First Class Menu (10 page)

Lindsey stood in her kitchen in a pair of cut-off jeans and
a blue tank top. Her feet were bare and her hair clipped in a claw on the top
of her head.

It had been a long week. A long couple of weeks in fact.
She’d lost a chef at The Bourbon and she still hadn’t been able to nail the
food cost issue at Aaron’s. The numbers were only off by a couple of percentage
points, but that added up over the course of the month. Nobody was stealing.
The chefs and line cooks were all working their butts off. The problem was
probably right in front of her. She just wasn’t in the right mindset to see it.

In the past four days she’d already put in sixty hours. She
was tired. She was exhausted. But she’d hired two new cooks and they’d hit the
ground running. She was glad to finally be home.

She’d been asked many times what she did to relax. She
cooked. The answer surprised most people. Why would a chef, who worked in
restaurants all week, come home and unwind by cooking? Because it made her
happy; it was calming; and it’s what she loved to do.

She mindlessly stirred the soup in the saucepan in front of
her. The oven buzzer pulled her from the zombie-like state she was in. She
pulled out the cheesy bread and plopped it on a plate. Then she carefully
poured the hot soup into a bowl, grabbed a spoon, a napkin and her bread and
headed for the sofa and the television.

She flipped channels with the remote until she came to a
movie she instantly recognized. Colonel Brandon, Alan Rickman, was reading
poetry from a small leather-bound book to Marianne, Kate Winslet, as Elinor
Dashwood, Emma Thompson, pretended to concentrate on her needlework.

“Oh Colonel Brandon, I know how you feel, buddy,” she sighed
as she tossed the remote on the sofa next to her. She lifted a spoonful of the
hot roasted butternut squash soup to her lips and blew ever so softly before it
entered her mouth.

She’d given David eight private cooking lessons. They had
one more scheduled for the following day. It was the last one. She’d enjoyed
getting to know him. He was intelligent and funny and kind and sensitive; all
the things she was looking in a partner; all the things that she found
attractive. And yes. He was hot too, but that wasn’t the first thing that had
drawn her to him. In fact, it actually unnerved her. In her experience, good-looking
guys were often jerks. But not David. No. She would miss him. Terribly. But she
had one more day. One more chance to share her love of cooking with him. One
more chance to share her love with him. And then they were done.

*****

“Thanks son,” said Mr. Borsten, as David wheeled him into
the apartment building. “I didn’t know who else to call. Lou is in the park
painting for that big salon in Los Angeles and I didn’t want to disturb her.”

“You call me anytime,” David offered. “I’m just glad I was
at home.”

“I’m such an idiot,” frowned Mr. Borsten.

“Not at all!” laughed David. “I’m not going to tell you how
many bottles of aspirin I’ve dropped in the sink. And those bottles are much
bigger than the little prescription bottles you’ve got there.” David pointed to
the small paper bag Mr. Borsten gripped in his hand.

“Well, I appreciate you going with me to the pharmacy to
pick it up. I can’t go out yet by myself.”

“When does your new wheelchair get here?” David asked.

“Anytime. Your brother Paul and Nic got it all taken care of
so now we just wait for it to be delivered. It’s got a motor on it so I’ll be
able to go wherever I want. It even has reverse!” he chuckled.

“Sounds like I’d better get you a helmet,” laughed David.
“Or me a helmet!”

Brian, the doorman, arrived to help Mr. Borsten up to his
apartment. David said his goodbyes and headed onto the sidewalk for the short
walk home. He was happy they Borstens only lived a couple of blocks away. He
enjoyed helping out on the odd occasion when they needed him. It was nice to
feel useful.

David was one of seven sons, all of whom were real
go-getters. None of them ever needed his help. In fact, over the years, he was
the one that had needed their help at one time or another. And even though his
parents were aging, they were still quite capable of taking care of themselves.
His dad, Peter, had finally hired out the tiny bit of yard work a couple of
years ago. During the spring and summer, a landscaping company showed up twice
a month to cut the small grass area. It took longer to start the lawnmower than
to actually cut the grass. They weeded and pruned a little. They pulled the
dead annuals out at the beginning of spring and planted a few new ones and they
sprayed weed killer in the slate patio.

Maureen had a cleaning service come to the house every
Tuesday. Being a four story brownstone, and now only her and Peter living
there, they rarely went up to third and fourth floors. But Maureen loved to
keep a spotless house. The grandkids came to visit, you know.

