Operation Get Rid of Mom's New Boyfriend (7 page)

“
Nobody
wants to watch
Sponge
Bob
,” Kennedy said, flopping down on the
love seat while she continued to flick the channels. She stopped at
an old re-run of
That’s So
Raven
. “Now that’s more like it,” she
grinned.

Just as Kennedy had smirked
with victory and relaxed back onto the love seat, Daryn entered the
room with a notebook and pencil in hand. She positioned her glasses
on the brim of her nose. She walked over to the television set and
turned to the
History
Channel
. She then sat down on the chair
and prepared to begin taking notes.

“
Hey!”
Kennedy said, sitting straight up with the remote still in hand,
scrunching her eyebrows. “I was watching
That’s So Raven
.”

Joy quickly snatched the
remote out of Kennedy’s hand. “And I was watching
Sponge Bob
,” Joy added,
turning back to the channel she was originally watching.

“
Then I
guess it’s rightfully my turn to watch what I want to watch,” Daryn
said, walking back over to the television and turning back to
the
History
Channel
. She adjusted her glasses once
again and then took her place in the chair. “Besides, I’m taking
notes for my eighth grade History project,” she informed them,
slightly tooting her nose in the air.

Kennedy and Joy each shot
one another puzzled looks.

“
Eighth grade History
project?” Kennedy questioned.

“
But you’re only in seventh
grade,” reminded Daryn.

“
Yeah, but I’m so caught up
on my regular school work, matter of fact, ahead of my seventh
grade work and projects, that I might as well start with my eighth
grade work.” Daryn was known to request a syllabus from her
teachers. A syllabus is a list of all school assignments and
projects that the teacher has lined up for the class. Having the
syllabus allowed Daryn to work ahead of schedule if she chose to.
She always chose to.

“
Girl,” Kennedy said,
sucking her teeth and rolling her eyes, “you workin’ on a project
that isn’t even due until next year…? You better turn back to my
girl Raven Symone!”

Kennedy snatched the remote
from an unsuspecting Joy. She then flicked the channel back
to
That’s So Raven
. “If you wanna be a nerd and spend your life watching
the
History Channel
, go watch the little television on the kitchen
counter.”

“
I don’t
want to watch it in the kitchen. That little television doesn‘t
even have all the cable channels,” Daryn told her. “I want to watch
it in this room; on the big screen TV.” Daryn sighed, got up, then
politely walked over to the television and turned back to
the
History
Channel
.

Kennedy waited all the way
until Daryn got good and comfortable back in her chair and then
turned back to the station she‘d been watching. Once again, Daryn
got up and went and turned back to her channel. Just like
clockwork, as soon as she returned to her chair, Kennedy changed
the channel. The next time, before Daryn could get back up and
change it, Joy made her way to the television first and turned the
station back to
Sponge
Bob
. No sooner than she had sat back down,
Kennedy had turned again.

“
I’m telling Mommy,” Joy
threatened, right before she made good on her threat.
“MOMMY!”

Meanwhile, in the kitchen
preparing dinner, the next thing Sammi knew, she heard what sounded
like a riot going on in the den. She removed the last piece of
chicken she had been frying from the hot oil and laid it down on a
plate full of chicken. Next, she wiped her hands down her apron and
then went to see what all the commotion was about.

“
Girls!” she yelled out as
she entered the den, only to see Kennedy and Joy playing tug-o-war
with the remote. Daryn was blocking the television with her body so
that whoever did end up with the remote wouldn’t be able to turn
the station anyway.

The girls were so caught up
in their battle that they didn’t even notice their mother enter the
room, nor did they hear her call out to them. But when Sammi took
her index finger and her thumb, placed them each in the corners of
her mouth and let out a huge, loud, ear-piercing whistle, they each
froze.

“
Girls!” Sammi huffed.
“What is going on in here?”

“
Well…and…she…turned…I…was
watching…first…” They all began pleading their case at
once.

“
Wait, wait, wait,” Sammi
said, putting her hands up. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter because
it’s time to eat anyway, so the television goes off. Get cleaned up
for dinner,” she said as she turned to exit the den and head back
to the kitchen, removing her apron along the way.

“
I hate you,” Daryn
whispered to Kennedy as they followed several paces behind their
mother.

“
I hate you too,” Kennedy
spat back.

“
I hate you both,” Joy
added, sticking out her tongue.

Kennedy pushed Joy, who
stumbled slightly. Joy opened her mouth and began to yell,
“Mo-”

Kennedy cut her off by
balling a tight fist and raising it at Joy, letting her know that
if she opened her mouth wide enough to yell, she’d be having fist
for supper instead of fried chicken.

Sammi stopped in her tracks
and turned toward the girls, throwing her hands on her hips. “What
is it, Joy?” she said in a frustrated tone.

Kennedy eased her way next
to her mother and discreetly balled her hand into a fist. Gazing at
Kennedy’s fist, Joy decided not to drop the dime on Kennedy by
telling their mother that she had pushed her.

“
Uh, I was, uh just going
to say that…,” Joy stuttered.

“
Dinner smells great,”
Daryn swooped in with a save. Not because she wanted to save her
sister from a beat down, but because she loved showing off how
quickly she could think on her feet.

“
Oh, well, thank you,
sweetie,” Sammi said as she continued her trek into the
kitchen.

While Sammi prepared the
dinner plates, the girls stood at the kitchen sink bumping and
fighting each other while washing their hands.

“
There are other sinks in
the house you know, girls?” Sammi advised. “Just like there are
other televisions in the house.”

The girls weren’t even
trying to hear all that though. They moved onto fighting over the
dishtowel that hung on the refrigerator door. Sammi just shook her
head and raised her hands to the heavens. “I dream of the day my
daughters will just get along long enough to agree on one
thing.”

