BELLYACHE: A Delicious Tale

Lunch Time

Lunch Time 

When Peter arrived at the store, he heard a familiar song. As soon as the off-key notes hit his ears, he knew who was there. Nana!

                Peter watched Papa bending down to pick a piece of trash off the floor to throw it away. Papa pushed his glasses back up on his nose again when he turned to face Peter. Peter thought Papa really should tape those things to his ears. It may look a little funny but at least he wouldn’t have to keep fixing them all day.

                “I hear Nana’s song.” Peter smiled.

                Papa chuckled. “Yes, she is in the back. She has brought us a nice lunch.”

                “Lunch?” Peter thought he might get sick. Hopefully it would be for much later.

                Peter handed his grandfather the money for the birthday cupcakes and found Nana in the back room, unpacking a large blue carrying case.

                Oh no! Peter’s head screamed. I’ll just tell her I am not hungry. No, I can’t. She might catch on. I could still have room to eat…not a lot of room.

                “Peter, come over here and give me a hug. I missed you!” Nana shrieked with joy.

                Nana always said she missed him even though she had seen him just two days earlier. Peter wrapped his arms around his grandmother. He still couldn’t touch his hands together. He figured one day his arms would be long enough to do that.

                “I have made lunch for us all: turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce, carrot sticks, and milk.” Nana beamed.

                Peter smiled back and said, “Thanks, Nana,” even though he wished she hadn’t brought anything.

                “Now go and wash up so we can eat,” she ordered.

                Peter stood there for a moment. How could he eat all that? He knew he would have to because Nana always made him clean his plate. She would say that a growing boy needs his energy.

                Papa interrupted his thoughts when he stuck his head in the doorway.

                “Peter, you have a visitor. Come and see who it is.”

                “A visitor?” Peter wondered who it was.

                At any rate, he did not really care as long as he did not have to eat right now.

                When Peter arrived at the front, he saw a blond man. He did not recognize him. He did not see anyone else. Then Papa moved a little to the right and he saw his visitor. It was Lina Young. He was happy to see her. He really liked Lina because she wasn’t a girly girl. They would hang out at recess sometimes and talk mostly about baseball and other sports if they weren’t playing them.

                Lina was pretty tough, too. One time they were sitting on a bench and looking at one of her dad’s sports magazines. An older kid, Harmon, came over and bellowed, “What are you girls looking at? Probably a ladies’ magazine! Hey, Peter, why are you hanging out with a girl, and one who is Asian anyway!”

Hearing that made Peter mad, but before he had a chance to react, Lina had Harmon in a head-lock and was shoving the magazine in his face, pointing out, “I don’t read sissy magazines, and even if I did, it is none of your business! What makes me different is what makes me special!” It was funny to see a petite girl holding an older, much taller kid in a headlock. Harmon never bugged them again.