The Reason I Stay Read Online Free PDF Page A

it’s safe to say that my mood is at a record breaking low, and therefore, not being a jerk to her is challenging.
    “It really is a shame you’re not staying until next month, Mr. Rogers. I’m telling you, the carnival this year will be something !” She slaps her hand on the table so hard that everything, from the silverware to the table itself, shakes.
    My eyes are instantly drawn to her face and then, unfortunately, to her hair. The slapping movement was brisk enough to make her thin body shake, however, the helmet-shaped mass sitting atop her head hasn’t moved at all. I stare at it in utter horror and shake my head, mostly to get my attention back to the conversation, but also to give her an idea of how normal hair should behave when a head moves.
    “Yeah, it’s a shame,” I say.
    The sarcasm in my voice completely eludes her. Her thin lips turn into a smile, and her eyes soften, which makes me think I just gave her the reply she wanted, and that I’m about to sit for another twenty minutes listening to all the reasons I should stick around. I fork a bit of the most delicious scrambled eggs I’ve ever tasted—not that I’m really hungry anymore, but it’s either forking that or my eyes—and stuff it into my mouth in an attempt to avoid yelling profanities at her.
    Her mouth opens and a doomsday chill runs through my still mildly intoxicated body. I can feel that I’m about to lose my shit, and that’s when a pocket-sized, messy miracle with matted sandy hair, red sportswear and dirty tennis shoes hops her way to my table.
    “G’morning, Grandma,” she greets, and though her voice is all chipper, the smile she offers Sally is about as real as the one I’ve been offering the duration of my breakfast.
    She’s the first normal looking thing I’ve seen since stepping foot in this town, and for that reason, she makes me smile. Sally, however, cranes her face to the side and runs her gray eyes up and down the girl’s body, her smile fading into nonexistence. “Good Lord, child, you’re a filthy mess,” she hisses.
    I’m not one to be around many children, and my childhood is certainly nothing to compare normal children’s to; however I think that, despite my predisposition to jerkish behavior, the harsh tone Sally just used is not how grandmas should talk to their grandchildren. And though I don’t care to look at the two of them, mostly because I don’t want to see the kid cry, I can’t help but to feel even more animosity for Sally, and a greater gratitude that I’ll be out of this town soon.
    I dig at my stack of pancakes and wait for whines to reach my ears, but they never do. Instead, I hear a giggle. “I was just at the soccer game. I made a goal,” the little girl replies, excited and unfazed.
    “Well, you should have cleaned yourself up before coming here. We have guests.”
    I want to laugh. This woman is ridiculous.
    I look up at the now embarrassed little girl. “I don’t know about the other guests, but I look like a freaking mess as well.” A tentative smile curls her lips, so I pick at my T-shirt and smile. “Two-day-old T-shirt, pajamas underneath my shorts, a bedhead that puts all bedheads to shame, and I didn’t even brush my teeth yet, so I don’t mind at all. And congrats on the goal.”
    The girl’s face lights up at the same moment Sally’s twists as if she just sucked a lemon. I consider that a victory, and payback for the annoyance she put me through this morning. In a conscious attempt to piss off the woman more, I drop my fork and point my fist in the direction of the little girl. She knocks her tiny fist against mine.
    “I’m Kodee,” she says, seating herself on a chair to my left. “I’m seven.”
    “Nice to meet you. I’m Mathew, and I haven’t been seven for seventeen years.” I stuff some egg in my mouth, and she looks at it with longing in her eyes.
    Sally lets out a heavy sigh. “She didn’t even feed you, Kodee?” The girl shakes her head.