Katie asked me the other day if I ever cooked dinner anymore.

"I've been home for two weeks and there's never anything to eat around here." she complained.

"I don't cook anymore."  I said.  "Most of the time Dad cooks and when I do cook, half the time no one's here to eat it, or they say they don't want it and make themselves dinner."

"Would you make pork chops for me sometime?  I promise I'll eat them."

"I'll make whatever you want, just let me know when."

So, she listed all the dinners she loves and hasn't had in years and about three nights later, when she wasn't scheduled to work, I made ugly chicken.

Ugly chicken involves boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded flat, fried and then covered in a mouthwatering dijon sauce and served over rice.  It's delicious. 

While I was frying the chicken, Josie got a call from Meg, inviting her to go to a baseball game.  Off she went.    I finished making the sauce and told Katie dinner was ready and she said she needed to go for a run before she could eat.  Off she went.  I knocked on Zack's door, where he was doing homework to tell him dinner was ready and found him sound asleep.

I was hungry.  Dinner was ready.  It was late.

So I ate by myself.

Again.

I actually like eating by myself because I can read and no one accuses me of rudeness.  But that's why I don't cook much anymore.  The chicken was fabulous.

Tonight I'm doing another dinner I really like and it looks like no one is going to be here to eat it with me.  Which means I get to watch a movie while I eat.  Plus, what I made tonight makes the worlds greatest leftovers; crunchy chicken wings.

I like being alone but I don't think I'd like it all the time.  I wonder if that comes from growing up in an enormous family; privacy and solitude are prized.  But then, I'm also the daughter of a writer and that's a solitary profession, so perhaps I'm just part of a breed of people who are more comfortable with themselves than with others.  Yeah, that sounds good; I'll go with that.  It sounds better than to admit I'm unfit for human society, which I'm fairly certain is the truth.  Maybe human society is unfit for me, did you ever think of that?

Mmmm...the chicken wings smell great.

 

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