The Ring of Fire & Serpents

Chapter Three - Scrabble, Anyone?

While preparing dinner at home, I hear a car door shut outside. I peek out the blinds to find that Savannah and Sophia have returned home from school. A moment later, they burst through the door, “Momma! We are home!” Sophia calls out.

“I’m in the kitchen making dinner, sweetie!” I respond.

Once the girls hang up their backpacks on the hook in the entry, they barge into the kitchen, “Yum! Momma, what are you making? It smells awesome!” Savannah cries out as she approaches me. Sophia following close behind her.

“I’m making ranch pork chops with baked potatoes and corn on the cob, sound good?” I ask.

The girls belt out a soft pitch cry, “Momma, I’m starved. When will it be ready?” Sophia asks.

I can’t help but chuckle, “It’s ready if you wanna set the table. I’m pulling out the pork chops from the oven now.”

The girls eagerly work to set the table for dinner while I place the food on the counter, “How was school today?” I ask.

They answer simultaneously, “Good.”

I turn towards them, “Did you learn anything new?”

“Nah,” Sophia responds.

“Well, if you keep your grades up, you know Daddy said he’d take you car shopping here in a few weeks.” I remind her, feeling my stomach turn just mentioning him; I will myself to shake off the feeling of sadness that creeps up; he’s still their father and he’s a wonderful father. That’s all that matters right now. He and I are a thing of the past.

She shrugs her shoulders, “Yeah, I know.”

I remove my oven mitt from my hand, “Alright, dinner is served.”

The girls and I work to fix our plates and sit down at the table. There wasn’t much conversation going on since they were too busy devouring the food in front of them. I couldn’t wait to tell them about my day, so I decided to interrupt, “So, Momma had a really good day today. I have great news to tell you.”

They look up at me in anticipation, waiting for me to spill the beans, “Momma got a job! I start Monday!” I blurt out.

They drop their utensils and cheer aloud, “Momma! That is awesome! Where are you going to be working?” Savannah asks.

“I’m going to work as the Office Manager for Schumacher Insurance starting Monday. The pay is phenomenal, the hours are amazing. I can work from home if I choose after I learn the job and my boss seems great. He offered it to me right on the spot today in the coffee shop.”

Sophia leans back in her seat and crosses her arms in front of her chest, “Momma, a guy offered you a job on the spot today? Was he hitting on you?” she asks.

I shrug my shoulders, “I got that vibe from him at first, but I think he just wanted to be nice. I’m supposed to go tomorrow at 4:00 pm to fill out the paperwork so that I can start Monday.” I reply.

Savannah takes a sip of water to help wash the half-masticated potato down, “Momma, are you sure he’s not expecting a date from you? Soph and I just worry about you. You don’t realize how pretty you are, and these gross old perverts are just chomping at the bit to get in your pants.”

I snicker, “Savannah Joy, hush now. Stop that foolishness. He was one of the sweetest, most sincere people I’ve ever met. Now, this is an opportunity that I can’t pass up. I’m going to take the job and see what happens. I need this. I need to be able to take care of my family without daddy’s help.”

Sophia reaches across the table for my hand; I place my hand in hers, “Congratulations, Momma. I’m very proud of you, and I’m so excited about this new opportunity.”

My eyes well with tears, “Aww, thank you, baby.”

Savannah clears her throat, “Momma, we are happy for you; please be careful, though.”

I nod my head, “I always am. No worries, dear.”

Sophia chimed in, “So tell us how you got the job. What happened?”

“Well, I went to the coffee shop in town to get a cappuccino, and the gentleman in line behind me requested that I try the lemon poppyseed muffin and offered to pay. I, of course, rejected his kind gesture. Then as I went to pay for my food, I realized that I had forgotten my wallet here on the kitchen counter. I was so embarrassed, but he swooped in and paid my bill. We made small talk, and I told him that I needed a job, and he told me that he needed an office manager, so one thing led to another, and now, I’m starting Monday.” I explain.

“What are the hours?” Savannah asked.

“9:00 am to 3:00 pm,” I reply.

Sophia gasps, “Wow, that’s awesome, Momma!”

Savannah’s eyes grow wide, “How much is he paying you?”

I snicker, “Oh, this is the best part; he’s paying me a $52,000 per year salary! I also get four weeks' paid vacation!”

The girls belt out a burst of laughter, “Momma has a boyfriend!” Sophia belts out.

“Totally!” Savannah responds.

I hid my face in embarrassment as my cheeks flush, “You two are too much!”

Once the girls have finished heckling me, the three of us quietly finish scarfing down our meal and clean up. After dinner, they head to their rooms to start their homework.

A couple of hours pass; once the girls finish their homework, they leave their rooms and join me in the living room as I read. I haven’t been able to get the cable hooked up yet, so there isn’t much for us to do. I place my bookmark in my book and set it down on the table, “Scrabble Anyone?” I ask.

The girls jump up, “Oh, you are going down, Momma!” Sophia boasts playfully. We hop up from the sofa, and Savannah grabs the game from the entertainment center before setting it up for us to play.

We spent a couple of hours playing and having good conversation. Once 9:00 pm rolled around, the girls headed off to bed, and I did the same. I was thrilled to go shopping tomorrow to pick out clothes. I started to feel that spark come back that I thought I’d lost, and it felt nice!