I looked at her and said firmly, “We’ll discuss this after dinner!”
“Okay!”, she said with perfect aplomb.
The next thing I knew she had placed a tray of food on the table in front of me. I looked at the contents of the tray; puréed baby food!
Gina gave me a small rubber coated spoon similar to the one the nurse used to feed me at the hospital and looked at me expectantly. I hesitated and she said, “Would you like me to feed you?”
“NO!”, I yelled, then seeing the wounded expression on her face, I said in a calmer tone, “No thank you, Gina. I’m quite capable of feeding myself.”
My answer mollified her and she said, “Okay,” and sat down to eat her own dinner.
About half way though dinner I said, “Gina, may I have something to drink?”
“But the book says you shouldn’t have anything to drink until after you eat!”, she exclaimed.
Rather than argue with her, I merely started shoveling in the baby food as fast as I was able to swallow. At least my stomach wasn’t trying to throw it up anymore. I guess I was getting used to it. When I finished I asked her again, “Gina, I need something to wash it down!”
“Okay,” she said and went to the stove. She took an object out of a pot and wiped it with a dishtowel before handing it to me. It was a baby bottle full of warm formula!