Page 22 of Memories of the Past

“Oh, um, I just thought…. well…I brought you this.” She slowly rasied the dish and held it out for me to take.

I rubbed my hands together. “I sure hope it’s your chicken and broccoli casserole. It’s my favorite.” I reached out to take the casserole dish from her and lifted the lid. “I had one the other night from some lady my mom knew, but it didn’t hold a candle to the one you make.”

“Nope, not my chicken and broccoli casserole. It’s Aunt Vi’s chicken and dumplings.” She smiled.

Instantly, I felt my stomach turn as I got a whiff of the contents. My mind went to the last time I’d had it, remembering the upset stomach I’d had for days afterward. It had never been my favorite dish, even the one my mother made, and as far as I remembered, Trinity knew it.

“Did you want to come in? It would be nice to have company while I eat,” I said, swallowing hard at the thought of eating chunky, paste-like balls of mushy flour.

I almost smiled when I took a look at the scared look on her face; it was almost as if I’d asked her to do something against the law. I leaned up against the post and waited for her answer, not saying anything. I planned to do whatever it took to keep her there, so if that meant chowing down on soggy flour, then I’d do it. I wanted us to get past whatever anger, hate, and bad memories we needed to, so we could hopefully get back to normal.

“Oh, you haven’t eaten yet?” she questioned, glancing at her watch.

“No, I wasn’t hungry earlier, but suddenly I’m starving, and this…well…this looks delicious,” I said, almost choking on my own words. “Besides, the house it was too quiet to eat. So how about it, Trinity? Will you join me?”

“Oh, where is Lyle?” she asked, looking around.

“He went into town. Said he was going to have a couple drinks with one of the hands from Darling Ranch.”

I watched as she looked back to her car. I could only imagine what was going through her mind. Was she wondering if she could run back to it and leave without me noticing?

“I’ll…I’ve just got to grab my purse,” she said, turning back toward her car.

“Trinity, I don’t think you need to worry about your purse way out here,” I said, climbing the stairs and holding the front door open for her. “There’s no one around for a few miles at least.”

I saw a slight smile on her lips, and she nodded. “Oh of course. Silly me.” She swallowed hard.

“Come on in,” I said, still holding the door for her.

She stood there for a second and then climbed the three stairs and walked past me into the house, stepping out of the way so I, too, could get inside. She stood just inside the door, glancing around, and was about to follow me to the kitchen when she suddenly stopped and bent down to untie her shoes.

“Don’t worry about your shoes. Just come on into the kitchen,” I said, leading the way and pulling out a chair for her to sit on. I placed the still-warm casserole dish down on the counter and grabbed a plate and glass from the cupboard. “Want anything to eat or drink?” I asked.

“Oh, no, thank you. I already ate.”

“You’re sure?” I questioned as I dished some of the chicken and dumplings onto the plate, the look of them already making me nauseous. “These look delicious.”

“Yes, I am good, thanks.”

“Okay, if you say so,” I said, taking a glance at her as I poured myself a glass of milk and carried both the plate and glass over to the table. I sat down and reached for the salt and pepper, shaking the contents of both shakers over my plate.

“You’ll have to let me know how they are,” Trinity said, watching my every move. “It’s been a hot minute since I made them.” She smiled as she watched me sink my fork into the mess on my plate.

I looked at the gooey contents that hung off my fork and took a breath, then brought the full fork up to my mouth.Why did it have to be chicken and dumplings? Of all the things she could have made, this was what she brought.I took the fork and placed it in my mouth, my gag reflex working almost instantly. Just before I swallowed, I picked up the glass of milk and drank some back; it was the only way to get the food down.

“It’s great,” I lied, my mouth still partially full.

“Oh good. That means I followed Aunt Vi’s recipe perfectly.” She smiled. “I was worried they wouldn’t turn out.”

I smiled back, sinking my fork into the soggy mess on my plate and bringing another forkful up to my mouth. “How is Vi?” I questioned, doing whatever I could to avoid placing this food in my mouth.

“Good. She’s doing well. I just moved her to the retirement facility that was just built on the outskirts of Willow Valley.”

I could feel the sweat begin to trickle down my forehead and wiped my brow with the sleeve of my shirt before taking another bite, followed by a mouthful of milk. I couldn’t help but wonder how much more torture I was going to have to endure, how much more of this I was going to have to eat.

“Are you sure you don’t want any?” I asked, nodding to my plate. “Feels a little odd to be the only one eating.”

“No, I’m good. I was munching on chicken and vegetables while I made it.”

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