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Sheneededto fit in her jeans.
But her mom had made pasta and homemade bread.
So, Teresa would be eating it (along with a bit of salad and fruit because she liked to pretend to be healthy…and both were tasty, too—they just weren’t homemade bread and pasta).
“I can help,” she said, moving toward her mom, reaching out a hand out for a plate.
“No, no. Sit.Sit.” Her mom scooped up a big serving of pasta, dropped it on the plate. “I’ll bring it over.”
Her dad, decades of this marriage under his belt, had the memo already, was in his seat at the table.
So, Teresa followed his lead, sinking into the chair opposite him.
Her mom served her dad first—as one did, at least in this household—then she set a plate in front of Teresa before grabbing her own plate.
“Eat.Eat,”she ordered as she sank into her own chair.
Teresa picked up her fork, shoveled up a mouthful, started chewing. But even before the delicious sauce was fully processed her taste buds, her mother dropped another slice of bread onto Teresa’s plate.
Anotherbutteredslice.
“More bread, baby.”
Her shoulders inched up, discomfort boiling in her belly, competing with bites of pasta. “Thanks, Mom, but I’m fine—”
A beatific smile.
Another buttered bread hitting her plate.
“You’ll never get a real man without curves on that body.”
Teresa’s shoulders inched up further.
That discomfort boiled over.
But she crammed it down, shoveled pasta and bread and fruit and salad to sit on top of it, felt the ropessnickin to keep it in place.
Just like always.
Eleven
Jeremy
“Why didn’t you call me sooner?” he asked, peering behind the washing machine, and fiddling with the connection.
Yup.
Definitely dripping water.
Silence greeted him.
“Mom?” he asked again, trying to tighten the connector. It was thoroughly stripped, and water kept dripping, joining the little puddle on the floor, having soaked through the towel that she’d put there.
She reappeared at his side, bending beneath him, and scooping up the wet towel, dumping it into the sink, and replacing it with a new one.
“Because it’s the middle of the week, and I have one person living at this house. My washer leaking isn’t an emergency situation.”
“You need to have a working washer.”
