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She laughs and shakes her head

"Seriously, Mom I want him I want to raise hiive us the choice We haven't had a choice in any of this You have to give us this one"

"Okay," she says

"Okay? Okay you'll think about it? Or okay, okay?"

"Okay, okay"

I hug her I hug her tighter than I've ever hugged her before

"Lake?" she says "You're getting basagna sauce all overthe spatula and it's dripping all over her back

"Why can't he come over?" Kel asks after I pull in the driveway and send Caulder home

"I told you already Mom needs to talk to us"

We walk inside the house and Mouess what?" Kel says as he runs to the kitchen

"What, Sweetie?"

"Our school is having a costuets fifty bucks!"

"Fifty bucks? Wow Have you decided what you want to be yet?"

"Not yet" He walks over to the bar and throws his backpack down

"Did your sister tell you we're all having a talk tonight?"

"Yeah She didn't have to, though We're having basagna"

My mother and I both look at hina it's bad news Y'all cooked basagna when grandpa died Y'all cooked basagna when y'all told na when y'all told ht now So back to Texas"

MyHe seems to have opened it up for an even earlier discussion She walks over to him and sits down I follow suit

"You're very observant, that's for sure," she says

"So, which one is it?" he asks, looking up at her

She places her hand on the side of his face and strokes it "I have lung cancer, Kel"

He is her She strokes the back of his head, but he doesn't cry They are both silent for a while as she waits for hionna die?" he finally asks His voice is muffled because his head is buried in her shirt

"I aoing to spend a lot of tiether I quit my job today so that I can spend more time with you"

I wasn't sure hoould react At only nine years old, he probably won't grasp the true reality of it until after she actually passes away My father's death was sudden and unexpected, which naturally prompted a more dramatic reaction froonna go live with?"

"Your sister is an adult now You're going to live with her"

"But I wanna stay here, by Caulder," he says as he lifts his head froonna make me move back to Texas with you?"

Up until this very second, I had every intention of ht here"

Kel sighs, soaking in everything he's just been told "Are you scared, Mom?" he asks her

"Not anymore," she says "I've had a lot of time to accept it In fact, I feel lucky Unlike your dad, at least I've got warning Now I get to spend more tio of my mother and puts his elbows on the bar

"You have to pro, Layken"

"Okay," I respond

"Don't ever h This was the hardest thingKel is a

Two hours later, we have a huge spread of basagna, bread sticks and salad There's no e're eating all of this

"Kel, why don't you go see if Caulder and Will have eaten yet," my mother says as she eyes the food with me Kel darts out the door

She sets two more places at the table while I fill drinks with tea

"We need to talk to Will about helping out with Kel," I tell her

"Will? Why?"

"Because, I want to take you to your treatments from now on It's too much for Brenda I can et out"

"Okay," she says as we finish preparing the table

Kel and Caulder coh the front door, followed by Will a na?" Will asks hesitantly

"Yes sir," na onto plates

"What is basagna? Bologne lasagna?"

He looks scared

"It's basagna And it's the last time we'll ever have it so you better enjoy it," she says

Will walks to the table and waits for Mom and I to sit before he takes his seat