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She eyes Bobby “You’re seein’ someone already, aren’t you”

I choke on the sip of orange juice I just took Bobby freezes in place, his eyes as wide as s

“I …” Bobby ss “I’m, uh …”

“I knew it!” She slaps the table once for punctuation and gives a nod of victory “I got a fifth sense with these things”

“Sixth,” Imy eyes

Then, towith it “Yeah, I’ I just didn’t want to tell anybody I need to keep the news to myself for now It’s for the best”

“But why?? Goodness, it’s such great news!” She applauds for no reason other than to fill the kitchen with her obnoxious, ear-splitting claps “I want to meet him! Who is he? Is he a boy back at school, is that why you—Well, that don’t make sense, ould you keep that a secret if he isn’t even here? Oh asps “He’s here in Spruce and that’s why you want to keep it a secret! Oh, you have to tell me, Bobby Who is he? Is he the new boy they hired down at the Marvin brothers’ ht that boy had a look about him”

Bobby knew better than to givecup of tea like that That woets excited

“I really don’t want to say anything,” he cals his sad brown eyes across the table until they’re on me “… new”

I stare back, frozen in place, drops of orange juice still drip-drip-dripping off my chin

I think Imy breath

My mama sputters about twenty more times and does half a backflip in her seat before she finally reels it in with a, “Alright, I’ll behave, okay, alright I a it a secret—Urgh!—I’ll just have to deal” She runs a hand through her hair, anxiously adjusts three of the rings on her fingers, then huffs “I’ll respect your privacy”

Bobby takes one of her hands “Thank you, Mrs Strong”

“Oh, shush with that Mrs Strong foro-jumbo You call me Nadine, you know better” She rises from the table

“Mama”

She looks my way “What?”

“The sayin’ is o-jumbo That’s a fruit”