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“My son is a dedicated public servant who believes in the importance of his work. He should also be more mindful of the mother of his child. If he doesn’t want you teaching me to count cards, he should pack you up and move you back into his apartment.”
Vivian counted up all the points in her hand and moved her peg on the board. “I’m here to take care of you and help out at Healthy Food.”
“That’s bull and we both know it. I’ve noticed he never comes to visit when you’re here.”
“It’s his schedule….” Vivian didn’t entirely know why she was defending Karl, but Susan was his mother, and just because family had to love you, warts and all, didn’t mean your warts needed to be gossiped about.
“Count this for me to make sure I got all of my points.”
Vivian counted up the points in Susan’s hand. “You got eight.”
“That’s what I counted.” She pegged her points. “Now back to my son. His father and I raised him with enough decency to provide you with health insurance and some money for that baby, but he shouldn’t have kicked you out of the apartment. Whatever you did.”
Vivian wasn’t sure whether the Milek family hadn’t told Susan about her out of kindness or because they thought Susan knew already. “I was fired from my job at a casino under suspicion of cheating. I’m in the black book and can’t get another job at a casino, ever again. Karl wants nothing to do with someone who cheated, even if only nearly.”
“I only got a pair.”
Vivian looked at the cards in Susan’s crib. “You also got the matching jack, so three points.”
Susan pegged her points before asking her question. “Did you cheat?”
“I thought about it.” Vivian collected all the cards and began to shuffle, the still-new cards slick in her hands.
“I loved Pawel with every bit of my soul, but I also thought about smacking him upside the head with a frying pan more than once.” Susan collected the cards Vivian dealt her and arranged them. Putting two cards in the crib, she said, “I don’t care what the Church says about thought being the same as action. They are not the same, and Karl shouldn’t punish you for something you didn’t do.”
Vivian added her two cards to the crib. There was a trick to building a cribbage crib. One option was to give yourself easy points, but leave little room for your opponent’s cards to give points. The other option was to give yourself cards that provided opportunity for—but didn’t guarantee—points. Despite all her father’s lessons, she usually went with option one. Pregnant, barely employed and a thousand miles from the apartment she’d called home for sixteen years, Vivian took a risk and put a seven and a nine in the crib. Not just no points, but pulling for an inside straight. I am living life in the fast lane, she thought with a smile.
“It’s fine, Susan. It really is. Ours is an accidental marriage and an accidental pregnancy. I know he won’t forsake the best interests of Jelly Bean, and that’s really all that’s important.” She turned over the top card when Susan cut the deck. The six wasn’t so good for her hand, but could help the crib out a bit.
“I don’t care how drunk he was, Karl never would’ve married a stranger unless he would’ve wanted to while sober.” Susan put down her first card. The ace on the table marginally improved the odds of what was in the crib.
“Two,” Vivian said, trying not to think about Karl wanting her, sober or not. If she didn’t think about it, then she didn’t miss him. Or miss him so much, she corrected herself. A girl could be spoiled by waking up to coffee on her nightstand every morning. “I hate to tell you this about your son, but he wasn’t even sober when I met him, so I don’t think that’s a good starting point to judge.”
“Run of three.” Susan pegged her three points with a gleeful smile on her face. “If he didn’t have feelings for you, he wouldn’t be working so hard to avoid you.”
Vivian looked down at the ace, two and three on the table, then back up at her mother-in-law. “You set me up for that.” And she’d fallen for it, even though she knew she shouldn’t have.
