For Louisa There Is No Lunch at All

for louisa there is no lunch at all Louisa Flaggon was a square Tonka Toy sophomore at Wesley Allen College in a classroom where all the seats had round holes. She lived in constant fear that God would reach down, grab the entire toy classroom and shake it upside down. All the real Tonka Toy students would stay snug in their round holes, but she would shake loose, tumble out and fall lost to the ground. She got back at God by not believing in Him. Rafael Perez, a squat old buffalo of a man, taught economics. He built economic injustices into his courses to force his students to apply risky economic solutions. For example, the previous semester's class ran a large class deficit. They borrowed grade points, used them to increase their own grades, then left the debt for Louisa's honors class to pay back. Add a cast of assorted brainy honors students, parents and college staff, and the stage is set to see if these people will tackle the high-risk move from fearing and blaming to loving and forgiving. for louisa there is no lunch at all is a novel about a young woman running out of resources ... hope ... time. A story about college, friendship, anorexia, love, God, economics, and the hope of surviving unavoidable gauntlets of impossible challenges. Some themes in ... for louisa there is no lunch at allMessed-up peoplePT flunked out of college like a brick down a well. During our first semester, PT processed so many traumas that her brain became a sparrow with no place to roost. She would fly squawking into my room and poop a load of poison. Then we'd cry, wash the poison out the door, and laugh like idiots. Our method of staying sane."Look, Perez, perhaps you don't know how sick I am." So I told him. I dumped it all. The poor man had no natural defenses against me. It was like I was whipping him." Mom said, "What mother would not love a wonderful, intelligent, dear child like you? Only a wounded mother. Only sick mothers, Louisa, do not love their children."Risk Kelli blurted out, "Kunta and I are married." We watched Perez's face, hoping for shock. "I am stunned! What an incredibly ... high-risk economic adventure you two have embarked on."Gabby was wrong. She thought I was a high-risk person because I chose to starve myself. Gabby could not understand. You see, anorexia is actually low-risk behavior. There is a very low risk of staying alive."Don't you dare say your love for me has no expectations. In exchange for this love, you expect me to live. Right? What? No more it's-your-call-Louisas? And you, the freakin' economics teacher, taught us to invest only in things we understand. If you don't know enough about close love, you shouldn't be investing in it. I am a very high-risk investment. Willing to drop back into that distance you came from, Perez?"Love Bec said, "Flaggon, you know what your problem is?" "Which one? I have so many." "I'm talking about your perverted definition of perfection. You think that perfection means never making a mistake. I think perfection means you love me." I laughed hard. "Isn't that a wee bit egocentric?"Everyone tells me God loves me. But his love must lack the nutritive value to sustain me. It's like God pays me the least amount of love necessary to keep me hopping through his hoops. Like he thinks with me he can keep his love-cost down.GodStranger things than God have turned out to be true. Slime mold for instance.dear god, i know it would be just to throw me head-first screaming into hell, but if you could stop the cycle of violence-for-justice ... and decide on mercy ...? huh? hey, we did it with josh in class, and it paid off. just ask him. So, you might want to try it. but if you are not there, then ... yep, well ...Perez half-smiled. "That makes one of us wrong about whether God exists.""And you think I'm the one who's wrong.""Of course. I am older and wiser ... and more Mexican."