So there really wasn’t anyone that needed him. He enjoyed
being able to help people and his trip to the pharmacy with Mr. Borsten had
done his soul some good. As he rounded the corner to the front of his building,
he saw a cab dropping off Lindsey for their last cooking class. A stab of
sadness hit him as he realized this was it; one more meal and then they were
done. He’d loved learning to cook, more than he could ever have imagined. And
Lindsey was a fantastic teacher. She was kind and patient and extremely informative.
He’d valued every lesson.

“Here! Let me help you,” he offered, running to the cab and
taking the bags as she tried to pull them from the backseat.

“Hi David,” she smiled brightly. “Thanks.”

He hauled the bags from the car and the doorman held the
door as they entered the lobby. Lindsey ran ahead and called the elevator and
David wrestled with the bags.

“These are heavy,” he chuckled. “Are you trying to get me
fat?”

“Not at all,” she laughed. “I’ve brought some equipment
that’ll help us today.”

“But I already got a Kitchenaid,” he said, confusion in his
voice.

Lindsey grinned. “That is not the only appliance you need in
your kitchen.”

“So I have more shopping to do?”

“Well, that’s up to you,” she smiled as the elevator doors
opened and they stepped inside.

In the kitchen of David’s apartment, they unloaded the bags,
David’s confusion growing as he looked at all the things now on the counter.

“Well, I still have no idea what we’re making today, even
after studying everything here,” he said, hands on his hips, surveying the food
and pans and gadgets in front of him.

“Fish tacos with slaw and salsa,” she informed him. And
we’re going to make our own tortillas for the tacos, and tortilla chips to eat
with the salsa. And then we’re going to have flan for dessert. A real Latin
theme today.”

“Well it sounds great,” David grinned.

“This is my comfort meal,” she confided. “This is what I
make when I need to be both physically and emotionally recharged. I’m glad I
get to share it with you.”

“Me too,” he smiled.

They began with the slaw and then the salsa. They chopped
and diced and mixed and tasted and then put the bowls of the finished tasty
food in the fridge. Then they made the flan; heating and mixing and straining
and pouring and set the tray in the oven letting it work its magic.

“Now we make tortillas,” Lindsey smiled.

“But you can buy them already made. Why make them?”

“Because they are way cheaper to make and they taste so much
better,” she explained.

“Well okay then,” he grinned. “Teach me, chef!”

They laughed and told jokes as they made tortillas. Lindsey
had brought her press from home, making the job significantly easier than
rolling them by hand. With David’s upper body strength, he had those tortillas
thin and perfect with ease.

“You’re quite handy to have around,” she smiled.

“Well, thank you,” he grinned. “Anything for the lady.”

Lindsey blushed as he winked at her and as he placed the
last tortilla on the counter, their hands touched briefly. A jolt of
electricity shot up her arm at the contact and she quickly pulled away. She
sneaked a look at him and he didn’t seem to notice. She stepped over to the
stove top, checking the heat of the griddle.

“Let’s…get those…on…here,” she stuttered.

David followed her, bringing the stack of dough.

“They don’t take long,” she managed to say as his arm
brushed hers again.

David threw a couple on the griddle and watched the centers
bubble up. He grabbed a spatula and pushed them down so they connected with the
hot surface.

“Like this?” he asked.

Lindsey smiled and nodded. “Perfect,” she whispered.

As the tortillas were done, she wrapped them in aluminum
foil and then they fried the cut dough to make chips. David knew what he was
doing, requiring very little instruction and making Lindsey feel quite proud of
the work they’d accomplished over the past few weeks.

“Let me know if you’re ever in need of a job,” she smiled.
“I’d hire you.”

“Really?” David was shocked. “I don’t believe you,” he
grinned.

“Really!” she smiled. “You learn quickly. And your knife skills
are impressive.”

“Well thank you,” he beamed. “I’m feeling like quite the
cook.” He smiled at Lindsey. “Oh, shit!” he yelled as he turned back to the
bubbling oil. “I burnt these.” He scooped out the dark chips and tossed them in
the sink. “You distracted me,” he laughed.

“Oh, sorry,” she winced.

“Nope. My fault. I shouldn’t look at you for too long. I get
lost in your smile.”

Lindsey blushed eight shades of red and turned her attention
to the burnt chips in the sink.

