"Mommy, why don't you have dinner with me?"

Jeanne's words make me cringe. I want to share dinner with my daughter. It's just the two of us since her father died six months ago, so letting her eat alone makes me feel bad. My stomach grumbles for a bite because all I ate today was the spoonful I took from the pan to see if dinner was ready. There's enough for both of us to eat, but I'm saving my share for Jeanne's lunch tomorrow just in case something goes wrong, despite my stomach being persuasive with its grumbling rants. The smell of fried chicken in my kitchen doesn't help.

In the end I had to resort to begging in the streets. While I'm not exactly proud of that, at least I got enough to prepare a whole meal for Jeanne. And that's what counts.

"It's okay, sunshine. Mommy isn't hungry tonight."

"I'm not hungry either." She says, pushing her plate across the table.

"You need to eat, honey." I scold her in my sweetest motherly tone. I walk behind her and fix her blond twin ponytails into a neat single one, so it doesn't fall on her plate. "You won't grow up if you don't eat all your food, you know?"

"But I'm already taller than Matthew!" She replies, throwing her skinny arms in the air.

"Maybe Matthew doesn't eat all his food?" I ask her, sitting back on my chair and commanding myself to smile.

"You're not eating anything either." Her words have a hint of accusation in them. "Soon I'm going to be taller than you and then I'll be the one cooking food for you to eat." This makes my heart swell with pride. Even if she's only six years old, she still cares for me with unmatched dedication. My little Jeanne is my entire world compressed into a small, tiny little girl. Despite everything going downhill in my life, she is the sweetest kid in the whole world, and my one and only blessing.

"Okay. I have a plan. I'll help you with your plate so we both grow." I offer, and Jeanne's mouth curves into the cutest little smile, and that alone lifts my mood, giving me the strength to produce a big smile just for her. "And then I'll read to you at bedtime. What do you say?"

"Yay! I love bedtime stories."