Vegetables

Doris kept an eye on him, occasionally marveling that Thomas was still seated with Erlinger and engaged in what seemed to be a deep and passionate conversation. About an hour later, Thomas appeared at her side (at the hydromassage booth) and took her arm. "I know I dragged my feet this morning," he said quietly, "but I'm glad we came here - to the health fair, and I want to thank you for your patience with me." A little shocked, Doris smiled and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "You're welcome," she responded. "That vegan guy, Erlinger, is a brilliant young man," Thomas continued, and Doris had to consciously work to control the look of shock on her face. "I don't want to be a vegan, necessarily, but I may be game on to do vegetarian for a while." "Wow," she eventually replied. "Okay. Tell me more about that." They sat down at the kombucha bar and took one of the free shot cups to sip. "Are you thinking about your diet overall," Doris continued, "or are you looking to make a specific health change?" "It's really to complete a life change," Thomas answered, staring at the plum ginger rhubarb juice mix in his cup and setting it down with a note of disgust. "Erlinger used to work in Corporate America and it chewed him up and spit him out. I told him that I felt lucky to have survived the gauntlet to the point of retirement. He went onto to share the medicinal value of plants, but really honed in on the value of vegetables to help me make the transition." "To de-stress your system?" Doris offered. "In a way," Thomas said softly (breathing deeply). "Basically, I just need to eat a lot of fiber and shit that old life out." She wanted to laugh, as did everyone who overhead them talking, but it made too much sense to dismiss.