Installment #18
Meg, Kevin, Greg
The walk had been a long one. They only jogged a little of the four miles. The conversation was easy and Meg and Greg warmed to each other. The Green Chile was simmering in the crock pot and when they returned to the house the spicy aroma greeted them. They were immediately ravenous. Meg heated the refried beans and the tortillas. She spooned the beans into the tortilla, sprinkled it with grated cheddar cheese, spooned on sour cream and rolled it up. She ladled a generous amount of the Green Chile over it, put a little chopped lettuce on the plate and handed it to Greg. She quickly made a plate for Kevin and herself. They sat at the table and looked at the steaming plates.
“OK, Greg, dig in!” Kevin laughed. He had told Greg what Green Chile was and now he was seeing it first hand. Brown the small bits of pork, add garlic, tomatoes, the Pueblo Chiles chopped and then water. Simmer and the longer it simmered the hotter it would get. Greg had heard about the Pueblo Chiles, but this was his first encounter with the food that was such a part of Kevin’s heritage in Colorado. He dipped his spoon in gingerly and raised it to his mouth. He felt the top of his head bead up with the heat of something he had never encountered before. Tears stung his eyes. He gasped for breathe.
"What in the hell is that!” Meg and Kevin stared in amazement. Never had they seen the likes of this out of quiet retiring Greg.
Kevin stammered. “Oh, I am sorry. I told you it would be hot. That is the peppers. Mom?”
“Greg, dear, this is not hot. This is mild. I did not want your first taste of Colorado Mexican food to be a bad one. Here. Do it this way.” She took her spoon and cut off a small piece of burrito and covered it with Green Chile. She put it in her mouth, chewed and smiled. “ You just don’t eat the Green Chile alone. Let me get you a glass of milk. That will help.”
She left the table and returned with a large glass of milk which she placed in front of him. He immediately took a drink of it. Then he smiled at Kevin and Meg.
“ I am not going to let a damn pepper beat me. If you can eat it, I can eat it. “ He then cut off a small piece as Meg had done and shook off most of the Chile. In his mouth and he chewed slowly. “Hey, that ain’t bad at all. But I gotta say, you two are a couple sadists!”
But very soon he was holding his plate and heading for the stove and a second burrito! Kevin smiled and silently thanked the God above for leading him into Your Little Pub that rainy day not so very long ago. If ever a match was blessed from above it had to be this one. Meg smiled at her son and nodded. Mother’s just had a way of knowing this stuff. When dessert was brought to the table Kevin whooped and jumped up.
“Oh, Greg! You are in for a treat. This is the Italian part of Colorado. Tiramusu! Mom! Tell him how to make it. Oh, God are you in for a treat.”
Meg stared at her son. “Ok, the first thing you need is Lady Fingers and they are dry. Then you mix coffee with Kahlua. Meanwhile you whip heavy whipping cream with sugar and egg yolks. Then you fold in Marscapone cheese which is a lot like cream cheese only it is from Italy and very expensive. Then you dip the Lady Fingers in the coffee and Kahlua and put them in the bottom of the pan. One layer of that. Then cover this with the whipped cream mixture. Then another layer of Lady Fingers and more whipped cream. Then sprinkle on some cocoa. Stick it in the fridge and then impress everyone for dessert.”
“Oh, yeah,” laughed Kevin, “but you should have seen it the first time she made it. She thought the Lady Fingers were really dry so she held them under until they quit bubbling. She had to mix coffee and Kahlua three times and she used almost a quart of Kahlua! I was 16 and so damn drunk I couldn’t even get up the stairs. Everybody was! We ate the whole thing that night. Way to go Mom!” Greg smiled as he held out his dessert plate for seconds. “Guess you must be part Italian too!”
The boys tidied the kitchen as Meg checked her email Nothing from redranger. She felt a little disappointed, but knew that he was giving her space to spend time with Kevin. He was very considerate that way. She had three sales, so she printed the labels for those, affixed them to the boxes, shut down the computer and turned out the light. As she closed the door to the office and stepped into the hall, she found Kevin and Greg sharing a kiss. She stopped and then realized that this did not bother her. She had been afraid that it would, but now that the moment was here it seemed ludicrous that she had even thought about it. She smiled to herself.
“Hey you two! It is bedtime.” The boys jumped apart at her words and laughed nervously. She kissed each one lightly on the cheek and then turned into her own room. There would just be tomorrow and then they would leave. “Church tomorrow. You boys going with me?”
“Well, if you think it is alright.”
“Of course it is!” But as she closed her door she wondered. “At least I hope it is .“ were her last thoughts before she reached for her nightgown.
