“So how’d she take it?” asked Jo.
“You hear her. What do you think?” Samantha pressed her lips together at the sound of her mother’s loud mutterings. “Let’s go before she tries to drag me back in for Round 2.”
The girls slipped out the back door, walked to the local coffee shop, and sat at a booth near the window. The tall, thin and not-so-young waitress strode over, a folded hankie pinned to her chest with her name tag, like the lady on that old sitcom, except this one said “Peggy”.
“What’ll you girls have today?” Peggy was bored. Samantha looked thoughtful.
“Coffee.”
“Coffee? Really? Why? Oh, I’ll have a diet.” Jo gaped at her sister.
“Because I want a coffee. Milk and sugar separately, please. Thanks.”
“That’s how we serve it, sweetie. Comin’ right up.” And Peggy was off.
“She wanted me to stay in town for school, but I’ll get a 100% free ride! She’ll have to fend for herself now.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah, I thought that for a second, too. Hey. You swear now?”
“Not in front of her face!”
“You started earlier than I did.”
“Eh. They’re just words!”
“Fuckin’ words.” The girls giggled.
“I feel bad leaving you there.”
“I’ll live. Oh, God.”
“What?”
“What if she doesn’t sign the financial aid papers?”
Samantha took a napkin and reached in her purse for a pen. She paused a moment for effect, then with a sure hand she wrote “Angela Elaine Armstrong”. Jo smiled.
Nice.