Page 18 of A Recipe Called Home

“Did you think I’d stand you up?” Jules asked, noticing the uniform her mom was wearing. She couldn’t tell if they were scrubs or not.Odd.

“It might have crossed my mind. I wasn’t sure if she’d try to talk you out of it."

“Grandma didn’t mind,” Jules responded, stretching the truth. “Did you already order?

“No, no. I wanted to wait for you. Do you still like cheese enchiladas? I wasn’t sure…” Jules shook her head yes and suggested they split an order while perfunctorily looking at the menu to busy her hands.

“I’d like that,” Barb said, voice breaking.

Growing up, they’d come here for dinner sometimes and always shared a plate of cheese enchiladas, beans, and rice, which was enough for the two of them plus leftovers. Jules felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her as she took a long look around the restaurant.

“So, how’s Grandma doing? Getting around better?” Barb asked, avoiding eye contact.

“She seems alright, although defiant as ever and not listening to a word I say about staying off her hip.”

They exchanged quick updates and fell into a pleasant conversation while they waited for their food.

“Where are you living now?” Jules asked, placing her napkin in her lap. She wanted to know more about the uniform but decided to take it slow. Barb sat up a little straighter, as if she’d prepared for this question.

“In Naperville. I have a tiny one-bedroom condo in a cute complex near the ice arena, if you know where that is.”

“I think I remember it,” Jules responded as the waiter delivered their order.

“Snuggles loves it. She watches all the kiddos coming and going from the window in our living room that overlooks the parking lot.”

“Snuggles?”

“My cat,” she said, lips turning up into a genuine smile, the kind that shows all your teeth. “I got her about six months ago. The apartment felt lonely.”

Jules almost choked on her enchilada.

“You mean you live alone? No boyfriend?”

“No boyfriend. Just me and Snuggles."

This was news to Jules. All her life, her mom jumped from one relationship to the next. The only time she didn’t have a boyfriend was when she was living back home, which never lasted long.

“Wow. So, what are you doing for work, then?” Jules pointed to her uniform.

“I’m working as an assistant in an animal hospital and taking night classes to become a veterinary tech. I’m hoping they’ll hire me on full-time after I graduate. I really love it." Barb fiddled with the napkin in her lap.

“That’s great, Mom."

Now the uniform made sense, although Jules was stunned that she had stuck with a job for this long. Maybe Grandma Rosa had it wrong this time. Or it could just be another one of Barb’s phases. Either way, Jules figured that it didn’t hurt to be supportive.

“Anyway, enough about me. Tell me all about D.C. and your job,” Barb said, waving her hand in the air.

Jules gave her a quick rundown of her life, realizing there wasn’t much to share. She had a simple routine that consisted of work, the gym, and an occasional happy hour or swanky work-related dinner event. She liked the reliable consistency of it all. But from the sound of it, Barb was doing a better job at working towards her dreams and creating a life she loved than Jules.

Their lunch lasted longer than either of them expected. After filling each other in on the current state of their lives, the conversation turned towards Grandma Rosa’s fall. Jules knew the broad strokes of what happened, but Rosa refused to talk about it. Barb knew the full story. She was still on Grandma Rosa’s emergency contact list, so the hospital had called her when it happened, but Rosa had refused to talk. That’s when Val stepped in and kept Barb informed on the side.

Barb shared that Grandma Rosa had hired a landscaping service a few months back to take care of the yard. Mowing, weeding, edging, the things Grandpa Lou always did. On one of their service visits, the lawn mower ran into the wooden birdhouse Grandpa Lou had made in his wood shop years ago, breaking it into pieces.

Hearing the commotion, Grandma Rosa rushed out her front door, upset and ready to raise hell. She lost her footing and fell down the concrete steps, landing on her hip. When the ambulance arrived, her fury had turned to tears. She called Val on the ride to the hospital, sobbing into the phone about the birdhouse. For thirty years, Grandpa Lou had painted and resealed it every summer for the birds to enjoy.

The story broke Jules’ heart. She’d never seen her grandma cry. She was always the strong, stoic type. Even at the memorial service, Rosa stood at the end of the receiving line, stone-faced and unflinching the entire time. Of course, Jules knew she was hurting, but it wasn’t until now that she understood the extent of her grief. Jules wondered if she’d ever get to experience an enduring love like that.

After paying their bill, the two walked together to their cars.

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