“You should go to a doctor for that,” I told her.

“Not that kind of blood test,” she said. “A ketosis meter. I have to check my levels.”

I thought it might have something to do with carbs and that made me nervous. I’m getting super nervous about carbs in general. You’re lucky your mom is not bizarre about food.

“Get Mom to help you.”

“She doesn’t know I bought the meter. I used her credit card.”

I didn’t want to do it, but I also didn’t want to say no. My sister was scary even before we moved here. Now she’s a Death Star of bad mood.

Instead of answering, I put my headphones on and watched the video. I really wish you were here to help Kate. I’m not good with blood.

Take care.

Rodney

4

Hey, Larry,

Hope this finds you well. I’m okay, except for a few things. Like, I wonder how everybody is. Did Monty get an accent when he went with his parents to France? Remember how he got one when they went to Australia for a month and it lasted for almost the whole term?

Things here are fine although not at dinner. My dad always calls when we’re having dinner.

He calls my phone because my mom and my sister won’t pick up when they see his number, which is mean of them, but I don’t say that because it would get them started. Tonight, I answered. Like I always do.

“Hey, Rodney,” he said.

“Hi, Dad.”

“You guys having dinner?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s on the menu this evening?”

You will be disgusted to know that my mom and my sister were having salad with tofu and nuts, but only the kind of nuts that have almost no carbs. I was having a previously frozen chicken pot pie because salad doesn’t fill me up.

“Salad and stuff,” I said.

“Sorry to hear it,” he said. That made me smile. My dad gets things.

“And school?” He’d been asking that question every day since we got here, even though school just started three days ago. He even asks on weekends. My dad isn’t that good at keeping track of time. At least this time I could give him a new answer.

“Pretty good.”

“Bet those kids don’t know what hit them. Couple of bright, dashing sorts like you and Kate come along to shake things up.”

“Yeah,” I said, because that was how it should have gone and, also, my dad had enough on his mind without me telling him how people were not at all excited to meet me.

“Your mother around?” He knew she was. My mom always eats with us so she can try to make Kate eat all the nuts on her salad. “Might I have a word?”