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from Alyssa, and
began serving the remainder of the bowls.
    “ You see,” she explained.
“This way, the soup won’t drip along the edges of the
bowls.”
    Luke gave Alyssa a questioning look,
but she did not look at him. She sat down, and started to eat her
soup.
    Luke was tempted to say something, but
he decided to let it pass.
    Florence clasped her hands together,
then frowned at her daughter. “You’re not going to eat without
saying grace, are you?”
    “ Mom, I haven’t done that in
ages.”
    “ I insist.”
    The professor closed her eyes, and
bowed her head in prayer.
    Luke decided to humor her, and Alyssa
followed suit.
    “ Dear Heavenly Father, we
offer you our thanks for the food we are about to receive. Please
bless this dwelling, and please bless its inhabitants in holy
matrimony and little bundles of joy.”
    “ Mom!” Alyssa dropped her
spoon, which clanged onto the table.
    Florence looked at Luke,
then to Alyssa. “You kids are living together. When are you tying the
knot?”
    “ We haven’t even talked
about that yet.”Alyssa looked at Luke apologetically.
    “ Well maybe it’s about time
you did,” Florence said. “It’s not proper for a Christian girl to
live with a man without being married to him.”
    “ You know I’m not practicing
anymore, mom.”
    “ But your father - God rest
his soul - and I raised you to be a nice Christian
girl.”
    There was an awkward silence, no sound
except for the clinking of spoons against the bowls.
    Then, the mother spoke again. “At least
tell me you’ve talked about the future. What about kids? I don’t
know how much longer I can be around to hold a grandchild in my
arms.”
    The couple avoided eye contact with
her, and did not utter a word.
    Ignoring the snub, Florence continued
to talk. “Alyssa, this soup is a little bland. Didn’t you taste it
beforehand, like any good cook would?”
    Alyssa looked apologetic.
    Luke slammed his spoon onto the table.
He turned to his potential mother-in-law. “Haven’t you said
enough?”
    Florence gawked at him, shocked
speechless.
    Luke said, “Alyssa is a great person to
live with. She can cook and she takes care of me. And I take care
of her. So stop with the criticisms.”
    The flustered lady stared at him for
the longest time, and finally regained his composure. “How dare
you. How dare you be so rude to me.”
    She looked at Alyssa, who
shrugged.
    “ You’re not going to say
anything?” Florence asked. Her hair was beginning to look
disheveled, her bun falling apart.
    When she received no answer, she got
up. “Fine. I’m leaving. And don’t expect me to give my blessing to
this sinful, unholy reunion.”
    Neither Luke nor Alyssa made an attempt
to stop her. The lady slammed the door.
    “ That’s that,” Alyssa said
without emotion. She continued to eat her soup.
    “ I’m sorry,” Luke said. “I
know I was supposed to meet your mother today. I feel bad for
screwing it up.”
    “ Hey, it’s fine.” She put a
hand to his arm. “You just did for me what I’ve been wanting to do
for a long time.”
    “ Oh.” He looked at her, and
she nodded, then gave his arm a squeeze.
    They had the rest of their dinner in
peace.
    * * * * *
    When Luke woke up the next day, he knew
he was sick. He was glad it was a Sunday.
    He had felt the general feeling of
malaise the night before, just as he was falling asleep.
    Now, everything ached. He could barely
keep his eyes open. He tried to look outside. There was no
sunlight. It must have been a cloudy day.
    Next to him, Alyssa stirred, then
turned over.
    “ Morning,” she
chirped.
    She peered into his face. “You don’t
look so well.” She put a hand to his forehead.
    “ Do your muscles
hurt?”
    He nodded.
    “ Did it come all of a
sudden, without warning?”
He nodded again.
    “ Do you have a sore
throat?”
    He nodded.
    “ You must have the
flu.”
    She got up and stretched. “Don’t you
worry about a thing. I’ll get you some cold towels