Tessie D

The colder weather is creeping in, and I can feel it settling in the air. Skies are greying, and the sun comes up later and sets sooner. It’s almost dark now, by the time I leave for work at 5:00 p.m.

I don’t mind it, though. I love the darker evenings. I’ve been going home here lately, making a grilled cheese sandwich and a big bowl of tomato soup, and curling up in bed with my book. Daddy has had grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup (or ramen noodle soup — he pronounced it “Ram-ien,” and I didn’t know it was “ram-en” until I was in high school) for lunch every day for years. He’ll have a glass of Countrytime Lemonade to go with it. (That’s the only thing he’ll drink besides Diet Coke. Or unsweet tea with Sweet’n’Low.) I bet he’s having it for lunch tomorrow and will be having it the next day, too.

Eating a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner makes me think of Daddy and makes me feel less homesick. Which, to be fair, I haven’t been feeling too much of lately. I’m getting into the groove with my job. I know how to do it, and Mr. Olsen says I’m very good at it. I get most of the work done by mid-afternoon, leaving plenty of time to read and write (here!). I’ve made friends at work, and I think my roommates are becoming friends, too. I have a library card and more books than I could possibly read. Sure, money is tight, but I know how to live with that. I wouldn’t know what it means to not be worrying about money.

All things considered, it’s not a bad life that I’ve made for myself here.