About ten minutes later, the car was packed and breakfast was on the table for Mr. and Mrs. MacLean. Archie and Sharon came to the table.

“This looks great,” Archie said.

“Holly makes the best pancakes I ever had!” Tyler said.

“Better than IHOP!” Hunter said.

“Pancakes? You must be kidding,” Sharon said. “None for me, thanks.”

Tyler and Hunter looked from Sharon’s face to mine and back again.

“Why not?” Tyler said.

“Because pancakes make you fat,” she said.

“No, they don’t,” Hunter said. “I’m not fat. I eat pancakes all the time.”

“You shouldn’t disagree with me, young man. It’s very rude,” Sharon said.

The room got quiet.

Archie said, “Hunter, adults have to limit the amount of carbohydrates they eat because the unburned ones metabolize as fat. I don’t think Sharon meant to say kids shouldn’t eat them. You’ll burn them off before noon. Isn’t that right, Sharon?”

“Perhaps I should have been more specific, but your boys are going to have to learn some manners,” Sharon said. “If we’re going to get along, that is.”

I thought I would really love to fly across the room and strangle her.

“What did I do?” Tyler said. “Why am I included in this?”

“It’s a generalization,” Sharon said.

“Oh. By the way, what do you want us to call you?” Tyler said.

“Why, call me ‘Mother’! What else would you call me?”

How about any of the fifty terrible names that were running through my head?

“You’re not our mother,” Hunter said quietly and nicely. “Our mother is in heaven with the angels.”

“Sharon . . .” Archie said in a kind of a warning to her not to ramp this up to a full-blown war.

“Well, then,” Sharon said, “call me whatever you’d like.”

I couldn’t wait for them to leave.

Chapter 15: Bliss Week

“Miss Holly? How many drones are there in each hive?” Tyler asked.

“About fifteen percent of all of them,” I said.

“I’m going to pray for them,” Hunter said.

Chapter Fifteen

Bliss Week

We stood on the porch, the boys and I, waving at Archie and Sharon as they backed out of the driveway.

“Have a great time and don’t worry about anything,” I said.

“Thanks for everything!” Archie said to me. “Y’all be good, boys!”

“We always are!” Tyler said defensively, and who could blame him? Especially after the pile of bull Sharon dropped on him.

“Bye!” Hunter said, disappointed that he was getting cheated out of a trip to Bermuda.

Sharon just waved and gave us that fake smile of hers. I could tell she couldn’t wait to get away from us. That was just fine. We couldn’t wait for her to leave.