Sour Grapes

I hate to puke.”
    Angela smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. Most of us do. And do you binge eat?”
    “Sometimes... if I’ve been dieting for a long time really strict, I get hungry and I pig out, like a whole pint of ice cream and half a package of cookies.”
    Savannah gulped, thinking of her own extravagances. Bingeing? Wasn’t a pint of Chunky Monkey and a package of Oreos just your run-of-the-mill dessert? An entire peanut butter chocolate-dipped cheesecake along with the Chunky Monkey, the Oreos, and a dozen Winchell’s donuts... now that would be a binge.
    Not that she had actually ever done that herself, of course.
    “Do you weigh yourself every day, Atlanta ?” Angela asked.
    She nodded.
    “And if your weight is down, do you feel good about it all day? And if it’s up, it bums you out?”
    Another yes.
    “Have you ever fasted to lose weight?” “ Yeah.”
    “And do you think about your weight a lot... like off and on all day?” “ Yeah, it’s important to me to look good.”
    Angela fingered the beads of her earring thoughtfully. “And do you think you look good? Are you happy with the way you look?”
    “I’m still heavy in my hips and right here.” She grabbed half an inch of skin on her bare midriff and pinched it distastefully. “No matter how much I diet, I can’t get rid of that.”
    “Do you exercise a lot?”
    “I should do a lot more.”
    Angela said nothing for a long, tense few moments as she studied Atlanta, who sat, squirming, in her chair.
    Finally, Angela spoke. “I want to thank you for talking to me about this, Atlanta,” she said. “I know it wasn’t easy for you. Your sister did the right thing, asking you to speak to a professional about your problem.”
    “I don’t have a problem. That’s what I’m trying to tell you.” “ You do have a problem, potentially a very serious, possibly fatal eating disorder.”
    “No way! I’ve read the lists of symptoms on the Internet, and I’m not bulimic or anorexic. I’m not!”
    “I didn’t say that you are either of those things. I said that you have an eating disorder. Millions of people do. Thousands die from theirs. If you don’t get some help, you might be one of them.”
    “That’s so lame. No way.”
    “Atlanta, you don’t have to have all the symptoms on those lists. Even a few of the signs are reason enough for concern.”
    Angela turned to Savannah. “I’m going to give you some phone numbers of professionals in Atlanta’s area who specialize in eating disorders. It’s very important that she get help and that it be from someone who is experienced in this field.” “ Thank you. I’ll take care of it.”
    “No! I’m not going to see no shrink!” Atlanta began to cry. “I’m not crazy, and I’m not helpless. I don’t want my big sister to do that; she’s always taking care of me, and I hate that!”
    “I don’t believe you’re crazy or helpless,” Angela told her as she reached over and placed her hand on the girl’s arm. “But these first few steps are very difficult for a person to take on her own, and finding a professional and setting up appointments are actions that loved ones can take for someone in your position. Let her do this for you, Atlanta . Savannah may be bossy sometimes, but I assure you that she loves you very much. Let her help.”
    Savannah rose from her chair, walked over to Atlanta, and knelt beside her. “Please, sweetie... trust me,” she said. “I’ll find someone who’s good, someone you like and can relate to. The right person will make this situation better for you, not worse, I promise.”
    When Atlanta didn’t answer, Savannah took her hands and folded them between her own. “Let me do this for you. Someday when I’m old and senile and can’t remember where I left my dentures, I’ll need you to make some calls and set up some appointments for me... okay? We’ll take turns taking care of each other.”
    When Atlanta gave a small, curt nod, Savannah felt better.
    But when Atlanta threw her arms around Savannah’s neck, buried her face on her shoulder, and sobbed, Savannah found that her own tears were flowing as freely as her little sister’s.
    Good tears.
    Soul-cleansing tears.

    A few minutes later, when Savannah and Atlanta came out of the office, bidding Angela a grateful goodbye, Dirk came rushing up to them, an excited look on his face.
    “I’ve been looking for you all over the place,” he told Savannah. “I...”
    He looked