I was filling out some performance contracts Wednesday when I received this text: Got any corn meal?
No one's ever asked me that before.
After responding "i do", I got a reply that read "watch who you say that to" followed by "b over shortly".
If Tater was short I could have typed "you're always over shortly" but she isn't so I just punched in "cya".
When she appeared at the front door forty minutes later I'd veered away from contracts toward banner procurement and about forgotten she'd even texted. I was surprised to hear the doorbell, so I opened the door and said "hey what's up?"
It wasn't corn meal.
Tater came in and past me, then plopped herself down on the couch like she owned the place. In other words, exactly like Meat does. She just didn't cuss so much.
"Where have you been going at 7:30 in the morning the last few days SJ? Did you forget to tell me something?"
I didn't forget. "Weren't you looking for some corn meal?"
"I'm from Vermont, SJ, we don't use corn meal. Now what's going on?"
I was busted. "I've had a weekday 8am appointment in Pikeville for radiation."
"You said it was gone."
"Well...the worst of it, the tumor and cancer in my throat look to be gone, like I told you."
Tater's eyes widened a bit. "You told us your cancer was pretty much gone."
"And I didn't lie. It pretty much is. Except for that little spot in vertebra number 12."
She almost looked away for a second, then focused on my eyes. "So what else?"
"So they put me on immunotherapy infusions every three weeks and I'm halfway through ten radiation treatments now. It'll be done before anybody even notices. It's really not that big a deal. Meat doesn't even need to know."
"Man you glow in the dark, what do you mean not a big deal? And I know, why shouldn't Meat know?"
I think I said this a little louder than needed. Radiation in the morning makes you tired in the afternoon. "Because I don't need Beulah over-reacting to a little bump in the road!"
Tater flinched and drew in a large breath as if she was going to let me have it. She turned confused. "Did you call him Beulah? Who's Beulah?"
"My grandmother...the grand wazoo of worry. There was nothing she could not pull worry from."
"Your grandmother's name was Beulah? What was your other grandmother's name?"
"Nettie. Beulah Towles and Nettie Peterman were their birth names."
Tater released a loud whoop of laughter, revealed a look of relief. "Beulah and Nettie! Buddy those are some old time grandma names. And you're right, my man can sure over-react to certain trigger words. You don't have to tell him. If this really isn't that big a deal that is."
"I promise it isn't. Just a minor inconvenience. I'd hug you but I don't want to radiate you."