Page 83 of But For You

“Thank you.”

“Pa,” Kola said, obviously having tossed away his concern for my spinal column from the way he had reverted to his normal stride, “who will I marry when I get big?”

“I dunno. It depends on who you fall in love with.”

“But will it be a boy or a girl?”

“I have no clue, love. Whoever you want.”

He was thinking. “Do I have to go to college? Micah said that his dad said that he had to go to college.”

“Yes, you have to go to college.”

“Did Daddy go to college?”

“No.”

“Then how come I have to?”

“If you want to do a job like your daddy, then you don’t have to, but if you want to be a veterinarian and take care of cats like Chilly, then⁠—”

“Yeah, I think I wanna do that.”

“Then you have to go to college.”

“Okay, then, I’ll go to college.”

“Think scholarship.”

“What?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

As we waited in line to check out, Hannah, who had gotten tired of walking, was sitting in the top of the cart, humming and swinging her legs. The man behind us chuckled.

I looked at him over my shoulder. If I had to guess, I would say he was in his mid-sixties, nice face, handsome man.

He cleared his throat. “Is she humming ‘The Girl From Ipanema’?”

“Yes,” I groaned. “Oh God, it’s my fault. I do it, and now, whenever she’s bored … you get the idea.”

“It’s darling.” He smiled at me.

I winced. “Her teacher isn’t a fan.”

He laughed. “I would expect not.”

Hannah drew up her shoulders, tipped her head, and aimed all her cuteness at him, and between her little apple cheeks and tiny rosebud mouth and sparkling eyes, he was turned into goo.

“She’s a doll.”

“And she knows.”

“You’re gonna need a gun to keep the boys away.”

“We’ve got that covered,” I assured him.

Outside in the parking lot, I was handing the light bag to Kola when we all heard crowing.