“Good morning, Mrs. H.,” I said, after I burst through the back door of the Hill residence. I motioned up the staircase just off the kitchen. “Still sleeping?”
“He is,” she confirmed. “And as always, impeccable timing on your part, young man. Breakfast is almost ready.”
“Of course it is. Today’s Sunday. Besides, I smelled the bacon from across the street.”
“Let’s give Mikey a bit more rest. He worked late last night,” she responded.
That didn’t work for me. “No way. He promised me we’d go to the mall to meet a friend.”
“Still can’t talk your folks into a car?” she teased.
“No. They’re still sticking to the idea that once Mikey has one, I can have one.”
Mrs. H. opened the oven and removed homemade muffins. She dropped the hot tin suddenly. “Ouch,” she uttered. “That wasn’t smart.”
I rushed to her side and looked at her hand. Two fingertips were red from the burn so I pulled her toward the sink and ran cold water over them. “Under this,” I encouraged. We stood at the sink for several seconds, me still holding her hand under the cool liquid.
She fixed her eyes on me. “I shouldn’t admit this, son, but I tell Mikey the same thing about his potential car.”
My eyes widened when I put two and two together.
She was nodding and grinning. “Oopsie,” she giggled. Mikey’s mother had the best laugh. More of a girlish giggle really. It fit her quirky personality.
Mrs. H. had the best disposition in my opinion. She was a constant brightness in a world that always tried to dim people. I told Mikey all the time that he was lucky he had a mom like her. Don’t get me wrong, mine was awesome too, but Mikey’s was different. She always believed something great was about to happen and her enthusiasm was contagious.
“You’re tellingme. . . that . . . ,” I began, sensing a conspiracy.
She was nodding again.
“This whole time our parents conspired against us?”
“Don’t tell Charla I caved,” she begged. “I broke the mom code.”
“You’re in big trouble,” I ribbed, removing her hand from under the water and checking the redness. “Looks better. Feel okay?” I asked.
Mrs. H. gazed at me with glistening eyes. “You’re always so sweet, kiddo. Always a ray of sunshine.”
I dried her hand with a hand towel.
“Can I admit something to you?” she inquired. “To explain why we’re dodging the car purchase?”
“There’s an actual good reason, huh?” I quipped. “Your two handsome boys being carless, isn’t that enough?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” she said, looking disappointed in what she was about to share. “I can’t afford one since Mike’s dad died, son.”
Her usual joyful face was crestfallen. It was rare for Mikey’s mom to show negative emotions. If she thoughtIwas a ray of sunshine,shewas the sun itself.
“And let me guess, Mom and Dad don’t want me to have something Mikey doesn’t have?” I surmised.
Mrs. H. squeezed my hand and nodded.
“Good,” I stated. “Me neither.”
“So, this can be our little secret?”
I pretended to lock my mouth and throw the key over my shoulder. “Mikey and I don’t keep secrets,” I reminded her. “But for you, Mrs. H.,anything.”
She held the sides of my head and kissed my forehead. “I love you,” she cooed.
