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“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“If you are calling anyone a daft cow, say it in English, with pride. It’s good practice.”

Since Jane likewise said that in English, more than a few people glanced in their direction.Like I said… with pride.Daft cows were pastured all over the world.

“I will.”

“Good. So… how’s the sandwich?”

Shortly after, they finished their lunch in silence, Jane scrolling through her texts while Cecelia studied her new Winchester Academy literature. Cecelia still needed new supplies, but she was kicking that responsibility over to Caitlyn and Rebecca, who knew about going to school in America more than anyone else in the family.I need to get back to work.That was a stark reminder as she scrolled through her texts and realized she had yet to get back to a few people. She was normally way more on top of things.

Before I had a kid!

Chapter 3

Caitlyn

“Your bloodwork mostly looks normal.” Dr. Sharpe, supposedly the best in the women’s health business, sat across from Caitlyn after she finished getting poked and prodded during her annual exam. “Your good cholesterol is lower than I like to see. Do you do much weightlifting?”

“When I can remember,” Caitlyn said.

“Consider lifting some five-pound dumbbells while you’re watching TV in the evening. Which segues us into the next thing I wanted to mention…” Dr. Sharpe sighed, pushing back on his stool while looking up from his clipboard.I don’t like that look on his face.While Dr. Sharpe was good at pinpointing problems in many of Caitlyn’s friends, thus far, he had come short of satisfying her quest for answers to certain digestive issues that had plagued her for the past year. “You’ve gained a total of ten pounds since your last complete physical a year ago. We talkedabout youlosingten pounds over the year. Ms. Adams, as much as I hate to say this, but your BMI has risen to…”

Caitlyn cut him off. Partly from a defense mechanism, partly from her inability to control her mouth when someone called her fat. “I’m aware that I’ve gained a few pounds. I would think it’s inevitable after you enter your late thirties. Or may I remind you that I’m about forty?”

“Of course, it’s natural to gain some weight as you get older, but we must be careful to not gain too much, Ms. Adams.”

No, not too much. Never too much.Caitlyn had been forced to think about her weight her entire life, starting from her “stocky child” days when she had clear memories of the family doctor asking her mother how she cooked at home.My siblings came out looking like my dad.Thinner and more muscular. Caitlyn completely took after her mother Christine when it came to her curvy figure. She had slightly wider shoulders than average and hip bones that – as Jane liked to put it – “never quit.” As a teen girl in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, Caitlyn wasn’t allowed to forget that she had a big ass prime for childish jokes and a chest size that riled up the school administration if she eventhoughtabout wearing something besides a regular T-shirt or, even better, a hoodie. It wasn’t until a friend of her mom introduced them to the pageant circuit that Caitlyn found a way to celebrate her body.

So, here they went again.

“Since your blood panel came back normal and I’ve sensed nothing else off about your health,” Dr. Sharpe continued as if Caitlyn wasn’t shooting daggers into the back of his head, “my prescription is good old fashioned diet and exercise. The front office has lots of great info on nutritionists and dietitians in the area.”

“I’m sure they do.” Caitlyn crossed her arms over her chest. “I will… take a look at what I can change in my daily diet.”

That was the only way to get Dr. Sharpe off her waistline. When he left the exam room, firmly closing the door behind him, Caitlyn was allowed to rip off the paper gown and put her clothes back on. She had dressed to be appropriate for the office while also having something easy to take on and off at the doctor’s, but she was supposed to take Cecelia shopping for school. Which was why Rebecca was out in the waiting room, earbuds in and book in her hand.

Dr. Sharpe wouldn’t say she needs to lose a few pounds…Caitlyn had a feeling he wouldn’t say she should gain any either, even though Caitlyn knew for a fact that Becca was only a few pounds over “underweight” territory according to that blasted BMI scale.

“How’d it go?” Rebecca asked as she packed up her book and followed Caitlyn toward the elevator out in the hallway. “You don’t look too stoked.”

Caitlyn waited until they were alone with the muzak in the elevator to say, “Everything looked great but my weight. Nothing like your doctor calling you fat during your exam.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

Caitlyn leaned against the wall. “Whatever. He’s not the first doctor to be ‘concerned’ about my weight, and he won’t be the last.”

“That’s so weird, though. I thought a lot of offices were moving away from talking about weight unless the patient brings it up? Or if it’s like a huge increase or drop in a short time?”

“He’s also old. Ugh. And I let him poke around my cervix. Just my luck.”

“I think you should change doctors.” The doors dinged open as they reached the lobby of the quiet high-rise full of medical and lawyer offices. “Mine hasn’t been bad at all. She was even the one who decided I should have that mole looked at last year.”

“Which, thankfully, turned out to be nothing.”

They walked across the street, where Cecelia was waiting for them in a bookstore. She had gotten her brand-new iPhone with both American and worldwide connectivity, so the family felt better about giving her some independence to shop when only a text or call away.

At first, though, they couldn’t find her. Caitlyn didn’t panic. The chain bookstore was big enough to have its own Starbucks and a dedicated story time room for children. She and Rebecca split up to look down each aisle, starting on opposite sides of the store to ensure they didn’t accidentally bypass Cecelia if she was hunched down reading a book or going from one genre to another. She had received her first allowance from her family and had asked to go to the bookstore, so she wouldn’t wander away, right?