The Life of Reba McEntire Blackstock

Part 18

Reba's P.O.V.

Narvel and Mama walk into the kitchen. I can tell that there was some type of interaction between them in the living room by the way Narvel grins and the way Mama is shaking her head. I finish stirring my famous hamburger beans and bend over to pull the cornbread out from the oven. I portion the food out and set it on the table in front of my hungry guests and Narvel. We join hands in prayer then begin chowing down. We chat about everything from Shelby's racing to the double rainbow that appeared over Mama's house last week. After we all finish with our dinner, I pull out a carton of chocolate ice cream, chocolate syrup, sprinkles and bananas. Before I can even get bowls out to scoop the ice cream into, Narvel has dug his spoon into the carton and convinced Mama and Susie to do so also. I quit trying to gather 4 empty bowls and join them in the animalistic behavior. I attempt to grab a spoon to get some ice cream for myself, but I'm soon stopped by Narvel feeding me a spoonful with extra chocolate syrup. I take it into my mouth, but as soon as he takes the spoon away from my mouth, his mouth takes its place. He kisses me deeply and ends up stealing all of the ice cream from my mouth. When I realize this, I pull away, turn away from him, and cross my arms with a scowl on my faces. Susie looks up and asks, "Reba. What're you pouting about now? Narvel just kissed you!" I continue to scowl but answer back, "Because his *air quote* kissing is just a tactic to steal my ice cream." They look at me for a couple of seconds, then look over at Narvel who was quietly giggling. Mama and Susie burst out laughing. Not just a laugh, like a belly laugh that was giving them an ab workout! Watching them laugh like that, I couldn't help but smile and laugh some too. I then realized how ridiculous I was being, but I still needed a little revenge. As soon as Narvel took a bite of his ice cream, I grabbed his face and kissed him with a heaping amount of passion. I tried and tried, but never got any of the milky substance. I pulled away and he shrugged his shoulders, "I guess you're not ninja enough for me." I laugh and ask, "What's that supposed to mean?" He answers, "You are not trained in the art of *holds up one finger* 1) sneak attacks and 2) *holds up another finger* agility. To get to my level, you must go through 27 years of being a manager for a feisty red head, have four kids, never talk in any interviews (no matter how much your partner wants you to come out)and workout at least 3 times a week." I giggle at his lengthy explanation then realize he doesn't even fit his own standards. "Narv, even you don't go to the gym 3 times a week!" He answers back with much attitude, "Oh, I'm just so ninja that you don't even notice when I go to the gym! I rest my case." He then leans back in his chair and crosses his legs, clearly relaxed. Once Susie and Mama come down from their laughing high, I announce that it is almost time for bed. "Ok. I'm beginning to doze off, so before it gets too late I have something to say." That sure caught everyone's attention. "I've been thinking all day about this treatment thing and I've finally decided what I'm going to do. I'm going to do a lumpectomy and radiation." Narvel quickly grabs my hand, realization of what was going on hit him. Mama came over and gave me a hug followed by Susie. They both thought that my decision was a wise one and they wished us a goodnight. Once they had retreated to their guestrooms for the night. Narvel led me up to our room. After we had both gone through our bedtime routines, I laid in bed with my back up against Narv's chest. He had his arms wrapped around my torso and was smoothly dragging his fingertips over my forearms. When I had just about fallen asleep, Narvel whispered, "I'm so proud of you for being so strong. I love you." With that, I drifted into a deep sleep.

Narvel's P.O.V.

I follow Jackie into the kitchen with a big grin on my face. Jackie has never said anything like that to me before! Now I feel sure that I am doing the right thing for Reba. 26 years together and I still felt like I was messing things up between us. Apparently I am doing a dandy job! I see Susie perched at the island keeping Reba company and Reba stirring something on the stovetop. I could recognize that smell almost anywhere. She was making hamburger beans and cornbread! Reba is a great cook, in fact I wished she cooked more often than she does. I pour me a Diet Coke then sit down at my usual spot at the kitchen table. I watch Reba carefully portion out the meal then set it on the table in front of us. She grabs a Fiji water and pulls out the chair next to mine to sit in. We all grab hands and I lead the prayer before digging into the delicious dinner. We chat about light topics all through dinner, such Reba and Susie's upcoming tour dates and Jackie's baptism. As we finish up dinner, I take all of our bowls over to the kitchen sink to be washed while Reba pulls out dessert. We are having chocolate ice cream and almost any topping you can imagine. I sit down at the table to rejoin conversation while Reba attempts to scrounge up 4 clean bowls. The ice cream is so tempting, so I decide that I need to taste it before everyone else. I figure that since I'm a man everyone follows my lead, because before I know it, Susie and Jackie are eating right out of the carton with me. Reba turns around, almost appalled that we are doing this, but soon craters to the temptation and joins us without a bowl. She reaches for a spoon, but before she can obtain one, I feed her a heaping spoonful with extra chocolate syrup. As soon as I pull the spoon away from her mouth, I connect her lips to mine, pulling the ice cream out of her mouth and into mine. It takes her a minute to realize what I've done, but when she does, she pulls away from me and scowls. She crosses her arms as a toddler would do while pitching a fit. I can't help but laugh at her behavior. Susie looks up at Reba and asked, "Reba. What're you pouting about now? Narvel just kissed you!" She answers back, never changing her expression, "Because his *air quote* kissing is just a tactic to steal my ice cream." Her wording only makes me laugh more. Jackie and Susie both look from Reba then to me, only to burst out laughing also. We all laugh so hard that it hurts. I turn around to see Reba giggling a little too. I think her pouting session is over, because I see her grab her spoon and scoop some ice cream from the carton. She eats hers, then I do the same. As soon as I pull the spoon away from my mouth, Reba attaches her lips onto mine. I swallow my ice cream before she can get any from my mouth. She pulls away, frustrated and out of breath from trying so hard. I shrug my shoulders and say, "I guess you're not ninja enough for me." She laughs and asks, "What's that supposed to mean?" I answer back, "You are not trained in the art of *holds up one finger* 1) sneak attacks and 2) *holds up another finger* agility. To get to my level, you must go through 27 years of being a manager for a feisty red head, have four kids, never talk in any interviews (no matter how much your partner wants you to come out)and workout at least 3 times a week." She giggles at my lengthy explanation then gets a serious look on her face. "Narv, even you don't go to the gym 3 times a week!" I rebut her argument with serious attitude, Oh, I'm just so ninja that you don't even notice when I go to the gym! I rest my case." I lean back against my chair and kick my feet out. I watch Reba, Jackie and Susie start calming down from their laugh attacks then hear Reba announce, "Ok. I'm beginning to doze off, so before it gets too late I have something to say." We all shut up real quick, waiting to hear what Reba has to say. She starts, "I've been thinking all day about this treatment thing and I've finally decided what I'm going to do. I'm going to do a lumpectomy and radiation." I grab her hand, realization that Reba is going to go through treatment hitting me hard. Jackie and Susie come and hug Reba, telling her that she made a good choice and wishing us a good night. Reba takes my hand and leads me up to our bedroom where we go through our evening routines. After we finish, I lay in bed spooning her body. I wrap my arms around her and drag by fingertips along her freckled forearm. Her breathing deepens and I can tell she is about to fall into a slumber. I want her to know how proud of her I am, so I whisper to her, "I'm so proud of you for being so strong. I love you." I stare at her beautiful red locks until I fall asleep too.