You get home from elementary school. It’s a Thursday, and your older sister is still in cheerleading practice. Your mother is already in the kitchen starting preparations for dinner. She smiles when she sees that you are home. You pull up a barstool to the counter and begin to tell her all about your day.
You sit with your mother as she prepares dinner, but you do not help. If you offer, she will say no. You do, however, watch every move she makes. Tonight is mac and cheese night, your favorite. She starts with the milk and then adds flour. Since she’s in a good mood, you get to stir as she adds salt and cheese, letting the cheese melt into gooey perfection as the smell fills your kitchen.
You get one spoonful, and she decides to give you some macaroni noodles to accompany it, since you are her “little taste-tester.” You tell her it needs more cheese even though it doesn’t. She adds the cheese, stirs it, and offers you another spoonful. This time, you say it is perfect. Your mother lets you dump the noodles into the cake pan, and she pours the cheesy goodness over them. She pops the tray into the oven while you stand on your tiptoes and set the timer for one hour.
Your mother glances at the clock, and you head to the car. It is time to pick up your sister.