Finally, the girls joined
Sammi at the table where they all joined hands, bowed their heads
and closed their eyes while Sammi blessed the food.

“
Dear Lord,” Sammi started,
“I just first thank you for getting us through this here day, not
to mention all those before it. And I just thank you for my
wonderful, beautiful daughters who I love so much and trust that
they know how much I love them. Father, I thank you for letting
them know that they are the most important things in my life and
nothing and no one could ever replace them. Let them know that I’ll
always be their mother no matter what. And let them know that no
matter who enters our lives, their well-being will always be first.
Lord, touch my daughters’ heart so that…”

By this time, Kennedy had
slightly lifted her head and opened one eye as she watched her
mother pray. Her mother was praying all right, but not the type of
prayer she usually said over the food.

“
And Heavenly Father,”
Sammi continued, squeezing Kennedy’s and Joy’s hands; who sat on
each side of her. “I just thank you for giving my daughters an
understanding heart and wisdom beyond their years to know that no
man could ever take away all of the love I have for
them…”

Now both Joy and Daryn
followed suit of their older sister, slightly lifting their heads
and opening one eye to gaze over at their mother.

Sammi continued praying,
unaware she had a viewing audience. “And, God, I can’t thank you
enough for the people you do put into my life. They all have a
special place…their own special place…and it doesn’t take away from
any other person who has a place in my life. So, God, I just thank
you for all of these things. In Jesus name I pray.
Amen.”

Sammi opened her eyes to
find all three of her daughters staring at her. “What?” she
shrugged unknowingly, releasing the girls hands before she dug into
her meal.

The girls just sat there
looking at each other puzzled. With a forkful of mashed potatoes,
Sammi finally realized that the girls weren’t eating. “Well, come
on, dig in,” Sammi told them. “It’s your favorite meal.”

Sammi was right, it was
their favorite meal. It was the second time in a matter of weeks
she’d prepared their favorite meal. The quiet before the storm is
what the girls knew the meal was. Something was up…big
time!

“
Mother,” Daryn said, “You
didn’t bless the food.”

“
Yeah, Mommy,” Joy agreed.
“I mean, you prayed, but you forgot to bless the food.”

Kennedy put her two cents
in. “Yeah, what if we choke or something on it since it’s not
blessed?”

“
Or get salmonellae or
something?” Daryn added.

“
Or food poisoning?” Joy
threw in.

“
Or-” Kennedy
started.

“
All right-already. I get
it,” Sammi said in defeat as she signaled for the girls to grab
hands again. She then proceeded to bless the food. “And Lord,
please bless this food we are about to receive to nourish our
bodies. Amen.” Sammi smiled, dropped their hands and continued to
bury her face in her plate.

The girls looked from one
to the other as their mother ate. She was eating as if she’d never
eaten in her life. When she finally came up for air, she put on a
half-fake smile and then began twisting her wedding
ring.

Kennedy dropped her fork
down on her plate, which made a loud clinking sound. This got the
attention of everyone. Now all eyes were on her. “Mom, is there
something you’d like to tell us? I mean, something that you didn‘t
already tell God in that long winded prayer you just said?” Daryn
and Joy chuckled at Kennedy’s sarcasm. “Or that you didn’t already
tell Miss Rachel?”

There was stale silence.
The girls hadn’t brought up their conversation with Miss Rachel
after their so-called “girl time.” They were waiting to hear the
details from the horse’s mouth. They each had silently prayed that
since Sammi never said anything about having a new boyfriend or
anything, that whatever she did once have going on with this
mystery man was now over. No harm done.

After hearing how
not-so-well Rachel’s talk had gone with her daughters, Sammi
decided not to touch the subject until the girls brought it up
themselves. But seeing how it was that they never brought it up and
Bo was determined to meet them, Sammi knew she had to mention the
new man in her life.

Sammi swallowed the food
that was in her mouth in one loud, big gulp. Kennedy had opened the
door for her to tell the girls what was on her mind. Now she had to
walk through it.

“
As a matter of fact,
girls…” She put her fork down and then wiped her mouth. “There is
something I need to talk with you three about.”

Sammi proceeded to tell her
daughters about all of those plans she’d had in the past months and
who she’d had them with.

“
And where did you meet
this…Bo Hart?” Kennedy asked with disgust, as if just saying his
name was poison on her tongue.

Sammi told the girls about
the day she met Bo at the deli. How he’d ruined her blouse and how
Rachel came up with the idea of how he could pay her
back.

“
So you mean all of this is
Miss Rachel’s fault?” Daryn asked her mother. “Miss Rachel is the
one who set you up on a date with this man in the first place?”
Instant betrayal covered Daryn’s face.

“
We thought she liked
Daddy,” Joy said sadly. “Why would she try to help replace him?”
Tears formed in her eyes.

“
Honey…” Sammi said as she
reached out to comfort Joy by grabbing her hand. Joy pulled
away.

Sammi tried to hide how
much Joy’s action had hurt her.

“
Miss Rachel’s got some
nerve,” Kennedy said through clinched teeth. “Taking us out to eat
and to the movies and coming over here giving us that pitiful story
over a bowl of Jell-O.”

Joy shook her head. “And
that pitiful Bill Cosby imitation.”

Kennedy continued. “And all
the while she was behind this whole thing. The entire time she was
out helping you to replace our father.” Tears formed in Kennedy’s
eyes as well, but hers were tears of anger. She wanted to just spit
right about now.

“
Hold up,” Sammi said
sternly. “Nobody is trying to replace your father.” She looked at
each of the girls. “Nobody can ever replace him. If I’ve told you
girls once, I’ve told you a thousand times; Daddy is always going
to be with us right here in our hearts.” She pointed to her
chest.