by Jennifer Harrison

Created on: May 29, 2008   Last Updated: June 09, 2008

I set a warm bowl of macaroni and cheese on the table. As usual, Anna was on the floor crying and I knelt down to pick her up. "Shh." I said in a calming voice and set her down in her high chair. "You hungry?"

Anna stopped crying, opened her mouth, and pointed inside. I scooped some macaroni out onto a plate and lifted a spoonful to her. "Here you go." I said, feeding Anna bite after bite, spoonful after spoonful until it was gone.

I handed her a cup of water and turned back to the bowl on the table. I lifted a spoonful to my mouth and it was cold now, almost not worth eating, but I was too tired and too hungry to warm it back up and so I ate it.

That's how it was, cold dinners when they were supposed to be hot, and really cold dinners when they were supposed to be cool. Ever since Frank had left, it had been a struggle, a fight for time. Go to work, pick up Anna from daycare, cook dinner, bath time, read Anna a story, and then off to bed. There was never any change, never enough time.

There was a knock on the door and I dropped the spoon back into the bowl. I wiped her hands on a crumpled napkin and got up. I peeked out the window before opening the door. Outside stood a man with a clipboard and a white sheet of paper in his hand. Curious, I opened the door, "Can I help you?"

"Good evening." The man said, "I'm here to inform you that your yard is not within code. You will need to complete the following," he handed me the white paper he held. "You have until Monday to complete it or else."

"Or else what?" I asked reading over the paper.

"Or else we will fine you and then have someone come do it for you, and then charge you for them to do it." The man turned to walk away.

"But how am I supposed to?"

He turned back around and in a degrading voice replied, "Ma'am, we don't care how, we just care that you do." He smiled and then said, "Good night."

"But what if I can't!" I shouted at him, but he just kept walking. I stepped back in and closed the door. Anna was crying again and I was close to tears myself. I knelt down, picked Anna's cup up from the floor, and handed it to her. I sat down and read over the paper again, "Mow and weed the lawn, trim my trees? Isn't it my business if I want to mow my lawn and trim my trees?" I asked myself.

I dropped the paper on the table and picked Anna up. "Let's go outside, huh?" I said in a playful voice.

I carried Anna outside and looked around the yard. It was true, it did need mowed, and the weeds in her old garden had gotten a little

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