Completing The List

15. Help Jared Lose A Few Pounds

     Lizzy knew from the beginning that this was going to be a very difficult task. First off, Jared knew about the list and likely was aware that his name was there and she was eventually going to get to his item. It was only a matter of time. So when Lizzy finally came to the task that involved helping Jared losing some weight, she thought the best help she could get was from the only woman that he would ever listen to: his wife. They met over coffee and made up a plan of attack. Jared had already told his wife Cindy about the quest she was one to complete Hayden's list. So when Lizzy came to her door and showed her the part of the list that had something to do with Jared, she was all for it. She knew that Hayden had put that there because he was worried about Jared's health and wanted him to hang around a lot longer for him and for his family.

     "Don't get me wrong." Cindy said as she sipped her tea, "I love the man in any shape and size but he needs to lose a few just to make sure his heart keeps beating the distance."

     "I know what you mean." Lizzy replied, "You never know when the next day could be the last."

     "Awww dear." Cindy said with great respect. "You are living the nightmare none of us want to experience. For what it's worth, you've been doing very well considering what happened. I think doing this list while a tad obsessive is a lot more healthy that what I've seen other widows do. You're at least taking all the energy and doing something productive with it. I admire that."

     "Thanks." Lizzy said as she had a deep appreciation for what she had said about the list. "So will you assist me in helping Jared lose a few pounds?"

     "Yes, let's get to it."

     Jared was expecting Lizzy to eventually come his way, but was completely blindsided by his wife taking her side. So when he got home that night, he was shocked to see that Lizzy was there with Cindy and they had both taken the time to make supper for him. He strolled into the kitchen. "Hello there, ladies." he said trying to remain calm until he knew what was going on. "What seems to be going on here?"

     "Well Lizzy came by for a visit." Cindy said with a big smile. "And since she was here to check up on you as well, I invited her to stay for supper and she was so nice to help me cook it as well. She's such a good little helper."

     "Yeah, she's like that." Jared said as he hung his coat up and washed up for dinner. "Whatever you gals have got cooking, it sure smells fantastic." He took a seat and waited patiently for his meal to arrive. When it did he was pleasantly surprised to see it was one of his favorites: baked pork chops with mushroom rice. "This looks great, but I have to admit I was expecting to see a plate of steamed veggies."

     "We know that's what you expected, but that's still what you got." Cindy said with a giggle as she sat down with her own serving and she gave the other one to Lizzy who was sitting on the opposite end of the table as her.

     "I don't understand." Jared said, somewhat confused.

     "We didn't substitute your meal." Lizzy said with a smile. "We merely substituted a few ingredients that are responsible for the high fat and sodium content."

     "So it's basically the same meal, just tweaked?" Jared concluded.

     "You tell us." Cindy said as she motioned him to give it a try.

     Jared pulled the meal closer to him and cut off a nice chunk from one of the pork chops and gave it a try. It still tasted pretty much the same, but he was willing to part with perfection to make it a little healthier.

     "This is amazing." he then looked over to Lizzy, "Is this part of the list you're working here: to help me lose weight?"

     Lizzy smiled, "Yes it is."