“You don’t take compliments well,” he said softly. “You
should. You’re a very attractive woman, Lindsey. You’ll make some lucky man
very happy.”

And then the moment was over and he was scooping chips and
moving on to the fish.

*****

Their lunch tasted as good as it looked. David admitted that
the tortillas did taste better than store bought and he’d absolutely from now
on make his own salsa. “It tastes so fresh,” he’d said as he inhaled chip after
chip piled high with the spicy deliciousness.

The flan plopped out of the ramekins onto the plates without
any sticking and David ate two for dessert. Lindsey put the extra one in the
fridge for his evening meal treat.

“I am in your debt,” David bowed to her as if she were
royalty. “You have changed my life Ms. Dardin. I’m kind of sad to see my lessons
end.”

Lindsey was just about to offer an extension…that they could
just make this a regular thing…she would gladly spend her Saturdays with
him…any day in fact. But David’s cell phone rang and interrupted them.

It was Lou.

“He wants me to do a mural!” she screamed into the phone.

“Who?” David asked.

“Alex!”

“Alex who?”

“Alex Robeson! The stylist! For his new salon in Los
Angeles.”

Lindsey quietly tidied up the kitchen and packed up her
things. She put all the leftovers in plastic containers and stacked them in the
fridge.

“A mural, huh? How big?”

“The entire rear wall of the salon. It’d be huge!” Lou
screamed making David pull the phone from his ear.

“That’s an amazing offer, Lou.”

As he continued talking on the phone, Lindsey had cleared
the dishes from the table and put them in the dishwasher. David had walked to
the window and was looking out over the street.

“If I agree to do it, I’m gonna need to go to L.A. for a
while. But he’s gonna pay a shitload of money for it.”

“It’s the exposure I’d be excited about,” replied David. “If
you want to sell your art and make a really good living, this isn’t something
you should pass up.”

“That’s what Dad said.”

Lindsey had her bags in her hands and stood by the front
door staring at David’s back. He was deep in conversation so she let herself
out and silently closed the door behind her.

As she got to the elevator, she looked back, silently saying
goodbye. The lessons were over. She was done. Somehow she needed to move on and
stop allowing him to invade her thoughts and her dreams.

Like I have any control,
she shook her head and
frowned.

As the cab drove her away from his building, an overwhelming
sadness ripped at her heart and she wondered if it would ever heal.

*****

Paul Lathem had arranged for Mr. Borsten to have a caretaker
come to his apartment every day while Lou would be gone. His new wheelchair had
arrived, but he was still requiring help bathing and getting dressed every day.
The rest he had under control.

David took Lou to the airport. Alex Robeson was paying for
everything so Lou’s mind was only thinking about the creation of a spectacular
mural. The only guideline Alex had given her was that it needed to have lots of
red in it. Lou didn’t have any problem with that.

He hugged her goodbye at the curb in front of the terminal
and she skipped her way inside. David grinned as he watched her disappear in
the crowd.

Lou was his first
real
success story. He loved the
idea of being able to launch the career of a struggling but talented artist.
Audrey continually badgered him about launching his own career but he wasn’t
interested. He would keep his art for those he loved. And even though all four
pieces he’d shown at the gallery opening sold quickly, he had no intention of ever
doing it again.

He drove back into the city and parked in the parking garage
of his building. He took the elevator up and entered his apartment. Freckles
stood ready to greet him.

He needed to go back to work but first he fed the cat and
then opened the fridge. There were leftovers stacked from the evening before.
He’d made a roasted chicken with lemon, garlic and rosemary and mashed potatoes
with gravy from the pan drippings. He’d roasted carrots and squash too. He
couldn’t help but smile as he pulled a ready-made meal from the shelf and
placed it carefully in a brown paper bag.

He scratched Freckles behind the ears and left. As he walked
the couple of blocks to the gallery, lunch in hand, he thought about all the
Saturdays he’d spent with Lindsey. He missed them. It’d been a few weeks since
his final lesson. He’d been on the phone when she’d left. He felt bad he didn’t
have a chance to say goodbye. He missed her. He should send her flowers.

*****

Katy Lathem was in Boston. Her surrogate little sister,
Shelby, was starting college and Katy had flown to Wisconsin the week before
and driven with her to her dorm on campus at Boston College.

