Ace of Hearts (FU High 1)

“I know, Mom. It’s fine.”

It’s the matter-of-fact way the girl says it, as if she’s the parent and she’s soothing the child.

Mom and I exchange a glance. Whatever it is, we want to buy it, but we don’t want to mention it in a way that would make them feel bad. The thing is, we didn’t always have money. My cardio-thoracic surgeon dad who is now the director of the biggest Cardiothoracic Department in the state is actually my step-dad. My biological dad ran off when I was a baby. I don’t have any memory of him. Mom doesn’t talk about him much, but from what I gather, he was an abusive alcoholic and we are better off without him in our lives. Mom met Carl when I was ten and he wooed her for two years, not giving up despite her repeated rejections.

When they married, he brought his massive seven-figure paycheck and his big fat family trust account and changed our lives. Up until then, Mom and I lived in a small apartment with used furniture and thrift store clothes. Essentially, the two in front of us were Mom and me seven years ago.

The mom lays a hand on her child’s head. “You’re a good girl.”

The child leans against her mom’s side. “You’re a good mom.”

Tears prick my eyes. Mom gets into motion. “Ma’am, I think you dropped something back there,” she says.

The lady looks around in a mild panic. “Oh no. What is it?”

“Let me take you over. My daughter will watch yours.” Mom leads the other lady aside.

I take the girl’s hand in mine and pull her up to order. “Get whatever you want,” I say.

The little girl shyly orders one burger and nothing else so I pile on the extras, ordering an extra big helping of French fries and even an apple pie for dessert. “What flavor of shake do you like?”

The little girl presses her lips together. “We can’t afford a shake.”

“Well, I’m going to order one anyway so you might as well tell me your favorite flavor otherwise it’ll go to waste.”

She’s starting to waver. I let her think about it for a minute and pretend to look for Mom. Instead, my gaze is captured by a pair of intense brown eyes belonging to a boy about my age with wide shoulders, a strong jaw and a nose so straight I think I could use it for a ski jump. If, you know, I was only an inch tall. His lips curve into a smile. It’s nice enough, if you’re into that, which I’m not. No boys this year, I decide. What’s the point? You’re going to graduate in less than twelve months and move on to college. I don’t intend to waste any emotional energy on the male species so I send the boy a scowl and turn to my new friend.

“I guess I’ll order four strawberry ones even though no one really likes that flavor.”

“I do,” she protests.

I hide a smile. “What about your mom?”

The little girl blushes. “She likes them, too.”

I order four strawberry shakes and a bunch of other stuff, not sure what the little girl’s mom will want. By the time the order comes, Mom has returned red-eyed with an equally red-eyed woman by her side. The little girl detaches immediately and runs to her mother’s side.

“Mommy, are you okay?”

“Yes, dear.” She hugs the little girl. “I’m really good.”

“I’ve got food,” I declare, wanting to stem the waterworks. “Let’s go sit over there.” I gesture toward an empty table with my elbow. We hurry over and grab the table.

“This is Coral and her daughter, Carolyn,” Mom introduces. “Coral is a medical transcriptionist and has agreed to do some of your dad’s work.”

“That’s awesome.” I unwrap my burger. My dad doesn’t need a medical transcriptionist because the hospital provides those services but Mom handles all the books there so she’ll find a way to get Coral in.

“The health insurance is really generous,” Coral says quietly.

“Well, we couldn’t be a medical institution without good health insurance,” Mom laughs.

“Is everything going to be okay then, Mommy?” Carolyn asks. She doesn’t know quite what’s going on but she can read her mom’s mood.

Coral reaches across the table and squeezes her daughter’s hand. “Yes. Everything’s going to be okay now. Let’s go get those light-up tennis shoes after lunch.”

“But I thought we couldn’t afford them.”

Coral casts a thankful glance over at my mom, who is busy munching on her burger. “We can now.”

I wink at Carolyn, who beams at me. With a grin, I take a big bite of my burger. It’s then that I notice the boy is still staring at me. I set my burger down and wipe a thumb across my mouth. Do I have special sauce on my face? Why does he keep looking at me? Maybe he’s not interested. Maybe I’ve got my shirt on inside out or maybe I’ve spilled ketchup down the front and I haven’t noticed. I glance down but my shirt is still completely stain-free. I nudge Carolyn. “Hey, do I have something on my face?”