Like Mother, Like Daughters (6) (Patreon)

“Hi, sweet girl – I’m just calling to ask how the job search is going! Know that your dad and I are here if you need anything. Oh, and there’s a care package coming for you in the mail. I know you’re probably too grown up for those now, but just let your momma be your momma, okay? Love you, and call me back when you can!”

Veronica frowned as she finished listening to her mother’s voicemail. Her mother sounded perfectly bright on the phone, but Veronica knew that was masking a whole boatload of maternal anxiety which in turn filled Veronica with an equal amount of anxiety. She’d tried to keep her struggles with finding a job under wraps every time she chatted with anyone in her family, but evidently she hadn’t done a good enough job. At least she was getting a care package as recompense. Her momma always packed the good stuff–homemade baked goods that could survive going through the mail, favorite snacks, new clothes, and household stuff Veronica knew she needed but could never really afford to buy.

The extra food would definitely come in handy. She’d been living off of a bulk bag of pinto beans and rice and the last of her protein powder ever since she was dumped from the team, and things were only getting leaner as time wore on. It had been almost two months and all she had left in savings would need to go to her rent. She’d applied to forty or so jobs and hadn’t heard back about any of them yet, except a handful of rejection emails. She felt like a fool for throwing away her soccer career. Why couldn’t she have just stuck it out? She’d barely been scraping by, but at least she’d been making some money.

Now, she was calculating just how few calories she could afford to survive on and planning daily rations. She’d looked up her local food bank, but every time she considered going, her mouth went sour with defeat.

She thought about food constantly: her momma’s pancakes, drenched in butter and syrup; biting into a chocolate-dipped ice cream cone and feeling her teeth crack through the thin chocolate shell; thick steaks with extra-garlicky mashed potatoes on the side. But fantasies couldn’t quiet the rumbling of her frequently empty belly. She needed a job.

She kept applying, kept hearing nothing back. A week passed. The care package arrived. She spread all the food out on her bed and stood up, looking at it all with her hands on her hips, trying to gauge how long she could make it last. Then the phone rang.

It was the food editor at the biggest newspaper in the city calling back about a staff writing position as a food critic. She was surprised to hear back. She had no journalism experience, and would never have called herself much of a writer, but the thought of getting paid to write about food, and especially get paid to eat it after over a year of deprivation, sounded like heaven. She’d sent off her resume and a cover letter figuring it would never get looked at, and had mostly forgotten about it.

“I have to admit, when I looked at your resume at first I wasn’t sure you’d be the right fit. But in your cover letter, the way you talked about your passion for food–that’s exactly what we need. I think you could really bring in a fresh perspective. I’d like to bring you in for an interview.”

Veronica did a silent, exuberant dance, though she kept her voice even as she answered that she would love the chance to interview for the position. The editor, Andrea, was so excited about it that she asked if Veronica was available the very next morning. Veronica pumped her fist in the silence of her apartment and agreed.

The next morning, she put on her best interview outfit, noting how loose everything was on her. She hadn’t weighed herself in quite some time, but clearly the past couple months of deprivation, combined with the protein shake diet she’d been on before that, had slimmed her down. She’d have to buy some new clothes in smaller sizes if she got the job. She felt a little proud that she’d gotten smaller, even though she hadn’t purposely done anything to achieve it. Veronica felt that a little weight loss was always something to celebrate, especially with Claire looking fatter by the month and knowing their genetic predisposition.

The confidence boost from realizing she was thinner than she’d been since graduating high school carried her through the interview. Andrea adored her from the moment they sat down. She was particularly enamored with Veronica’s openness about not having previous journalism experience, and the fact that she’d been willing to make such a significant career shift. “Anyone who manages to become a pro athlete and then decides it’s not for them, and that they want to try something new? That takes real guts.” In Andrea’s eyes, Veronica proved herself curious and willing to learn over the course of the interview, and she offered her the job right there.

The pay was more than double what she’d been making. She’d be expected to turn in at least two reviews per week, and cover every type of restaurant in the city, from the most upscale to standard chain restaurants. Veronica accepted enthusiastically.

When she got home, she tore through half the box of goodies her mother had sent. The enormous bag of wedding cookies packed with butter and walnuts and dusted with powdered sugar, the bag of tender homemade pork jerky her dad had made in his smoker, and a whole box of cream-filled Ding Dongs disappeared down her gullet. She played music all evening and danced around her apartment in a sugary haze, right up until she was too full to do anything beyond lie on her couch and wiggle with excitement. She still couldn’t believe she’d gotten the job. She couldn’t believe that in just a few weeks, she wouldn’t have to go hungry anymore.

She texted her whole family, and they celebrated with her, proud that she’d not only found a new job but something so interesting. Her dad wanted to hear all about the logistics of it–did they do 401(k) matching? How much? Were the benefits good?–while her mother and sisters each expressed jealousy that she’d be getting to eat and get paid for it.

Minnie teased her a little about it via text. “Looks like I’m gonna be the last skinny Emple sister standing.” Veronica got a good eyeroll out of that, even if it stung a little. Minnie was right: she’d need to be careful doing a job where she had to eat for a living. She was grateful she’d be making enough to afford plenty of healthy food at home, plus a gym membership and maybe even a personal trainer if she ever needed one. She’d keep a careful eye on herself, but it wasn’t like she was going to turn into her mother or even her slightly less fat-assed sister overnight.