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"How come you can't cook like Rain, huh?" he asked Beni.

"I can't do anything as

good as Rain," Beni complained with a smirk, "so I don't even try."

Ken's eyes grew smaller.

"Get me another beer," he demanded.

"Don't you think you've had enough?" I asked him.

"I don't need no kid telling me when I had enough. Jeeze, your Mama's turning all of you against me," he wailed.

"I'll get it for you," Beth offered and did.

"Thank you, Beni," he said smiling at her. He glared at me and then returned to plop into his easy chair. Beth smirked at me.

"Ken likes me more, I think," she said smugly.

"I'm glad for you," I told her. She was getting me so angry that I worked harder and faster to keep my mind busy. I had everything simmering by the time Mama came home.

"It smells heavenly," she told me. She heard the television going, but thought it was Beni.

"Why doesn't Beni at least set the table before Ken and Roy get home?" she muttered.

"Ken's home," I told her. "He lost his job:'

"No. I was afraid of that. He's just no good:' She pulled up her shoulders and straightened her spine for battle.

"I think he's been drinking too much again, Mama. Maybe you should just let him be."

"Damn him," she cried and headed for the living room. I took a deep breath and started to set the table.

Ken had been drinking all day. He had started at one of the taverns when he was fired and then he had come home and had drunk nearly two six packs by the time Mama had arrived. He was nearly passed out when she began on him. I wasn't going to listen. It was like a broken CD, stuck on the same old tune; but they raised their voices so loud, I'm sure the neighbors heard them clearly.

"How could you lose this job? It was one of your better ones," Mama said. "If you would have lasted, we would have had some good benefits, medical and dental. Don't you care at all about this family?"

"That supervisor had it in for me. He always did," Ken claimed. "He's a cracker and thinks we're trash."

"That's what you say all the time. Just excuses for your own despicable behavior. That's all that is."

"Leave me be."

"What are we supposed to do, Ken? We have the rent to pay and the girls need things, things we haven't been able to afford. They need clothes. They're outgrowing everything. We're late on the electric and gas and I'm afraid to make dentist appointments for anyone because we still have such a bill. We could get evicted. The manager said so. Then where are we going to be? Out on the street, that? where,"

"I'll get a job soon," he promised.

"When? I haven't seen your paycheck for weeks now. How could you waste all that money?"

"I said I'd get work, woman. So lay off of me. Besides, why don't you let the girls get some work? They could bring in some money."

"They're schoolgirls. They don't belong in the streets working some fast-food joint late at night. And I won't have them dropping out to work days. Rain's got a chance to win a scholarship to college," she added. I had no idea Mama knew about the scholarship.

"Well, Beni could work."

"She'll just get into trouble, Ken. She hasn't got as much common sense as Rain does."

"Oh? Why's that?" he demanded. From the way he slurred his words, I knew he was too drunk to listen or make any sense, but Mama wasn't going to let up on him.