Love and Food by K.L. Prince Read Free Book Online Page A

judging me for my decision.  I appreciate the support.”
    “How could I judge you for doing what you think is right?  Life is too short for judgment and condemnation.  This life is about learning, growing, and getting along.  That’s how I see it.  No one has the right answer for all of life’s problems.  No one can say that you must leave someone because they cheated or that leaving is the only decision that you should make.  You do whatever you want, and whatever happens, I will be right here, still being your friend.”
    Thank you so much for saying that.  I can always count on you for support and encouragement.  You’ve been a great friend all these years and your friendship means so much to me.”
    “Stop.  You’re going to make me start crying.  It took me too long to put on my makeup this morning,” Monica says, trying to hold back tears.  “So, how are things going with the restaurant?”
    “Honestly, terrible.  My landlord came in and told me that if I don’t pay my rent in the next couple of weeks, he’s going to have to terminate my lease.”
    “Oh no.  That’s not good.  Do you have the money?”
    “Not at the moment.”
    “So what’s the plan?  Do you have a plan?”
    “Not at the moment.”
    “What about your parents?  They’ll help you, won’t they?”
    “When I started my restaurant, I vowed to myself that I was going to do it all on my own.  I didn’t ask my parents for one cent and I don’t want to start now.”
    “Haillee, I’ve told you this so many times, asking for help is not some sort of sign of weakness or failure.  We all need help at different times in our lives.  You need to stop being so stubborn and ask for help.  You need it and there is nothing wrong with that.”
    She looks down at her plate of food.  She knows she needs help, but like Monica said, she’s always been too stubborn to ask for it.  She doesn’t want to depend on other people to do the things she needs to do in life.  She strives to be independent.  She doesn’t want to owe anyone anything.  Her stupid pride and her unwillingness to ask for help has gotten her into so much trouble throughout her life.  She’s made life harder at times because she's refused to take the help that has been offered to her.  Her father calls her hard hardheaded and too stubborn all the time. 
    “You’re right,” she says, forcing the words to come out of her mouth.  She even hates to say it out loud.
    “See, now was that so hard?” Monica says, teasing her.  “Just ask your parents.  They will help you.”
    “You know, I could ask them and they probably would help me, but I’m starting to think what’s the point?  Let's say they give me the money, but what about next month or the month after that?  The restaurant is slowly dying.  Asking for the money and them giving it to me, isn’t going to erase the fact that things aren’t working out.”
    “It sounds to me like you’re giving up.  Are you giving up and throwing in the towel?”
    She sighs and thinks about her answer.  “I guess that I probably am.”
    “So, you’re just going to give up on your dream, just like that?”
    “Monica, I’ve tried everything to keep the restaurant going, but absolutely nothing has worked.  I’ve run out of options.”
    “Remember all those nights we used to sit in your apartment and you would talk endlessly about the restaurant you wanted to open one day?”
    “I remember it like it was yesterday, actually.”
    “You worked so hard to get the money to open it up.  Remember all the crazy hours you worked and how exhausted you used to be?  I used to think you were totally insane, but I was also in awe of you.  It was amazing to witness someone going after their dreams and then making it happen.  What you did was an inspiration to me.  I used to look at you and wish that I had the drive and the determination that you had, but I’ve never found anything that I wanted as bad as