Читать книгу Triple Double - James Lewis - Страница 16

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Christian was taller than Abron by an inch. Constantly in a struggle to stay below 240 pounds, he had just spent 8 weeks dieting down to 227 with noticeably more energy at the lower weight. Maybe, he thought, shedding more weight down to 215 would enhance his physical abilities to an even greater extent. The elevator battle he was constantly waging stemmed from one source: a must in his life, Tammy. Tammy was Italian, and Tammy could cook. With an inheritance, the first item she bought for their house was a two-tiered brick-lined oven that stood five feet tall. Every kid in the neighborhood knew when she was baking Italian bread. The kids would knock on the side door in pretense of asking Tammy and Christian’s twins if they could come out and play. When she opened the door, Tammy always had a platter of fresh bread, buttered and straight out of the oven. The twins, Cody and Jody, were younger than most of their half-dozen neighborhood playmates. The siblings were thrilled every time they heard the knock on the side door. It was playtime! In years to come, the twins would become as important as the bread. Theirs was a tight bond.

Christian’s take-home pay allowed Tammy to be a stay-at-home mom. She didn’t take the nicety for granted. Her thoughts were on the other mothers in the neighborhood, PTA meetings, baby showers, birthdays, luncheons, etc. Mrs. Caine knew most of the other moms worked full- or part-time jobs. Christian didn’t care one way or the other. He liked to eat—chicken cacciatore, veal piccata, lasagna, Italian meatballs. Tammy knew Christian loved linguini over spaghetti, so it was always linguini. For his birthdays, she strayed from Italian cuisine and would make his “favorite dish of all time,” as he would say—beef stroganoff with extra sour cream. The local butcher always sold her prime-grade filet mignon to use in her dish. After all, he thought, she’s cooking for Lieutenant Christian Caine. If Christian worked out every day of his life and took half portions each time he ate, he just might stay under three hundred pounds.