The Dinner

Kacy is in the kitchen stirring the broth on the burner. After a few stir, she walks to the sink, washes and dries her hand, in that order.

I wonder what’s keeping them; he was supposed to be here 30 minutes ago she wonders, as she walks towards to the phone and picks it up.
 

Dialing 847-000-7401, she plays with the phone cords as she punches in those numbers.

“Hey Bret, oh I was wondering….” She turns to stare at the time on the microwave and drops the receiver to its cradle.

Bret is already outside with her. Once again she wonders how she is supposed to behave. Bret had called her a week ago to tell her he was engaged; she was dazed all day long. Engaged! She had never met the girl before. Hence this dinner date. She walks to the door and slowly places her hands on the knob, praying that things would go smoothly.

Lauren stood outside hoping for the same thing too. Although she and Bret had been dating for a while, for no fault of hers, she hasn’t met any of his family; busyness is synonymous to business in America. As expected, she is pretty nervous too, especially since Bret had changed the phase of their relationship last Saturday. Running her hands through her hair, she looks to Bret for solidarity as she gears to face the unknown.

The door opens. Bret and his sister hug; he turns to introduce them. “Kacy meet Lauren, my fiancée, Lauren meet Kacy, my sister.” There is that first awkward moment when each woman is unsure what to do. Then Kacy offers Lauren a hug, Lauren returns it and they both release the breath they’ve been holding.

“Well dinner is ready; we should get right on it.”

They proceed to the dining table. Beef Wellington in the center, steamed vegetables, a bowl of pasta and jello cheesecake all laid out in a gourmet manner.  The table is a hive of colors as the red, green, purple, and yellow summer vegetables blend with the crispiness of the Beef Wellington’s exterior, the off-whiteness of the pasta and the cherry on the jello cheesecake. Kacy walks to the kitchen, pours the curry-smelling broth into a serving bowl, and adds it to the menu.

Lauren cuts a slice of the Beef Wellington, its juicy red center, a testimony to its tenderness.  With the tip of the fork, she pushes the meat into her mouth; her catalyst enzymes rising to mingle with the juice that bursts forth from the fleshy substance. She munches and swallows. For the next bite she twirls the meat in a pool of red curry paste. Her nose buds holding on to the curry in desperation, as it tries to shift through the smell to determine its ingredients. She catches a whiff of onions, very light, but her dog-nose latches on to it, with the Thai chili stroked by the hairs in her nostrils. Her sensitive nostril also smells the ginger, garlic and cinnamon. But however, the bland taste in her mouth does not do justice to the meal. As hard as she might try, she couldn’t really tell her host exactly how the food tastes.

Wishing that Kacy had not gone all out on her behalf, she reaches for the red wine on her right. This is her forte, she holds the glass by its stem, gently swirling the wine and placing it underneath her nose for three minutes while savoring the cloudy cedar bouquet. She didn’t need her taste buds to tell her that the wine had depth, finesse, in addition to being sound, and smooth. She could feel her confidence trooping in. Even though she couldn’t taste the meal, she could at least see and smell its quality.  

“Thanks for the meal, it was rich and tasty” Lauren tells Kacy, meaning every word.
“Thanks” Kacy replies.
Well tomorrow is another day to tell Kacy that she had taste disorder, that truthfully she wouldn’t have minded a less lush dinner.