Meg, Kevin, Greg
The walk had been a long one. They only jogged a little of the four miles. The conversation was easy and Meg and Greg warmed to each other. The Green Chile was simmering in the crock pot and when they returned to the house the spicy aroma greeted them. They were immediately ravenous. Meg heated the refried beans and the tortillas. She spooned the beans into the tortilla, sprinkled it with grated cheddar cheese, spooned on sour cream and rolled it up. She ladled a generous amount of the Green Chile over it, put a little chopped lettuce on the plate and handed it to Greg. She quickly made a plate for Kevin and herself. They sat at the table and looked at the steaming plates.
“OK, Greg, dig in!” Kevin laughed. He had told Greg what Green Chile was and now he was seeing it first hand. Brown the small bits of pork, add garlic, tomatoes, the Pueblo Chiles chopped and then water. Simmer and the longer it simmered the hotter it would get. Greg had heard about the Pueblo Chiles, but this was his first encounter with the food that was such a part of Kevin’s heritage in Colorado. He dipped his spoon in gingerly and raised it to his mouth. He felt the top of his head bead up with the heat of something he had never encountered before. Tears stung his eyes. He gasped for breathe.
"What in the hell is that!” Meg and Kevin stared in amazement. Never had they seen the likes of this out of quiet retiring Greg.
Kevin stammered. “Oh, I am sorry. I told you it would be hot. That is the peppers. Mom?”
“Greg, dear, this is not hot. This is mild. I did not want your first taste of Colorado Mexican food to be a bad one. Here. Do it this way.” She took her spoon and cut off a small piece of burrito and covered it with Green Chile. She put it in her mouth, chewed and smiled. “ You just don’t eat the Green Chile alone. Let me get you a glass of milk. That will help.”
She left the table and returned with a large glass of milk which she placed in front of him. He immediately took a drink of it. Then he smiled at Kevin and Meg.
“ I am not going to let a damn pepper beat me. If you can eat it, I can eat it. “ He then cut off a small piece as Meg had done and shook off most of the Chile. In his mouth and he chewed slowly. “Hey, that ain’t bad at all. But I gotta say, you two are a couple sadists!”
But very soon he was holding his plate and heading for the stove and a second burrito! Kevin smiled and silently thanked the God above for leading him into Your Little Pub that rainy day not so very long ago. If ever a match was blessed from above it had to be this one. Meg smiled at her son and nodded. Mother’s just had a way of knowing this stuff. When dessert was brought to the table Kevin whooped and jumped up.
“Oh, Greg! You are in for a treat. This is the Italian part of Colorado. Tiramusu! Mom! Tell him how to make it. Oh, God are you in for a treat.”
Meg stared at her son. “Ok, the first thing you need is Lady Fingers and they are dry. Then you mix coffee with Kahlua. Meanwhile you whip heavy whipping cream with sugar and egg yolks. Then you fold in Marscapone cheese which is a lot like cream cheese only it is from Italy and very expensive. Then you dip the Lady Fingers in the coffee and Kahlua and put them in the bottom of the pan. One layer of that. Then cover this with the whipped cream mixture. Then another layer of Lady Fingers and more whipped cream. Then sprinkle on some cocoa. Stick it in the fridge and then impress everyone for dessert.”
“Oh, yeah,” laughed Kevin, “but you should have seen it the first time she made it. She thought the Lady Fingers were really dry so she held them under until they quit bubbling. She had to mix coffee and Kahlua three times and she used almost a quart of Kahlua! I was 16 and so damn drunk I couldn’t even get up the stairs. Everybody was! We ate the whole thing that night. Way to go Mom!” Greg smiled as he held out his dessert plate for seconds. “Guess you must be part Italian too!”
The boys tidied the kitchen as Meg checked her email Nothing from redranger. She felt a little disappointed, but knew that he was giving her space to spend time with Kevin. He was very considerate that way. She had three sales, so she printed the labels for those, affixed them to the boxes, shut down the computer and turned out the light. As she closed the door to the office and stepped into the hall, she found Kevin and Greg sharing a kiss. She stopped and then realized that this did not bother her. She had been afraid that it would, but now that the moment was here it seemed ludicrous that she had even thought about it. She smiled to herself.
“Hey you two! It is bedtime.” The boys jumped apart at her words and laughed nervously. She kissed each one lightly on the cheek and then turned into her own room. There would just be tomorrow and then they would leave. “Church tomorrow. You boys going with me?”
“Well, if you think it is alright.”
“Of course it is!” But as she closed her door she wondered. “At least I hope it is .“ were her last thoughts before she reached for her nightgown.
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