After a few trips to the car and back, Karen finished unloading all the groceries, her arms sore from the trip. She knew she should have asked Wendy for help, the girl was probably stronger than her mother, but she wanted to feel at least a little strong. Dutifully putting the groceries away, she realized she had time to kill before it was actually time to make dinner. Karen racked her brain for something to do- the house was clean, all the laundry was done- until she remembered the box on the dining room table.
Walking to the dining room Karen wondered why she ever thought she could lift the box even if it hadn't been full of heavy powder. It was almost three feet tall, and she was only barely over five. It was a pride thing, she reasoned, but it didn't make her feel very prideful. Andy had left the box on the table, and the additional height made the box taller than her entirely, something she didn't appreciate. If the table was to be set for dinner, it would need to be moved.
Karen brought a step ladder that gave her just enough height to reach into the box and grasp a plastic container. With a strong effort she was able to wrest the jar up out of the box; if it was just one she could at least manage to move it. Plopping it loudly on the table, Karen stood up straight, wincing as she placed a hand on her lower back. It was aching, another sign of her age and poor physique, or at least poor form. Blowing a stray hair out of her face, she looked down at the massive container and gave it a quizzical look. It had all kinds of bright word balloons and words in bold claiming it was guaranteed to put on mass fast and help lose weight, which didn't make much sense to her. She remembered when Andy was younger and how he eagerly shared factoids when he was getting into his new fitness hobby, including that muscle weighs more than fat.
Then something occurred to her. Protein powder was used to help build muscle mass in athletes, but maybe it could help her too? She was hardly an athlete but if the powder did even half of what it claimed, it could at least help her gain some strength, or at least shed some fat. The prospect of being less of a burden on her son was appealing enough for her to open the jar on the table, and doing so released a puff of the off white powder and an aroma Karen was totally unfamiliar with. It smelled somewhat sweet but also also savory, almost like a candle but it was nothing like an artificial perfume. Even a whiff of it made her feel more energized, though Karen was sure that was only a coincidence.
Her curiosity peaked, Karen went back into the kitchen to get a glass and spoon, half filling the glass with water and returning to the dining room. The fatigue she felt only minutes early had all but drifted away, which completely escaped her notice as she plucked a small spoonful of the powder and stirred it into the water. It thickened and turned a shimmery yellow color, almost like liquid gold. There weren't even any lumps, a perfectly smooth if slightly viscous tonic. Karen was mesmerized for a moment until she remembered it was supposed to be drank, and did so, taking a small sip.
The sensation hit her like a brick. It was delicious! It didn't have a flavor like she expected, when Andy has first started using protein shakes he always made a funny face after drinking but Karen had no idea why. Taking another sip, Karen smacked her lips. She couldn't pin down what it was, it just tasted... good.
"Mom?" Karen jumped as her daughter suddenly spoke behind her. "What are you doing?"
"Wendy! I- w-where were you young lady? You saw me come home from the store and you couldn't be bothered to help?" Karen said after whirling around to face her bleached blonde daughter, trying to shift the conversation off her unusual drink.
"Sorry. Forgot. Did you seriously open that stuff?" Wendy asked, peering over Karen. She was a good few inches taller than her mother so it wasn't difficult to see what she had been doing.
"W-well... I didn't want it to feel like a waste, your brother carried it all the way in here and he- I just..." Karen was stumbling over her words, as if she had gotten caught doing something unbecoming. She wasn't sure why she felt that way.
"It smells good." Wendy said as she stepped around her mother to look at the open jar. "Is this stuff really for workouts? This is like some weird milkshake powder."
"Oh, I wouldn't know, I've never used these sort- excuse you young lady! You've been disrespectful enough for one evening! Now, help me clear the table so we can at least have a nice dinner tonight." Karen huffed. She may have been weaker physically but her motherly will was harder than a teenagers'.
Wendy rolled her eyes but did as she was told, putting her phone in her jeans' back pocket. It would obvious to anyone that she was very thin and untoned as evidenced by the skinny pale arms sticking out of her black t-shirt. She hardly built for physical labor more than her mother but she had youth on her side, so helping move the box off the table wasn't too grueling. In fact, it was much easier than Karen expected- her daughter was stronger than she expected, she thought.
"Thank you, Wendy." Karen said as the box hit the floor with a thud. "Now... did you finish your homework?"
"Yeah, it was easy." The girl remarked, and to Karen's surprise she took the glass from the table and took a gulp of the protein drink.
"Wendy, don't just take things like that!" Karen exclaimed, grabbing the drink from her daughter's hand. The teen didn't seem to mind though as her green eyes grew wide.
"Whoa. That's... tasty." Wendy said, licking her lips. "Can I have some?"
"O-Oh, well..." Karen stuttered. She didn't want her daughter consuming some mysterious powder, but it would be hypocritical of her to tell her not to. Even if Karen didn't want to share. "Fine, but only a bit. You're not hoping to bulk up like your brother, are you?"
"Ugh, whatever Mom." Wendy scoffed, rushing into the kitchen to get herself a glass of water. She came back and scooped heaping spoonfuls into the glass until it was full. Karen wanted to tell her to be moderate but the powder dissolved so quickly she didn't have the time. It ended up looking the same consistency as Karen's had, despite using a lot more powder.
"Don't drink too much, you'll spoil your appetite." Karen said. Wendy rolled her eyes once more as she took a long drink out of her glass and walked away, leaving her mother in the dining room alone. "Good. Now..." Karen waited a few moments until her daughter was out of hearing range before grabbing her own glass, refilling it in the kitchen and quickly going back to the protein powder to heap her own spoonfuls into drink. It thickened again and Karen gladly took a long drink from it. Her daughter was right, it was like a very satisfying milkshake. She stared at the powder once more before placing the lid back on it.
"That's enough. For now." She said to herself, picking up the jar with a surprising amount of ease and placing into the box with the rest of them.