Page 4 of Enough
“Why were they wet?”
“Roscoe peed in the hall and I stepped in it.”
I stop what I’m doing and stare at my six-year-old daughter.
“What?” she asks with her hands in the air.
The timer on the oven sounds, letting me know the roast is ready.
“Mom!” Kale hollers. “Roscoe peed in the hall again.”
“Then clean it up!” I shout back in irritation.
“Eww… no way!” he responds.
The timer continues to beep when the phone rings. I stand and pull Marlow toward it. I hit answer and place it on my shoulder before bending down to return to the knot from hell. She’d make a great sailor.
“Hello?”
“Did you pay the credit card bill this month?”
“Well hi, Mike,” I respond. “I’m fine, how are you?”
“Shit, Everly, just answer the damn question.”
I sigh. “Yes, I paid it.”
“Are you sure? Because I still have a balance and I told you to pay it off.”
“Mom!” Kale yells from upstairs.
“I did pay it. I called it in a week ago.”
“Mom?” Kale shouts again.
Marlow continues to dance in front of me as I finally free her from her binds and she rushes toward the bathroom.
I stand and turn off the annoying timer.
“What’s the confirmation number?” Mike asks.
“I don’t know, Mike. I’m kinda busy right now.”
He chuckles into the phone. “You have no idea what it means to be busy. You should see my desk right now.”
I pierce my lip with my tooth and begin to form thefto my favorite word when Kale charges down the stairs. I stop myself on the consonant.
“Didn’t you hear me, Mom? I called you like a hundred times!”
“Must be nice to sit around all day while I work and claim you’re too busy to get a simple number for me.”
“Mom!” Marlow cries out. “There’s no toilet paper!”
“Mom, why are you ignoring me?” Kale asks as he pulls on my shirt.
I take a deep breath and attempt to prioritize.Asshat husband wants check number...I stare at the phone for a second as he asks “Hello?” in his annoying voice to gain my attention. I end the call.Check.
Screaming Kale has something urgent to ask. “Yes, Kale. What do you need?”
