Sophia’s childhood was different. Food was either eaten fresh or thrown away—there was no middle ground. In Margaret’s kitchen, food felt calm and reliable.
Little by little, without really planning it, Sophia started doing some things Margaret’s way. She washed vegetables as soon as she got home from the store. She cooked a bit more rice than needed. She thought about tomorrow’s dinner while making today’s. Nothing big changed, but her evenings felt less stressful.
One evening, Sophia and Margaret sat together peeling eggs for dinner. They chatted about everyday things—the weather, small errands, people they knew.
Sophia felt comfortable now. The eggs didn’t worry her anymore, and neither did doing things a different way. It wasn’t about one way being right and the other wrong. It was just a different way to take care of daily life.
“I think I get it now,” Sophia said.
Margaret smiled softly. “It helps,” she replied. “That’s all.”
Later, as Sophia put the leftover eggs back in the fridge, she smiled to herself. They were just eggs. And that was exactly the point.
