Best of Women

Pippa

I went to the gym with the girls most days that week.  Mia seemed to be frustrated on floor.  She wasn't getting the same height as some of the other girls and kept landing short.  She wasn't able to get enough rotation in time.  The coach worked with her patiently, but I could tell she was getting frustrated.  By the end of practice, she was almost in tears.

As she walked to the dressing room, I patted her on the shoulder.  "Brush it off, kiddo.  You put in a lot of good work today."

She mumbled something under her breath as she ripped off her grips from bar.  Five minutes later, they both met me in the lobby.  The twins walked a few paces behind me and the talked quietly.

"You know why you can't get enough height?" Eva asked her sister.  "Since you went through your growth spurt.  You've gained weight and your body's all off."

"Shut up!" Mia snapped.

"Jeez.  I'm just saying.  You're not fat, you've just grown."

I heard Mia give a big sigh, frustrated.  The meet they were preparing for was a couple weeks away.  The gym had a mini-meet to determine the four girls who would go.  There were eleven in the program.  Usually, Mia and Eva ranked pretty high, but Mia was struggling.

They both showered when we got home and I started dinner.  The house was smelling really good when I began to dish out seven plates.  The table was crowded but full of love.

"Where's Mia?" Lin asked, putting a napkin on his lap.

"She said she wasn't hungry," Eva informed us.

Lin put down his knife and fork and stood up, going down the hallway to the twins' room.  He came back a minute later and sighed.  "Said she's feeling sick."

I thought back to the conversation I'd overheard earlier.  I hope she wasn't eating because of that.  She'd just had a five hour practice.  Her body had exerted itself and it needed to be replenished.

It was the same the next day.  She ate a little for breakfast and lunch, but refused to eat dinner.  She was able to get through practice, so she obviously wasn't sick.  On the third day, Lin had had enough.

"Mia, sit down and eat," he told her as she tried to make her nightly escape to her bedroom.

"I'm not hungry," she told him.

"You just had a five hour practice," he reminded his daughter.  "Eat."

Mia reluctantly sat down and picked up her fork.  She nibbled at her food and pushed it around a lot.  As everyone began clearing their plates, she moved to get up.

"Uh-uh," Lin told her.  "Sit back down, Mia.  You're nowhere near done."

"But Dad!  I'm not hungry!" she protested.

"You've barely eaten," he said.  "I need to see you take five more bites of chicken and three more of broccoli."

She groaned loudly and rolled her eyes.  Lin sat with her, offering to take the baby while he made sure Mia ate.  It was painful to watch.  When she finished her last bite, she asked to be excused.  I listened in from the kitchen where I did dishes.

"Why aren't you eating?" he asked her.

"I told you.  Because I'm not hungry," she said with some attitude.

"You've never not been hungry before," he said.  "Are you not feeling well? Do I need to take you to the doctor?"

"I'm fine," she said.  "Can I go please?"

He sighed and nodded, then Mia made a quick exit to her room.  Lin brought his own plate to the kitchen and rinsed it in the sink.

"Lin, I have a feeling why she might not be eating," I told him as we worked together.