to go to Vegas, spur of the moment.”
Segue to … “So, you wanna go with me?”
To Vegas or David Cook? Okay, bad
segue. Either way, I can’t. I have to
work. Nevada Day weekend is Big Tip
Weekend at Bully’s, you know?
Especially for a cocktail waitress
with Nikki’s attributes. “Gotcha.”
She’s not done with me yet, though.
Why did your mom have to go to Vegas?
I could lie. Omit. Make a joke. Too
much work. “Why else? Kristina.”
She knows enough to know that’s not
good. Your mother’s in trouble again.
“Previous mother,” I correct. “Or
the uterus I once spent nine months in.”
Nikki smiles, but asks with concern,
Is your previous mother okay?
I shake my head, echo Dad’s earlier
words. “Kristina will never be okay.”
I’M SORT OF AMBIVALENT
About that. I should feel
bad, right? I mean, some
jerk beat her bloody. No
one deserves that, right?
So why, when Nikki asks,
What happened to her?
do I shrug and say, “Guess
she walked into her ex’s
fist,” with pretty much