sharing lunch

It was an interesting morning today.

Work was busy when I got there and I dove full-tilt into the morning melee without doing the decompressing ten minutes that I'm used to (How was your weekend? Oh, and did you see there's a new House on tonight?) and subsequently, didn't really chat with any of my co-workers. I had completely forgotten about it when noon came around and I went to heat my lunch up. I talked with one of the field workers* for a moment, then opened a magazine and dug in. Ah, bliss. I had completely forgotten she was there when she cleared her throat. 'Uh, Jess?'
I put down the magazine. 'Sorry - that was rude of me! What can I do for you?'
She scooted her chair a little closer. She looked fascinated. 'What are you eating?'

Now you have to understand I bring leftovers a lot. They're quick, easy, and right there, so I didn't even have to look down to inform her what I had. 'Leftover homemade macaroni and cheese with ham. But I didn't have macaroni, so I made it with spaghetti.'

She nodded. 'But that doesn't have any cheese on it.'

I watched her carefully as I explained. 'No, it doesn't. You see, my son wasn't feeling well last night and the only thing he would eat was toast and the bits of cheese he could pick off the top of his pasta. My husband was alarmed at the thought of him starving to death during the night, so he gave him two pieces to pick the top off of. So we had lots of that left over.'

She didn't appear to think I was a raving loon. 'Won't you get hungry?'

I expanded on the rest of my (suddenly pitiful looking) lunch. 'Nah, I have two (snack sized) boxes of raisins, an apple and some cookies.'

Her eyebrows shot up as she studied my cookies, each broken into at least three pieces. I tried to act nonchalant as I turned the apple so she couldn't see the old bite already taken out of it.

Suddenly, she smiled. 'It's hard, working and having two small ones, isn't it?'

I agreed. 'Yes, especially when they won't eat anything in the morning until three seconds before you have to run out the door.' (Hence the apple bite mark and the crumbled cookies, although I didn't elaborate.)

I also didn't mention that the raisin boxes were each half-full. (Mommmy...I'm doooone.)

At least the tea was hot, and all mine.




*No, no, field as in 'working outside of the office', not 'working out in the field'