Holidays Mean Trouble (part 3 - by Margaret Ullrich)

Ma glared at Liz, then turned to Mrs. Kekelia and smiled. Proudly, Ma said, “I’d offer you some lamb, but my family ate it all.”
Mrs. Kekelia, shocked at our food shortage, said, “Vat? You don’t cook extra for company? Is not polite to ration. Is not var time.”
Shaken, Ma said, “When you have a good recipe, they eat every bite.”

Mrs. Kekelia wasn't impressed. “Ven haf company, haf extra. Tsk. Foreign ways. Tsk. Haf letter from sister in Dussseldorf. Come mit family in May. I cook all her favorites und make plenty.”
Ma muttered, “How nice for your sister. You should start cooking now. Thank you for Tina’s . . . treat.”

Ignoring Ma, Mrs. Kekelia turned to me, “Tina, you come, eat, too. I haf plans. Take sister, see everyting. I show her everyting. Tina, you like see?”

Ma didn’t mind Mrs. Kekelia taking care of me while she was at work. But now Mrs. Kekelia was trying to mother me on Ma’s time. Ma wanted to reestablish her position as my official mother. “Tina will be busy.”
Mrs. Kekelia said, “You not know when...”
“And you don't know what my family will be doing,” Ma cut her off.


Not realizing what she was stepping into, Liz said, “It’s too bad My Fair Lady isn’t running anymore.”
Mrs. Kekelia said, “Yah. Vee see.”
Warming up to Ma's tenant, Liz said, “Charlie and I did, too.” Then she sang, “All I want is a room somewhere.”
Realizing that Ma had at least one civilized relative, Mrs. Kekelia sang along, “is room somevere."

Ma hummed the tune, then said, “We saw that on Ed Sullivan.”
“Sweetheart, you didn’t see the whole thing,” Liz said.
Ma muttered, “Sullivan shows the best parts. Who needs to see the whole thing?”


Demi nodded and agreed with Ma.