The Relationship Shoppe: A Novel by Clark Susan Paulson

Author:Clark, Susan Paulson [Clark, Susan Paulson]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stairstepz Media
Published: 2012-04-12T04:00:00+00:00

Once they were seated in a wooden booth at Bubba’s, Joey mimicked their favorite waitress. He stuck out his pinky, just like the waitress always did when she took their order: “What can I get y’all?” he said. “Our special today—”

The waitress appeared at the table, in the middle of his pantomime.

“Where y’all been? I practically don’t recognize you. Look at these little men! They sure are sproutin’ up.” She pinched T.J.’s cheek. “Let me guess, three chicken dinners, two lemonades, and one iced tea.”

“Good memory,” Marian said. “But make it three ice waters, please.”

“I’ll have it right out for you folks.”

She tucked her pad and pencil into her pocket and headed toward the kitchen. T.J. stood up in the booth and imitated the way she wiggled her hips.

“That’s enough you guys, have some manners,” Marian said.

She took in the ambiance of Bubba’s Barbeque and Home Cookin’. Same old plastic tablecloths, tiny white lights strung across the ceiling, and country tunes playing softly on a jukebox.

Joey pulled at her sleeve, “Mom, I got an A on my last test. My teacher gave me a prize for reading the most biographies about presidents.”

“That’s amazing. What was the prize?”

“Sweet Tarts.”

T.J. snapped a rubber band on Joey’s leg, but Joey swatted him away. “Stop it, nerd.”

“Dork,” T.J. said.

The table was set with paper placemats illustrated with cowboys and cowgirls—and primary color crayons. T.J. said it was babyish, but they’d started coloring horns and whiskers on all the characters. Of course, she knew at times her sons were just a little bratty, but mainly, they couldn’t help it. They had such bright, creative little minds and exuberant personalities.

How could people let their lives whiz by without children? They would never experience sibling battles, mounds of laundry, carpools. Or hugs, solos, school plays, homemade cards, weed bouquets from the backyard, glimpses of the type of people they would grow up to be. She had friends who’d already decided they didn’t want children. That was fine for them. She was sure they had their reasons, but she felt that it was the best decision she ever made.

“Mom, are we poor?” Joey asked.

“No.” Marian shifted in the booth, thinking about how to broach the subject. “Um, we’re doing better all the time. I have to be honest; it might take some time until we’re able to buy a new car or a new place to live, though. I wish it could be sooner.”

Marian was raised in an upper class home, but she married Nick when they were in college and figured, and accepted, they’d never have much money. It didn’t bother her when Nick dropped out of college to work in his uncle’s five-star restaurant or when her first marketing job after college didn’t even pay as much as Nick’s job.

Soon after the waitress topped off their drinks, Marian’s cell phone rang. She pulled the ugly device from her purse and was surprised to hear Vince’s voice on the other end of the line.

“Hey. Sorry I didn’t make it to your store opening.

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