Veronica nodded, looking down into the food she was cooking.
“What about you?” Calvin asked, moving to lean against the counter beside the stove and cross his arms over his chest.
“It was good,” she answered simply.
“Who were the kids today?” he asked, and Veronica tensed, knowing that he was setting her up for another set of inquiries.
“Toby and Alec,” she answered calmly, though she saw Calvin shake his head a little, pinching the bridge of his nose between this thumb and forefinger.
“Should I even ask?” he bit out, and Veronica let out a sigh, shaking her head and turning to face him.
“I don’t know what you want me to say,” Veronica answered calmly. “Every time you ask, the answer is the same.”
Calvin clenched his jaw and shook his head.
“That’s exactly what I thought you were going to say,” he sighed.
“Then why are we even having this conversation?” Veronica shook her head and returned her attention to the food on the stove.
“Look,” Calvin sighed, his voice calmer. Veronica felt him place a hand on her shoulder, and she turned once more to look at him.
“There’s something I want to talk to you about, but I need to get showered and changed first,” he said slowly. “Can we talk about it over dinner?”
Veronica felt a twist of anxiety in her stomach, and she wondered how on earth this conversation was going to go. Still, she knew they would have to talk about whatever it was at some point, and she may as well get it out of the way as soon as possible.
“Okay, sure,” Veronica nodded.
“Okay,” Calvin said. “I’ll be out in a little while.”
Veronica watched out of the corner of her eye as he left the room, and she let out a puff of air once he was out of the room. She shook her head as she continued to cook. There was no point in worrying herself over whatever it was he had to say to her. All she could do was make dinner and be prepared to listen with an open mind.
CHAPTER 2
Within the next hour, Calvin had gotten out of the shower and dressed in a pair of athletic pants and a white t-shirt. He sat down at the table, and Veronica put down his plate in front of him, then assumed her usual place at their small table.
Calvin picked up a fork, and Veronica followed suit. She had made them a meal of baked chicken and vegetables over a bed of rice. It was one of Calvin’s favorite meals, and she enjoyed as well. For a while, they ate, both of them appreciating the silence that spread between them.
It couldn’t last, though, and at length, Calvin set down his fork and looked across the table at her. Veronica let out a soft sigh and put down her fork as well.
“I know that you love what you do,” Calvin said. “I appreciate that you’re able to make any money at all with what you do.”
Veronica listened silently, giving him a short nod at the conclusion of his statement.
“But you have to admit that the way you do business is not a reliable way to make money,” he continued. “You can’t constantly be cutting people breaks, because then at the end of the day you suffer. I know at the end of the day, between the two of us, we have enough money to get by, and even to do well. But what if something ever happens to me? What would you do then?”
Veronica worked very hard to keep from rolling her eyes.
“We’ve been through all this Calvin,” Veronica said, keeping her tone level. “I’m not going to demand a full amount of money when I know good and well they can’t afford it. They’re barely staying on top of things as it is, and if I rake them over the coals too, their kids are going to suffer. If I lose a couple of bucks, I’ll be okay. Some people don’t have that luxury.”
Veronica felt like this was an elementary concept, and she got annoyed every time she had to explain it to him. However, she could hardly blame him. He had grown up in a moderately well off middle class family, and he had really never wanted for much at any point in his life.
Veronica, however, had not always been so lucky. Growing up, her family often had to go without food, or heat or water for extended periods of time. Veronica knew the true worth of money, and all material possessions. She was grateful for everything she had, and she knew better than to let things go to waste.
She knew that the families she gave a break to really did need it, and that they were in situations just like the one she had been in. For her it was the least she could do, but for them, it definitely made a huge difference.
It seemed that no matter how many times she tried to explain that, though, Calvin just couldn’t wrap his head around the concept.
“Okay,” Calvin said, a look of surrender on his face. “I totally get your need to help people out, okay? I do. I just think that maybe you need to be thinking about yourself a little more.”