Secondhand Stiff by Sue Ann Jaffarian

look of love while she did.
    â€œAnd what would you like?” she asked me.
    I looked back over at the chalkboard, then at my mother. “What’s the most fattening thing you have?”
    â€œThat would probably be the fried mac and cheese,” answered the woman, “although the lobster mac and cheese is no slouch in the calorie department. The meatloaf wrap will also put the pounds on.”
    â€œI’ll take the meatloaf wrap,” I told her.
    â€œMashed potatoes and gravy are also in the wrap.”
    â€œEven better.”
    I turned to Mom. “What would you like to drink, Mom?”
    â€œCoffee, if they have it.”
    â€œWe sure do,” answered the boy. “All the other drinks are lined up in this other window.”
    I checked out the offerings. “Coffee for my mother and a lemonade for me.”
    â€œI thought you usually drank iced tea,” Mom commented.
    I took a deep breath. “I’m living on the edge today, Mom.”
    The boy gestured to one of the plastic tables. “Why don’t you two ladies have a seat while Mom fixes your food.” He scribbled our orders on his pad even though his mother had already taken them. “We’ll call your name when it’s ready.”
    â€œPut it under Odelia.” I paid him and followed Mom to the closest table.
    While we waited, I checked out the line at the other truck. A couple customers were lined up to order food.
    â€œWho knows,” said Mom, pointing at the customers. “That Bob Y might even be one of them. He could even be a she.”
    â€œTrue, you never know, but from the wording in his reviews, my gut tells me he’s male, young, and more likely to hang out at the bigger food truck events like the ones held at night in trendier spots.”
    A few minutes later, the woman from the truck came over with three paper boats of food. She walked with a noticeable limp on her left side. Behind her came her son with our drinks. They placed everything on the table in front of us. It smelled heavenly, and the portions were far from skimpy.
    Mom leaned over her food and took a deep whiff. “My, that certainly smells wonderful.”
    I pointed at the third boat. It contained a single golden, crusty orb the size of a golf ball. “Is that the fried mac and cheese?”
    â€œThat’s it, or at least a sample.” The woman wiped her hands on her food-splattered apron. “I thought you might like to try it.”
    I nearly swooned. Macaroni and cheese is one of my favorite foods. I hadn’t ordered it because my plan was to pinch a bite of Mom’s. Meatloaf is one of my other favorite foods. So now I had both of my faves on one table. I was a happy girl, even if Mom did call me Chubs.
    A shout came from the other food truck. They’d finished serving their last customers and were closing down their service windows. One of them was waving in our direction. “We’ll see you tonight, Heide. Later, Paul.”
    The woman and her son waved back with promises to keep the deep fryers burning.
    Heide turned to her son. “Guess we might as well wrap it up and get ready for tonight too.”
    â€œWe’ll take care of closing up, Mom. Why don’t you sit down a bit?”
    â€œYes, please,” I encouraged. “Grab a seat and join us.”
    Just then another young man hopped out from the truck. He was a bit older than Paul and had darker hair. “What’s this ‘we’ business, little bro? I’m outta here.”
    â€œEric,” Heide said to him. “Can’t you stick around long enough to help your brother?”
    â€œI’ve been slaving over a hot grill, Mom. Let pretty boy get dirty for a change.” He lit up a cigarette and blew out the smoke. “Besides, I’ve got people to see.” As Eric walked away, he pulled the hood of his navy blue sweatshirt over his head.
    Paul yelled at his brother’s back,