You’d never know it to look at her skinny little self, but Dyamonde loves food. If there were a class in eating, she’d get an A plus every time.
Dyamonde treats all food fairly. She likes Mexican tacos, Chinese egg rolls, and Cuban beans and rice. She eats beef hot dogs, turkey burgers and fried chicken. Actually, she likes just about anything that has chicken in it: noodle soup, potpie, even chicken salad sandwiches.
Dyamonde doesn’t have much use for vegetables, but she loves broccoli, mostly because each spear looks like a tree. And she loves fruit—especially peaches, cherries, and grapes of any size or color. Dyamonde also loves some foods that other people don’t, like cottage cheese and applesauce mixed together.
“Yuck!” said Free the first time he saw her eat some.
“Oh, puleeze!” said Dyamonde, stirring in a little more applesauce. “You just wish you had a bowlful!”
Yes, Dyamonde loves all sorts of food, but her absolute favorite food in the whole wide world is spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread. And guess what Mrs. Daniel had made the last time Free and Damaris came over?
Dyamonde couldn’t wait to sit down for dinner. The minute the bowl of spaghetti was placed on the table, Dyamonde’s mouth began to water. Free licked his lips and reached for the bowl.
Dyamonde cut her eyes at Free with a look that said, Not yet! Damaris closed her eyes and waited until Mrs. Daniel finished saying grace, then she reached for the basket of garlic bread.
“Don’t forget the salad,” said Mrs. Daniel. Dyamonde scrunched up her nose, but she grabbed a few lettuce leaves to make her mom happy. Free plucked out a couple of tomatoes and a slice of cucumber, but Damaris filled up her whole salad plate.
“Yum,” said Damaris.
“Double yum!” said Free, his mouth already smeared with spaghetti sauce.
“Gross!” said Dyamonde. But Free ignored her. He was too busy making his tummy happy.
Mrs. Daniel smiled, especially when Damaris asked for seconds.
Free looked like one of those cartoon chipmunks, his cheeks were so full of food. Mrs. Daniel shook her head.
“Free, if you don’t watch it,” she said, “you’ll blow up like a balloon!”
“Yeah,” said Dyamonde. “Then I’ll have to poke a hole in you and watch you fly around the room backwards till all the air comes out!”
Dyamonde and Free looked at each other and laughed.
Damaris didn’t laugh, though. She just put down her fork, saying she was full.
“What about dessert?” asked Mrs. Daniel. “You saved room for that, didn’t you?”
“No, thank you,” whispered Damaris. “I think I’ve had enough.”
Free shrugged. “More for me!” he said, grinning. But something in Damaris’s voice bothered Dyamonde.
“Are you okay?” she asked her friend.
Damaris nodded, so Dyamonde let it drop.