14
Gavin
“This cornbread is delicious.”I smile at Jamie, grabbing my third piece. It takes like honey, and butter, and has a crisp crust and a fluffy center that melts in my mouth. It’s addictive. It’s delicious. “Do I usually like your cornbread this much?”
Jamie flushes, which is something I’ve noticed she does a lot when I talk to her. I thought she was stubborn, and maybe had a temper, but I’m beginning to adjust my opinion.
“I reckon you like it the most of anything you’ve tasted that I’ve made,” she says, looking down into her chili bowl.
“Huh.” I take another bite. Maybe I should save some for tomorrow. I’d rather have this for lunch then another tuna sandwich.
I take a long look at Jamie. She has her hair up in a high ponytail. I noticed she doesn’t wear make-up or nail polish or anything like that. Her usual outfit is overalls, but tonight she’s wearing jeans and a t-shirt. I wonder what she did all day. I wonder what we usually do at night after the kids are in bed.
I wonder…
I take another bite of the cornbread.
I’ve decided that the only way to fix whatever problems I don’t know I have is by going on a fact-finding mission. I’m going to find out as much about my life, my wife, and my kids as possible. Starting now.
“What’d you do in school today?” I raise an eyebrow at Elijah. He’s been dipping his spoon in his bowl and then watching the chili fall back with a splat as he dumps it back in. Not hungry, I guess. Although he should eat, the kid’s as skinny as a rail.
Elijah’s eyes fly up to mine, he looks surprised that I’m talking to him.
“Nothing.” He starts scooping and dumping his chili again.
Tanner bounces in his seat. “Elijah got top score on the math test.”
When he says this, Elijah elbows him, like he didn’t want me to know. I’m not sure why me knowing I have a smart kid is a problem. Something tickles at the back of my mind, like I knew somebody else that was good at math as a kid. Maybe it was me.
Jamie gets up, her chair scraping over the kitchen floor, and gives Elijah’s shoulders a squeeze.
“That’s great. I knew all that studying would pay off.” Elijah looks embarrassed, but I get the feeling he’s also proud.
Tanner waves his hand in the air. “I still got the worst grade. Ms. Crum said I’m hopeless and all the kids laughed, so I’m thinking of a new contraption—”
Jamie shakes her finger. “No more contraptions. You remember what Ms. Crum said.”
Tanner’s shoulders droop.
Quiet falls over the table, and suddenly everyone seems very serious. Jamie sits back down and picks up her spoon.
“What did she say?” I look between them all.
Suddenly Tanner finds his chili as interesting as Elijah.
“Who is Ms. Crum?”
“Meow!”
I look at the little girl. Dang it, why can’t I remember her name? Sharon? Shan? Shanti?
She looks like she’s bursting to tell me what happened. I think her name is…
“Shayne…you know what happened?”
Elijah slams his spoon against the table. “Her name is Shay. His name is Tanner. You’re supposed to be our dad, how hard is it to remember our names?” He shoves his chair out and stands up, chest heaving.
Shoot. I…dang it.