In fact, I think the only females to ever enter this house are Martha and Tali.Given the fact Martha’s old enough to be my mother, I never really thought about her being here.
“When can you eat?I used to do eighteen hours of fasting, so I understand the struggle.”
“I have fifteen more minutes,” she groans, letting her head fall back against the couch.
“How about you take Tali and I’ll make us some dinner?Unless you have plans…”
“No plans.I'm a pretty boring person.I'm a homebody most of the time, unless Wheeler makes me go out with him to Kennedy’s Pub.”
“Then it sounds like we’ll get along great.”
I carefully transfer Tali into Winnie’s waiting arms and watch them for a few seconds, making sure Tali isn’t going to wake up.She’s fairly good at staying asleep, but you never know.
As soon as I'm sure she’ll stay asleep, I head into the kitchen and start pulling things out of the fridge for bowls.I started eating these when Tali was an infant.It was easier to meal prep and quickly make myself a healthy dinner or lunch when I needed it.
Now, I have a chef who makes all of my food.I don’t have the time to spend in the kitchen like I used to and any spare time I have, I want to spend with Tali.
Heating up a pan, I scoop a little bit of butter into it, then toss in the onions, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, black beans, and white potatoes.After sprinkling some salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes on them, I cover the pan and let the vegetables soften.
In another pan, I cook up some pulled pork and beef brisket.I cooked the meats in my smoker yesterday and have been waiting to make a bowl with them.
“You don’t have any allergies, right?”I call from the kitchen.
“Not unless you plan on letting a bee sting me.Foods haven’t tried to kill me yet.”
“Ok, good.”I chuckle and shake my head, enjoying having someone else to talk to a little too much.
Once the meat is finished cooking, I separate it into two large bowls and make a few sunny side up eggs for both of us.I top the meat with the veggies and then place the eggs over them.
In a separate bowl, I set aside a small portion of everything for Tali.She loves to have this for dinner and she’s now to the age I don’t need to make her something separate.
“Dinner’s all ready.”I walk into the living room and a weight hits me in the chest seeing Tali on Winnie’s lap.They look like they could be mother and daughter.
My little girl is staring up at Winnie with wide eyes, but she doesn’t say anything.As soon as she hears my voice, she whips around in my direction and a bright smile spreads across her face, making her pacifier almost fall out of her mouth.
“Da-Da.”She wiggles off of Winnie’s lap and races over to me.Holding her arms up in the air, she waits for me to pick her up and settle her on my hip.
“Are you ready to eat, pretty girl?”
“Always!”Winnie hops off the couch, then winces.“You were talking to Tali, weren’t you?”She scrunches up her nose, looking more than adorable.She seems to do that a lot.
“I was, but the question stands for both of you.”
Winnie follows me into the kitchen and waits for me to strap Tali into her highchair.I motion for her to take a seat at the table, then grab the bowls for the girls.I secure a bib around Tali’s neck, then grab her a drink.
“Would you like water or a seltzer water?I don’t have much else, sorry.Once I start spring training, everything I shouldn’t be consuming gets tossed.”
“A seltzer would be great.I might have a tiny obsession with them.I traded soda for seltzer when I started this whole trying to eat better phase.Something about the carbonation makes me feel like I'm not drinking water.”
“I get it.Is there a reason you changed your diet?”
“I don’t know.I feel like a fat slob every time I eat around Smithy or Wheeler.They’re so particular about their diets.Now that Liliana’s living with Smithy, she’s doing the same thing.I’ve debated on going to the gym, but I don’t know what I'm doing there.I guess I just want to get healthier and stronger.I'm not getting any younger and I don’t want these curves to get out of control.”She motions to her figure and I let my gaze move up and down her body.
I don’t know what she’s concerned about.She has an hourglass figure.Sure, she has a little wider hips than what most people would consider ideal and her thighs are a little thicker, but I think she looks amazing.
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about, but I’d be happy to help you.”
“Oh, I wasn’t asking for that, I was just saying.I'm sure you’re too busy to worry about me.”She waves me off.“I'm supposed to be helping take things off your plate, not add more to it.”
