By JACKIE OLD COYOTE

Sitting in her white kitchen with solid hardwood floors, Sheila sips at her oversized coffee mug and smiles at the good fortune of having Sheri and Sissy there at the same time. It was their ritual, to drink coffee and sit in the kitchen, although it was very different than the hot plains home they originated this ritual in. The rez seemed so far away but being with the girls made it seem like "here and now."

"Can’t get over it huh girl!" Sissy chirped. "We said we’d come down and here we are, just like we always said. In Hollywood, land of the stars and…"

"Land of the Weirdos," interrupts Sheri, "I think they should call this place Hollyweird."

The girls break into silly laughter that the comment doesn’t really warrant, it is more a celebratory laughter, sisters laughing in the face of adversity, laughing in spite of the tribulations life has dealt them, laughing because despite prolonged separations they are together now. And they savor the moment, just like their coffee.

Sheila breaks the laughter, "Sher, how’s it going with the kids? I can’t imagine how hard it must be for you to handle them all by yourself."

"Sheila, you should know better. Back home, none of us is by ourselves. We got each other. It’s you we worry about, way out here, all by your lonesome."

Sissy breaks in, "Sheila, the kids ask about you all the time, they ask me, ‘Momma Sis’ poor things, don’t know if I’m their momma or their sissie…"

That silly laugher erupts again and the girls calm their laughing with more sips of their black coffee. Sheri says, "Seriously, they’re doing good. They miss their Daddy a lot, only JR’s really old enough to understand he ain’t coming back. The two younger ones always wanna go by that old mortuary to see Daddy."

"I’m so sorry, here I am so concerned about the kids, I didn’t even ask how you’re doing with all of it."

"C’mon Sheila," Sissy scolds, "You know how Sher’s doing with all of it. She’s doing just fine. Doing just what women in our family been doing forever, she’s holding together a family, making a life for her kids. At least she don’t have to worry about that son-of-a-bitch coming home and beatin’ her anymore."

"Sis, he wasn’t a son-of-a-bitch. He just couldn’t help himself."

"Ever since you discovered that Good Red Road with oh what’s his name, you make more excuses than ever sister. He was a son-of-a-bitch. I’m sorry that he’s dead, and I’m sorry that the kids won’t know their Daddy, but I ain’t sorry he’s out of the picture for you. I prayed for that to happen."

Sheila, hoping to prevent an argument says, "Sher, I am sorry too, but we always thought you could have done better."

"Sheila, getting knocked up at 17, not finishing school, I didn’t have choices, what was I supposed to do?"

"Not have another kid at 18! That’s for damn sure," says Sissie.

"Well, that just sorta happened, kinda like you just sorta don’t want to do anything with that degree that lets you be a dentist Sissie."

"I’m not a dentist, that’s just the problem. I thought I got to do the good stuff, finish all that training, come to find out, all I get to do is scrape crap off people’s teeth."

"That’s plaque Sissie," says Sheila primly.

"You ever scraped it Sheila, its crap, believe me, it’s crap!"

"You always had a crap mouth too," says Sheri and the girls all have another round of laughter and once again bring it to a calm by sipping coffee.

"I have so much catching up to do with you ladies. I didn’t even know Sissie quit working as a hygienist. When did you do that?"

continue page two