they?â
âI guess.â Jodyâs own father had died a year earlier and she missed him still. It had been a crushing emotional blow she hadnât expected. Her fatherâs heart attack had taken the family by surprise. Just a week earlier, heâd been in for his yearly physical and was given a clean bill of health. Both Jody and her mother had been rocked by shock and grief. Sheâd assumed because her father had lived a long, full life that death would be easier to accept. That hadnât been the case any more than it had been with Jeff, whose death had come without warning.
âI donât mean to be rude, Mom,â Timmy continued, burying a green bean deep in his pile of mashed potatoes, âbut you canât throw a ball worth a darn and I need to practice. Mr. Dillard said I had a chance of being a really good player someday.â
âI see.â
âYouâre not ugly either. I bet thereâs some man out there whoâd be willing to marry you.â
Jody had to stop and think about that one. Her son wasnât intentionally insulting her. In his eyes, heâd paid her a high compliment. âIâm sure there is someone whoâd be willing to take a chance and marry me,â she said after a moment.
âYou think so?â How eager he sounded. He scooted to the edge of his seat, propped his elbows against the table, and looked solidly at her. âCould you find and marry him before Christmas?â
âTimmy, be serious, Christmas is less than a month away.â
âYou mean itâll take longer than that to get me a dad?â
âYes, Iâm sure it will.â
âHow much longer?â
Jody shrugged, not knowing how to answer. âI . . . I donât know if Iâm ready to be married again.â
âWhy not?â Timmy asked, his eyes wide and innocent. âRick Trenton told me his momâs been married three times. Youâve only been married once. I was thinking about that and it doesnât seem right. Youâre a lot prettier than Rickâs mom and sheâs already had two more husbands than you.â
âIt doesnât have to do with how pretty a woman is.â
âThen what does it have to do with?â He cocked his head to one side, awaiting her answer.
Jody wished she knew. âMarriage is a complicated business.â Much more complex than she could adequately explain to a nine-year-old boy who seemed to think she could find a husband on a grocery store shelf. She was about to suggest signing him up for Big Brothers when Timmy buried his fork in his meat and added, âBesides, I was thinking about you having a baby. Iâve decided I wouldnât mind if I had to share my bedroom. Rickâs mom just had another baby and she let me hold him, and you know what, I kinda liked it.â
âHow does Rick feel about having a little brother?â
âHe thinks itâs cool, especially since heâs got two little sisters. Rick said you donât get a choice if itâs a boy or a girl when babies are born. I donât know how Iâll feel about a sister instead of a brother, but I decided Iâd do what Rick does.â
âAnd whatâs that?â
âTake what he gets.â
Jody set her fork aside, her appetite gone. âThatâs a mature attitude,â she murmured, wondering what she was going to do next. Timmy was serious. He wanted a father. Now he was talking about a brother or sister too.
âThen youâll start looking for a new dad for me?â His big brown eyes studied her carefully as if her decision was a momentous one.
âIâll think about it,â Jody said thoughtfully. âNow eat your green beans.â
âI already did.â
âTheyâre buried in your mashed potatoes,â she said, waving her fork at him. âNow eat.â
âAw, Mom.â
It wasnât until after nine that night, when
Facing the Lion: Growing Up Maasai on the African Savanna