Page 21 of Enough
After the kids leave, I pull out three bills and call in the payments. I’d love to have them on autopay, but I can’t always count on the money to pay them at the same time every month. The house is so quiet. I’m not used to being home alone at night. I go over the budget with a fine-tooth comb, trying to think of a way to explain to Mike how we’ll afford my schooling. I’ve already calculated what my first-year salary could be as a nurse, and I’m hoping he won’t be opposed to a loan until I can pay it off. I wring my hands and chew my nails. Why am I so nervous about talking to him about this? It’s stupid.
I hear the kids burst through the door with their food and milkshakes. Oh no. I bite my tongue. It’s way too late for sugar, but if I say anything now, I’ll just sound like I’m complaining.
Mike rubs his head as he drops his keys on the counter. “Here,” he says as he hands me a bag.
“Thank you! I’m starving.” I peek inside to see a chicken salad. I glance up at him as he’s removing his tie. Inside I wonder if he got me a salad because he thinks I need to lose weight. I turn and frown at the salad in private as I remove it.Maybe he just wants me to be healthy so I can live a long, healthy life. Ha!
“Mom, it’s Kale’s turn to take a shower first, right?”
“I went first last night!”
“No, I did!”
I rack my brain… “Kale, you didn’t shower last night. You’re up!”
“Aww…”
“Yeah, you stink,” Mike says as he plugs his nose.
“Ha-ha! Dad says you stink, Kale!”
“I do not! Why are you being so mean, Dad?”
Mike rolls his eyes. “Oh, Kale. Learn to take a joke. Go get your ass in the shower.”
“Yeah, Kale. Get your smelly ass in the shower,” Marlow responds.
“Marlow!” Mike and I both shout at the same time. Everyone laughs, although we shouldn’t.
“It’s really not funny, Marlow. Don’t say it again,” I tell her.
After both kids are showered and sleeping, I decide it’s as good a time as any to talk to Mike.
“So, I was thinking… both the kids are in school full time now.”
“Um hmm…” he responds without taking his eyes off his phone.
“We could probably use some extra money…” No response. “Right?” I ask.
“Um hmm…”
I stare at him for a moment before I begin to chew on my nails again. Apparently my silence makes him glance up.
“What’s up, Everly?” he questions.
I take a deep breath and sit next to him on the couch. “What would you think if I finished my classes?”
“This again,” he states with hesitation.
“I looked into it. I can take a double load. I can do my clinicals at St. Mary’s and hopefully get a job there. If I work really hard, I could be a practicing nurse within a little over two years.”
“Who’d take care of the kids while you’re studying and working?” he asks.
“I spoke to your mom and Grandma Kay, and they both said they’d help out when needed.”
“So you’re going to expect my mom and your grandmother to wash our clothes and do the shopping?”
“No! I could still do it. I think.”
