Second Chances in New Port Stephen - Chapter 69

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Second Chances in New Port Stephen - Chapter 69

Kay refilled her wineglass to the brim. “Well, it’s not easy to do it all on my own,” she said,
shooting a look at Laurie like she blamed her for not helping.
Nick knew that when Laurie had tried to assist in years past, Kay had had a meltdown and
shooed her out of the kitchen, so… whatever.
He sipped his glass of water and made what he hoped was a sympathetic noise.
As usual, Kay made the dinner table her soapbox, making a tenuous connection between the
fact that she got tired more easily these days and her opinion that people who didn’t want to
pay for health care were bums. From there it was a hop, skip, and a jump to abortion, which she
referred to as “women troubles,” presumably so that Zoe wouldn’t be exposed to the idea of
pregnancy at all. (Nick tried to tell her that Zoe knew where babies came from, but he couldn’t
get a word in edgewise.) Then, between bites of gummy yams and weird Jell-O salad, Kay
declared that all of these problems, in her view, had a single root.
“Immigration in this country is out of control,” she said, sawing through a piece of poultry that
had all the tenderness of cardboard. “When those people flood in here, it gets worse for
everyone. We’re lucky our governor is doing something about it.”
Nick was going to break a molar, he was grinding his teeth so hard. Kay must have registered the
set of his jaw, because she added, “Oh, I don’t mean your parents, obviously. They were good
immigrants. They did it the right way. Plus, your father could contribute with all that education.”
Christ on a cracker, as Eli would put it. Nick opened his mouth to say something—anything to
get her to stop spewing such nonsense, but Laurie beat him to it.
“Hey, Mom? Why don’t we cool it? It’s Christmas. We can enjoy each other’s company instead
of talking politics.” She ate some of her peas.
“Who said anything about politics?” Kay protested. “These are facts. But I guess if I say
something you disagree with, you’ll get up and leave, hm?” She pushed her potatoes around
her plate.

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Nick didn’t roll his eyes, but it was a near thing. He hated how Kay always played the role of the
hurt party no matter whose feelings she hurt in the process. “No one’s leaving, Kay,” he said.
“Oh, really?” Kay’s head snapped up. She wore a triumphant look on her face. “What about how
Laurie is moving across the country?” She stabbed her spoon across the table in Laurie’s
direction.
Laurie’s fork and knife fell to her plate with a clatter. “Mom.”