Shelby had arrived in the ER of the Portland hospital Katy
had worked in four years before. She’d been raped and beaten, almost to death,
by her mother’s boyfriend. He was serving a life sentence in prison and Shelby
was off to Boston to live the life of a college freshman. How time had changed
things for her. And how Katy was glad she’d become a part of this amazing girls’
life.

Mark, Katy’s husband, had offered to pay for Shelby’s
college. Shelby lived with her grandmother on a small farm and while her needs
were met, there would never be enough money for a good education. Shelby had
become a part of their family and paying for her college was of little
consequence to his bank balance.

She’d squealed with delight and thrown her arms around his
neck last summer when she’d visited them for a few weeks during her school
break as Katy and Mark had offered her the chance at college. She told them she
wouldn’t let them down and then had cringed when she realized she needed more
than four years to become a psychiatrist. Mark had told her he didn’t care how
many years it took. They would pay for her schooling and she should stop
worrying about it. Mark told her that is was a noble choice to want to help
others as someone had helped her.

So here Katy was, a year later, spending a couple of weeks
with Shelby, making sure she was settled and had everything she needed. Katy
was secretly thrilled that Shelby had picked a university so close to
Manhattan. She could visit on weekends and spring break. Sitting in her hotel
room after a long day of shopping for the dorm room, Katy sat in her robe, her
hair in a towel and called her husband.

“I miss you,” he whined into the phone.

Katy chuckled. “I miss you too. I’ll be back in a few days.”

“I know, but I’m lonely.”

“You’re horny!” she laughed.

“Well that too,” he admitted. “I miss your face being the
first thing I see in the morning.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” he smiled.

“You should spend some time with your brothers.”

“Matt and Janie left for the Bahamas this morning,” Mark
sighed.

“You have five more, you know,” Katy laughed.

“Yeah, I know.”

So that afternoon, before he left the office, he called
David to see if he wanted to stop and get a drink.

“Love to,” David replied.

“Great! The Emerald at six?”

“See you then.”

*****

Lindsey worked six days a week. On her day off, she cleaned
her apartment and spent time with Trudy. She fixed the glitch in her food costs
at Aaron’s after hours and hours of tedious searching and created a few new
signature dishes to add to the menu. She competed on a Food Network show and
won ten thousand dollars that she donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters, and when
Aaron told her he was purchasing some space from the Lathem’s to open a new
restaurant, she offered her help in any capacity he needed. Professionally, she
was on fire. Privately, she was a mess.

She’d told herself a million times that she was too old to
be heartbroken from an unrequited love. She hadn’t been in middle school for a
very long time, after all. The less time she gave her mind to wander the better
off she was. But every so often she found herself sitting on the bed staring at
her sketch of a homeless man huddled in a doorway.

There wouldn’t be another David Lathem. Not for her anyway.

*****

David met Mark at The Emerald and they sat at the bar and
ordered a drink. Mark told him all about Katy’s trip to Boston. David had met
Shelby several times over the past few years. She’d come to visit many times
and had been at several family events.

“I bet Katy is in her element,” David chuckled.

“Yep!” Mark grinned. “Shelby will have the most decked out
dorm room on campus.”

They talked about the real estate world and what building
Mark was trying to buy next.

“Well, with Matt and Janie’s house in the Bahamas, I told
him we should be buying property there so that all the trips could be tax
deductible,” Mark chuckled. “But I’m scoping out a couple of apartment
buildings in Singapore. Katy and I will be heading down there next month to
check them out in person.”

“Nice!”

“How ‘bout you? Work going well?”

David told him all about Lou and Mark could sense the pride.

“You could have an amazing career selling
your
work,”
Mark told him.

“I don’t need the attention, the scrutiny, or the money. But
I’ll be happy to draw you anything you want,” David offered.

Mark slapped him on the back. “Thanks. I may take you up on
that.”

“My pleasure. Anytime.”

The bartender appeared in front of them. “Can I get you
another?” she asked smiling at the brothers.

“Nothing for me, thanks,” Mark replied.

“And for you, cutie?” she asked David.

“Nah, I’m good,” he shook his head.

“Then how about I give you my number?” she winked.

David looked up, eyes wide, and shook his head. “Thanks, but
no.” He pulled out a twenty dollar bill and left it on the bar.

“Ready?” he asked Mark.

As they walked to the door Mark was astounded. “She’s damn
hot! Are you blind?”

David shrugged. “Not interested.”

