In addition to supplements, I’ve also changed my diet to more plant-based and have been making myself green juice every morning. I was never a big fan of vegetables but suddenly I have developed a taste for them.

I put on my running shoes and head to the kitchen to make my juice. I cut up two stalks of celery, a cucumber, add dill and parsley along with two scoops of organic pea protein from Trader Joe’s. After adding a cup of water, half a lemon, and salt, I tighten the lid and start the blender.

“Hey!” someone yells over the cacophony of sound.

The voice startles me and I jump away from the counter with my heart in my throat.

“Oh my God, I didn’t mean to scare you,” the woman says with a concerned look on her face.

“No, I’m sorry,” I say, shaking my head and trying to get my breathing under control.

She’s about my age with long dark hair and olive skin.

Owen’s Metallica t-shirt looks like a dress on her.

Her legs are bare as are her feet.

She introduces herself as Shelly, shaking my hand and adjusting her shirt as she talks.

“I’m a waitress at the Fire Lounge,” Shelly says, rubbing the front of her foot with the heel of another.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I say. “Do you want some coffee?”

“No, thanks, but I’d love some of that juice.”

“Yes, of course,” I say, pouring half of it in a cup for her.

“Are you sure? I only want this if you have more.”

“I’ve got plenty of veggies in the fridge. It’s really not a problem.”

“I just love having this kind of thing in the morning but I’m always too lazy to make it myself. So, I end up going to Jamba Juice.”

“Yeah, it’s a bit of a pain, at first, but you get used to it,” I say.

We take a few sips listening to the silence. I like her being here.

Sometimes having a lot of one-on-one time with Owen gets a bit exhausting. I hope she will stay for the rest of the day.

“Can I ask you something?” Shelly asks, wiping the green mustache off her lips.

I nod.

“Does your brother do this kind of thing…a lot?”

“What do you mean?”

“Bring someone home from the bar?”

“No,” I say, shaking my head.

“That’s what he told me but you know how it is, they all say that,” Shelly says, shrugging. “I’ve said it myself about a thousand times.”

We both laugh.

“You like him, huh?” I ask.

She nods and looks down at the floor as if she had just admitted something embarrassing.

“No, he doesn’t do this often,” I say. “Actually, we’ve been living here for a few months now and he has never brought a girl home before.”