Suzie’s House 26: The New Chef

Miranda had a cast iron skillet on the stove with hamburger and tomato sauce bubbling away when Suzie walked in the door.  Miranda could have swooned with relief.  She’d been on the brink of giving up on her attempt at dinner, but she really, really did not want to order pizza again.  She wanted to surprise Vin with her ability to produce an edible meal.

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“It smells, um… interesting.  What are you making?”  Suzie set her purse down with a thump.

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“Spaghetti and meatballs.  Does this look right?”  Miranda shifted to the side, making room for her best friend and potential rescuer.

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Suzie glanced in the pan and raised an eyebrow.  “Couldn’t find a pot to cook it in?”

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“You’re supposed to use a pot?”

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Suzie nodded.  “It needs some seasoning.”  She reached toward the spice rack with one hand and the hot pad with the other.

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“I can do it!”  Miranda might have sounded a little testy.  Give Suzie half a chance and she’d take over.

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“Fine.”  Suzie shoved the hot pad into Miranda’s hands, then bent over and removed some pots from the cupboard.  “You should get the water started for the spaghetti.  It takes a while time to bring that much water to boil.”

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“What took you so long?”  Miranda took the pot from Suzie and put it in the sink.  “I thought you were only dropping off Ben’s lunch.  And where’s Ben?”

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“It didn’t take me so long.  And Ben is spending the night with his father.  He has visitation.”  Suzie yanked open a drawer.

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Miranda pushed it closed.  “Suzie, what’s wrong?”

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“Nothing!”

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“Don’t tell me nothing.  I know better.”  Miranda waved a tomato-tipped, wooden spoon at her.  “Is it something to do with Ben?  Is he all right?  He hasn’t been shot or anything, has he?”

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“No, not the kind of trouble we were worried about.”  Suzie dropped into a chair.  “It’s his English teacher.  She stopped me in the hall and dragged me into an empty classroom to talk to me.  Ben is getting a D.”

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Miranda looked on, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

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“Didn’t you hear me?  He’s getting a D!”

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“Yeah.  So?”

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“He’s never gotten anything lower than a B in his life.  This isn’t like him.  Not at all.”

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“He isn’t infallible you know.  He’s just a kid.”  Miranda glanced at the recipe file on the counter behind Suzie, noticed a corner hanging off the edge and prayed Suzie wouldn’t notice.  She’d felt sacrilegious looking through it.

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“Why didn’t he tell me?”  Suzie’s voice rose to a wail.

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“Shhhh!  You’ll wake Vin.”

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Suzie ran her fingers over her hair. Looking hurt and miserable.  “I don’t know what to do.”  She sounded lost, shaking her head in short, tight motions.

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“Oh get over it, Suzie!  Bad grades aren’t the worst thing that could happen.  I mean, he’s alive, right?  No one tried to shoot him today?  I mean, think about it.”

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Suzie sighed.  She shoved herself to her feet.  “You’re right.  I’m over reacting.  It’s just….”  She shook her head.  “I worry.”

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Miranda chuckled.  To say Suzie worried was an understatement.  Suzie had always worried, all the way back to when they were kids and Miranda had taught her to swim.  She’d worried about the chlorine in the pool, and the other kids peeing, about how deep and how cold the water was.  Suzie worried like other people breathed. 

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Motherhood hadn’t improved it.

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“How’s Vin doing?”

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“He’s been sleeping most of the day.  I changed his bandages. The wound looks good.”  Actually, it looked horrible, all red and puckered.  But it wasn’t infected, so there was no need to make Suzie worry about it.

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“I’ll check on him.”  Suzie shuffled off toward the living room, looking defeated more than tired.

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“Wait!”

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Suzie turned around, waiting patiently for some explanation.  Miranda shifted her body to keep Suzie from seeing the recipe file on the counter.  It had contained things like Alien from the Backyard and Quick Mix, but no spaghetti sauce.

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“Which spices am I supposed to use?”

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“Anything.  Just grab a few things from the rack over there and toss them in.”

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To Miranda’s relief and consternation, Suzie walked out of the room.

The previous was Suzie’s House 25: The Times, They Are A Changing

This is Suzie’s House 26: The New Chef

Next is Suzie’s House 27: The Taste of Defeat