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from the dish rack.
     
    “Sugar’s on the table,” she said.
     
    I added sugar to my cup but Sarah and Cathy drank theirs black.
     
    “So did you raise Eli in this house Mrs. Smith?” Cathy asked.
     
    “You don't have to call me Mrs. Smith, honey,” she said. “Just call me Emily. And no, I've only been living here the last couple years. Eli grew up near Savannah,” she said.
     
    “The food smells delicious, Emily,” Sarah said.
     
    “Thank you sweetie,” she said. “Let me set the table and we can get started.”
     
    Emily proceeded to set the table and minutes later, she set a dish in the middle of the table. It contained a huge pot roast, carrots, onions, and potatoes. She placed a large plate of black eyed peas, a plate of warm rolls, and a container of butter on the table. After pouring each of us a glass of sweetened ice tea, she finally sat down.
     
    She looked exhausted and it worried me.
     
    “Are you feeling okay, Mom?” I asked.
     
    “I'm just a little tired,” she said. “Don't worry about me.”
     
    “Sarah, would you say grace for us?” she asked.
     
    “Sure,” she said.
     
    I bowed my head and closed my eyes. I saw Cathy do the same.
     
    “Dear God, please bless this food and the person who prepared it. Thank you for helping us get here safely. In your name, Amen.”
     
    I opened my eyes and reached towards the roast. Taking a knife, I cut the roast into large portions. I put a portion on my mother's plate, Cathy's, Sarah's, and then my own. I ate my portion of meat quickly before helping myself to anything else, and in only a minute, I had finished.
     
    “Wow,” my mother said, still picking at hers. “You three were hungry.”
     
    Looking at Sarah and Cathy's plate, I saw they had also finished.
     
    “Those black eyed peas smell good,” I said, before putting a large scoop of them on my plate, making sure to include several chunks of ham.
     
    The roast was delicious,” Sarah said.
     
    “It was very good,” Cathy added.
     
    “Thank you,” my mother responded. “Now try some of the black eyed peas and rolls.”
     
    “I will, thank you,” Cathy said, before helping herself to the peas.
     
    The three of us sat at the table and continued eating.
     
    “Have a roll, Eli,” my mother said.
     
    “Thanks.”
     
    I took a warm roll from the platter and my companions did the same. Opening it up, I put a large spoonful of butter inside of it. As I bit into it I realized that pure carbohydrates – unless they were well seasoned with meat – just didn’t have the same appeal to me as they used to.
     
    “Maybe I just need to eat more protein first,” I thought.
     
    My mother walked towards the refrigerator.
     
    “I made a banana pudding,” my mother said. “I know it's your favorite, Eli.”
     
    The memory of my mother's famous banana pudding – completely home made from scratch – raced through my mind. I hoped that it would taste as good as it used to, when I was human. It had some protein in it – at least due to the heavy cream and eggs used in it – so my hopes were high.
     
    “I've not had banana pudding in years,” Cathy said.
     
    “Then you’re in for a treat,” Emily said, before bringing each of us a bowl of pudding.
     
    I quickly dug into mine and my hopes were confirmed; it was delicious.
     
    “Thank you so much, mom,” I told her. “It’s great!”
     
    “I'm glad you like it,” I heard her say.
     
    Cathy and Sarah both sampled the pudding and quickly ate the large servings they had been given. My mother smiled with satisfaction at the fact they liked it.
     
    I then noticed her limp a little while she walked back to the counter.
     
    “Are you alright, Mom?” I asked. “Did you hurt your leg?”
     
    My mother turned around and wiped her hands on the pink apron she wore over her sweat pants.
     
    “I'm just getting arthritis in my knee,” she said. “The doctor has put me on an anti-inflammatory so I should be