Page 31 of Controlled Burn
“Thanks. It was built in the early sixties, and when I bought it, it was all original. Which meant wood paneling, shag carpet, and lots of dark wood. Updating it was a lot of work, but I like it.”
“I bet. But you did a great job.”
I could have told him that Jonathan and I did it all together and that the whole time I thought we were building a future together, but that seemed really depressing for a first date, so I didn’t. Besides, he didn’t need to hear all about my baggage for me to show him what life would be like if he had a Daddy of his own.
“I thought we could eat out on the patio.”
“That sounds good.” He seemed so nervous standing there, so I hoped that once we got settled outside and talked a little, he would relax a bit.
“It is. What can I get you to drink? I have water, sweet tea, and beer.”
“Tea would be good.”
I filled a couple of glasses with ice and then poured us both a glass of tea. I handed him his glass. “We have about thirty minutes before it’s time to put the steaks on. Why don’t we go sit out back?”
He followed me through the breakfast nook to the double doors that opened to my covered patio.
“Wow, this backyard is awesome. And there’s the garden you told me about. You said an herb garden. That’s a pretty big herb garden.”
“The herb garden is over there.” I pointed to the small area right along the fence line. “That’s my vegetable garden.”
“Oh. Will we be eating things from your garden tonight?”
“Yeah, the squash and zucchini that are roasting in the oven came from my garden.”
“That’s so cool to be able to eat something you grew yourself.”
I was really proud of my garden, and it was nice to see someone appreciate it so openly.
“It is. I always end up with way more than I can use, so I take some to my parents and I use a lot of it when I cook up at the fire station.”
He sat down in one of the patio chairs that looked out over my backyard. “My dad says you’re a really good cook.”
“I like to think so. How about you? Are you a good cook?” I took a seat in the chair next to his and waited for his answer.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t really ever cooked much since it’s just me. Cooking for one person seems like so much work. It’s easier to just buy something most of the time.”
“I get that. Luckily for me, I have people at the fire station I can practice on. But you said you tried the meal prep thing, right? So I assume you were cooking for that?”
“Yeah, I watched these videos where this person was prepping their meals and putting them in zip-lock bags, and I thought that would be a good idea.”
“It is a good idea. So why do you think it didn’t work?”
He shrugged again. “I don’t know. I liked the food okay, and it went really good the first week, and the second week wasn’t bad, but then the third week, I didn’t go to the store cause I was busy. I thought I would go later in the week, but it was easier to just stop and grab something.”
“So it wasn’t that you didn’t like the food?”
“No, it was just that picking something up is easier.”
“I know it’s tempting to do the easy thing, but you have to take better care of yourself.”
“I know that. That’s why I wanted to try meal prepping. I’ve done this my whole life. I find something that’s a good idea and works, but after a little while, I just forget to do it. It’s so frustrating.”
“I’m sure it is, and I’m sure that applies to more things in your life than just your eating habits. But we have to start somewhere. So how about if you have someone to help you plan your meals and to remind you to do your shopping? Maybe even go to the store with you and help you get your stuff ready.”
“No one’s going to spend their whole Sunday helping me get my shit together for the next week.”
“As your temporary Daddy, that’s exactly what I’d do. If you were my actual boy and you lived here with me, I’d cook you dinner every night and make sure you were eating properly, but since that isn’t our situation, I would be happy to go shopping with you.”