“You’re insane,” Mark muttered.

“When does Katy get back?” David changed the subject.

“Not for a few more days.”

“Wanna get dinner tomorrow night?”

“Sure. Aaron’s?”

“Great! See you then.”

They parted ways and Mark hailed a cab. He was going to go
back to the office for a bit and get ahead of some work. When Katy got home, he
wanted a few days to let her know how much he missed her, and that would mean
not leaving their apartment.

It was a beautiful summer evening so David decided to walk.
The streets were alive and he enjoyed the smells wafting from each restaurant
he passed. By the time he got near his apartment, his stomach was rumbling with
hunger.

He turned into the doorway of his favorite Indian
restaurant. Mrs. Punjari welcomed him with a big smile.

“Mr. Lathem! It has been a long time. Welcome!”

“I’ve been learning to cook for myself,” he beamed, obvious
pride in his voice.

“Good for you. But you were our best customer,” she teased.

“Well, I don’t know how to cook anything like what you guys
make, so you’ll still be seeing me,” he smiled.

He placed his order and pulled his credit card from his
wallet.

“Where is the nice lady you brought with you last time?”

“Umm, Lindsey? I don’t know where she is. I guess at work.”

“Oh,” Mrs. Punjari frowned. “I thought that you two…well…it
looked that you were…never mind.” She turned and walked the piece of paper
she’d written his order on into the kitchen.

David wandered to the window and sat on the stool. That was
a good day. He remembered Lindsey showing him how to make the pavlovas for
Sunday dinner. They’d talked about everything; from favorite movies to
Lindsey’s father going to prison before she was born. She’d never met the man.
They’d talked about religion and politics and global warming and its’ effect on
farming.

He remembered the way she always pushed her hair behind her
right ear. The left side she let hang. He thought about her eyes. They were
hazel and bewitching. He’d caught himself staring into them on many an
occasion. As he sat waiting for his food, he thought about how much he missed
his cooking lessons. But it wasn’t the cooking he missed…it was Lindsey.

Mrs. Punjari was yelling at him. “Mr. Lathem? Are you okay?”

“Ah, fine,” he muttered as he stood and walked to the
counter. She handed over the sack of food and David smiled and headed home to
eat.

*****

“I think the lines of our professional and personal
relationship are a bit blurred here,” David said as he looked up at Audrey
standing in front of his desk, her hands on her hips.

“Don’t change the subject,” Audrey snapped.

“I’m not!” David stood and stretched. “I am not in any
relationship with Lou except professional. And I occasionally help out her dad
when he needs something. Fine! We’re friends, but that’s all. I don’t know why
you think there’s anything more.”

“Because Lindsey was telling me that Lou had shown up at
your apartment a couple of times during your cooking lessons and had called
several times on your cell phone.”

“She lives a couple of blocks away, that’s all. Why are you
talking to Lindsey?”

“We’ve become friends,” Audrey shrugged.

“So why are the two of you talking about me? And Lou?”

“You really are clueless, David,” Audrey sighed.

*****

Mark was already at Aaron’s when David walked in. He made
his way through the maze of tables and slunk into a chair opposite his brother.

“What’s up with you?” Mark asked. “You look like you’ve had
a shitty day.”

“Audrey!” David shook his head and frowned. “The woman’s on
crack or something.”

“Why?” Mark was curious.

“She keeps asking me about my relationship with Lou. I keep
telling her there isn’t one, but she doesn’t believe me. And today she’s
telling me how she and Lindsey have been talking and Lindsey’s telling her that
Lou showed up at my apartment and Audrey’s all in my face about it.”

“You and Audrey had a thing in college right?”

“Yeah, but it was quick and doomed from the start.”

“Well, is she not over it?”

David looked confused. “Huh?”

“Does Audrey still have a thing for you?” Mark questioned.

“Hell no,” David exclaimed. “No.”

Mark shrugged. “Well, I don’t claim to understand women.”

“Me either,” David agreed.

The waitress arrived and placed a glass of ice water in
front of David. Mark already had one.

“Can I get you something from the bar?” she smiled, as she
handed them each a menu.

They each ordered a beer and scanned through the menu. The
waitress returned with their drinks and took their orders. As David was handing
her back the menu, a movement to his left caught his eye. He slowly turned to
see Lindsey leaning on the back of a chair, chatting with some diners a few
tables over.