Chapter 5 140 Anita is 46 years old. She is married to Ad. They have two children, Melvin aged 19, and Leroy aged 16. Anita went to home economics school (LHNO). She works 3 days a week in home care. Other than that, she does housekeeping.Her hobbies are playing games on the computer and hiking (if Ad at least goes along). Star sign: Cancer. Anita weighs 85 kilograms. She gains a few kilos every year. When tensions mount, Anita starts snacking. “Food provides a kind of comfort for me. When I feel stressed, I’m always snacking. That’s really a problem, because because of this I’ve gained about 12 pounds in recent years.” Ad is a truck driver. The company he works for is having to downsize. He worries whether he will be allowed to stay. This causes a lot of stress in the family. Anita has known Ad since she was 14 years old. They got married when Anita was pregnant with Melvin. Anita loves her job. She loves helping people. She has many contacts in the neighborhood and she regularly goes for coffee at the neighbors. A day in the life of Anita Anita hears that Melvin hasn’t gotten out of bed yet and wakes him up so he won’t be late for work. Melvin reacts grumpily, which upsets Anita. Leroy really needs to get up now, too. Anita wakes him up and tells him to go to school. Anita fixes breakfast for the boys and starts the day with a cup of coffee herself. She is irritated because she still has to encourage the boys so much to get out of bed on time. Anita goes shopping without eating breakfast. As a result, she buys many more goodies than she actually needs. Once back home, she cleans up the groceries and quickly eats a sandwich with jam. At the neighbor's house she drinks coffee. She also accepts a second slice of cake, because she is quite hungry. Once home, she works through the house. The bathroom gets a major overhaul and she vacuums through the boys’ rooms. She sits down on the couch for a while, just to relax. A cup of coffee, and a couple of sandwiches with peanut butter and jam for a late lunch. At 4:30 Anita starts preparing dinner, chicken and noodles. Ad and the boys come home and they eat with the family. Ad tells Anita that a colleague’s contract has not been renewed. In the evening, the boys watch a soccer game. Anita plays a game on the laptop and pulls open a package of peanut butter cookies.
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