Page 94 of Nerdelicious
Fred and her dad exchange a glance. “You first,” she says.
I smile and pick up the serving spoon, putting a heaping portion onto my plate.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Fred stage-whispers.
“I heard that.” Helen comes back into the room with the drinks and sits at the head of the table, opposite Larry.
Everyone dishes food onto their plates.
Helen asks Grace about when school is starting while Larry talks to Fred about how engineers are designing toilets to analyze excrement for pre-diagnosing health issues.
“No poop talk at the table,” Helen tells him.
I wait patiently for Fred to take a bite of her food and when she does, I’m not disappointed.
She chews for a second and then her brows hit her hairline. “Mom, what is this? This is actually...” Her expression is mystified, staring down at the dish like it’s sprouted wings. “Good.” She takes another bite. “This is good.”
“Eggplant parmesan baked with homemade vegan mozzarella. I might have had some tips from Beast.”
Fred’s mouth pops open. “You listened to him? You never listen to me!” Her eyes flick to mine. “You gave her cooking advice?”
I sign,I did it for you.
Larry puts a hand on my arm. “It’s better to remain silent when they get like this.”
Grace is giggling so hard, she leans into me, shoulders shaking.
Fred is half laughing, half arguing with Helen, and Larry leans toward me, elbow on the table, sending my fork clattering to the floor.
The table is chaos, but joy is a squeeze in my chest. Happiness is the laughter of the people I love most. Happiness is chasing after my dreams. Happiness is... her.
Across the table, my eyes lock with Fred’s and her smile lights up the entire room, brighter than any star.
