By Three weeks in and the toddlers have decided I am theirs. This is not a gradual process with toddlers — there's no probation period, no interview, no background check. They just decide. Mia reaches for me at drop-off now. Thomas brings me the elephant to hold during nap time, which is the toddler equivalent of giving someone your Social Security number. Brooklyn put a sticker on my arm on Wednesday and said, "Pretty," and I wore that sticker for the rest of the day, through snack time and diaper changes and circle time, because Brooklyn said it was pretty and I was not about to argue with a two-year-old who had bestowed a compliment upon me.
The pay is what it is. Eleven dollars an hour, no benefits, no paid time off. I calculated my monthly take-home on the back of a napkin at Gloria's kitchen table and the number is small. Rent is $475. Electric, water, phone. Gas for the car. Food. The math doesn't leave room for much. It doesn't leave room for error. But I've never had room for error. I've been doing math without margins my whole life. At least now the math is mine — my hours, my check, my name on the account.
Gloria noticed me doing the math and didn't say anything, which is Gloria's way of saying everything. She got up and started cooking. That's what Gloria does when words aren't enough — she feeds you. She made fried okra, which is one of those foods that people either love or use as evidence that Southern cooking is insane. You slice the okra thin, soak it in buttermilk, dredge it in cornmeal seasoned with salt and cayenne, and fry it in batches in hot oil until it's crispy and golden and not at all slimy, because the cornmeal coating and the hot oil fix the slime, and if your okra is slimy you didn't get the oil hot enough and Gloria would like a word with you. We ate it with rice and black-eyed peas and the last of the cornbread from the week before, warmed up in the oven because microwaving cornbread is, according to Gloria, "a sin and I won't have it in my house."
James asked me if I was happy. Just like that, at the dinner table, between bites of okra. "You happy, Savannah?" I said yes. He nodded. He went back to eating. James doesn't need a speech. He just needed to know. And I needed to say it out loud, to hear the word in my own voice and test it against the truth and find, to my genuine surprise, that it held. Happy. Three weeks into a job that pays almost nothing, doing work that matters entirely, living in a house that isn't mine but will be soon enough. Happy. The word fits. I'm wearing it like Brooklyn's sticker — carefully, proudly, hoping it stays.
Gloria’s fried okra that night was about more than okra — it was about showing up for someone without making a production of it, letting the food do the talking. I’ve been making this roasted cauliflower on my own nights now for that same reason: it’s quiet, it’s honest, and it asks almost nothing of you while giving back something that genuinely feels like care. When the math is tight and the day was long and you just need something warm on the table, this is the recipe I reach for — the kind that fits in a small budget the same way the word “happy” fit that night: simply, and better than expected.
Roasted Cauliflower
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (for serving)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (for serving)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup.
- Prepare the cauliflower. Cut the cauliflower into evenly sized florets — aim for about 1 1/2 to 2 inches so they roast evenly and get good color without burning.
- Season and toss. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, minced garlic, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Add the cauliflower florets and toss well until every piece is coated.
- Spread on the baking sheet. Arrange the florets in a single layer, cut-side down where possible. Give them space — crowding the pan steams instead of roasts, and you want that caramelized edge.
- Roast until golden. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until the edges are deeply golden and the florets are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Finish and serve. Remove from the oven and immediately squeeze lemon juice over the top. Scatter fresh parsley over everything and serve hot, right off the pan.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 130 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 9g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 290mg