The Real Me Read Online Free PDF Page A

know?"
    "After you left our lunch table today he sat down and shared some of his home made chocolate chip cookies with me. They were great!"
    "Oh?" I twisted a lock of my hair around my little finger. "What about George?"
    "What about George?"
    "Wouldn't he get ticked or something?"
    "Hardly. He wolfed down those cookies faster than I did."
    "Oh."
    "Mattie, George and I are just dating. D-a-t-i-n-g. We have fun together. But we're free to see other people. You know I don't want to be tied down."
    "Yeah …." I knew. How many times had Erwina said she didn't want to be like her sister, married at nineteen and "saddled," as Erwina put it, with three kids by the time she was twenty-four? She had vowed not to get serious with anyone until she was at least halfway through law school.
    I didn't even know what I wanted to do in college, and Erwina already had her life planned through law school. "Never having dated, I guess it's hard for me to imagine being involved with one guy, much less two."
    "Mattie Mason, if you'd open up around guys a bit--Frederick, beat it! Honestly, I'd like to sell that kid. Where was I? Oh. If you'd let your hair down a little …."
    "I'm not going to cut my hair."
    "You don't have to shave your head. Just get it trimmed and layered. Set it free from all those barrettes. You'd look great."
    "I'd look like the Bride of Frankenstein." I did not want to discuss my hair. "Will you ask Ross to be on the committee and tell him about the meeting?"
    "Sure!"
    "Thanks. See you." I hung up with relief. At least I hadn't gotten Erwina's full you're-hiding-behind-what-you-think-is-fat lecture. I wasn't hiding--and I was fat. But not for long.
    My stomach growled. I patted it, reassuring myself that an orange would be all I'd need to keep me from starving before dinner.
    Dinner! I was supposed to check on the pot roast before my folks got back from jogging.
    I rushed to the kitchen and peeked inside the oven. I sniffed. Everything seemed to be all right. In fact, it smelled great.
    I got an orange from the refrigerator. I peeled it and divided it into sections. I discovered that if I took my time with food, I was satisfied with less. So I chewed slowly, relishing each bite. Still, the aroma of pot roast was getting to me.
    I went into the living room and searched through Dad's music collection. The stuff he liked was ancient, but it was the kind of music that made you want to move. Maybe that would inspire me to do some of the exercises Dr. Adam had recommended.
    With music blaring, I stood with my legs comfortably apart. I raised my arms over my head. I stretched to the left. I stretched to the right. I touched my toes. I stood up, bent my knees slightly, leaned back and bounced to the music.
    I found I liked moving to music. I did sit-ups. I alternated leg lifts and arm circles. By the time the music ended, I had exercised for sixteen minutes and fifty seconds.
    During dinner I ate slowly, putting my fork down between bites.
    "This is a heavy meal, isn't it?" Dad said. "For someone who's dieting, that is."
    Mom smiled and patted my hand. "Not if the dieter is careful about how much she eats." She winked at me.
    I picked up on Mom's cue. "That's right. It's calories that count. As long as I'm eating nutritional food and avoiding empty calories--like candy or soda--I don't need to eat any special foods. I just need to eat less." The memory of Frozen Fluff was still vivid.
    "I can take a hint." Dad pretended to be wounded. "No more crazy concoctions from me."
    "Don't think I don't appreciate your concern." I grinned. "It's the original recipes I can do without."
    Later in the evening I called Selena and asked her to be on the refreshment committee. She said she would. That accomplished, I settled on my bed, my feet resting on the headboard. I stared at the ceiling and concentrated on the upcoming tournament game, and planned exactly how I would congratulate Kevin after Waterside had won.
    I woke up the next morning