mama?”
“It was an adventure, that’s for sure.” Mama walked over to Amanda, patted her shoulder, and kissed the top of her head. “The Lord just keeps on blessing us.”
Kylie placed her napkin on the table. “Excuse me.”
“Are you okay?” Daddy’s face was etched with concern.
“My stomach’s just hurting a bit. Must have been all the taste testing Mama made me do.” She tried to chuckle. “You all start without me.”
Kylie shut the door to the bathroom and dropped onto the pink toilet seat. Same pink toilet. Same pink tub. Same pink sink. Same single bathroom. Nothing had changed. They didn’t have the money to change any of it. She bit her lip and willed the tears to stay away.
How could her parents possibly be happy that Amanda was having twins? Her sister was a baby herself, a baby married to a coal miner. Natalie, pregnant with her second child, married to a coal truck driver. At least Sabrina had the good sense to marry a man with a safe and stable job. Although she wasn’t sure if being a high-school principal was exactly safe, but at least it was stable, and he had a good income. One that provided consistently for his family.
She remembered her father coughing when he got up from his nap. Coughing again when he sat down for dinner. She didn’t know how many more years she’d have with her father. All because of the coal mines. She hated the feast or famine they’d endured as a family at the hands of her daddy’s
Kylie looked back, scrunched up her nose, and stuck out her tongue at her brother.
“Now, Dalton, don’t go picking on Kylie. Why don’t you call Tanya and have her come over, as well?” She opened the freezer and grabbed several packages of chicken. “Your daddy will be tickled pink to see all of us here when he wakes up.”
Kylie wrinkled her nose when her mother handed her a ten-pound bag of potatoes and a paring knife. She hated peeling potatoes. Trudging to the trash can, she pulled it beside the table so she could throw the peels into it. “I can’t wait, Mama.”
Later, as Kylie placed the last dish on the dining room table, she had to admit helping Mama in the kitchen felt wonderful despite the nick on her thumb from cutting some apple slices and the cut on her finger from dicing the onion.
“You helped Mama with all of this?” Sabrina, Kylie’s oldest sister, set up the card table for her three boys and Natalie’s son.
“Yes, I did.”
“I’m impressed.” Natalie smiled. “We thought you were only good at schoolwork.”
“Ha-ha. I’ll have you know—”
“Is that my Kylie?” Daddy’s deep voice sounded from just outside his bedroom door.
“Daddy!” Kylie ran and hugged him. “I’ve missed you.”
“And I’ve missed you.” He looked past her. “Looks like the whole family’s here.”
“Yep.”
He turned his head and coughed several times. He looked back at her, then wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Well, let’s eat. I’m starved.”
His cough and the weariness in his eyes tugged at her heartstrings. She loved her daddy and couldn’t imagine life without him. Soon God would provide her with the income to help her parents.
As everyone gathered around the table, Kylie walked her father to his seat. Soon the adults settled at the big table, and the four grandchildren sat at the card table.
“Are you ready for me to bless the meal?” asked her father.
“Yes, Daddy, let’s hurry it up.” Twenty-one-year-old Amanda snorted. “After all, I am eating for three.”
“What?” Mama stopped arranging the serving dishes to make room for the butter dish and gawked at her fourth child. “Did you say three?”
“Me and my big mouth.” Amanda hit the table. “I wanted to surprise you guys after dinner.”
Kylie watched as tears glistened in her daddy’s eyes. “I remember when Chloe and Cameron were born.” He looked at his youngest children, the twins. “We had the best times, didn’t we Mama?”
“It was an adventure, that’s for sure.” Mama walked over to Amanda, patted her shoulder, and kissed the top of her head. “The Lord just keeps on blessing us.”
Kylie placed her napkin on the table. “Excuse me.”
“Are you okay?” Daddy’s face was etched with concern.
“My stomach’s just hurting a bit. Must have been all the taste testing Mama made me do.” She tried to chuckle. “You all start without me.”
Kylie shut the door to the bathroom and dropped onto the pink toilet seat. Same pink toilet. Same pink tub. Same pink sink. Same single bathroom. Nothing had changed. They didn’t have the money to change any of it. She bit her lip and willed the tears to stay away.
How could her parents possibly be happy that Amanda was having twins? Her sister was a baby herself, a baby married to a coal miner. Natalie, pregnant with her second child, married to a coal truck driver. At least Sabrina had the good sense to marry a man with a safe and stable job. Although she wasn’t sure if being a high-school principal was exactly safe, but at least it was stable, and he had a good income. One that provided consistently for his family.
She remembered her father coughing when he got up from his nap. Coughing again when he sat down for dinner. She didn’t know how many more years she’d have with her father. All because of the coal mines. She hated the feast or famine they’d endured as a family at the hands of her daddy’s
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