Despite your reluctance to tag along with Shawn's wife, and desire to talk to your friends instead, you followed Kelly into the kitchen to help prepare tonight's food. Kelly tied on an apron, wiped her brow, and handed you a potato peeler.
"Do you mind boiling 5 or 6 potatoes in that pot over there, honey?" She asked. "Then let it sit, mash it up, add pepper and butter if necessary. Set it on the table along with silverware next to the gravy. Also, could you throw together a house salad? It doesn't need to be fancy. Just dice up some carrots, green onions, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and use the lettuce in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator. You think you can do that Jonathan?"
You sighed and began preparing the side dishes. "You know Kelly, I'm sure most of this stuff isn't absolutely necessary for tonight. Take it from me, the guys would be happy enough without the frills." Referring to the garnish Kelly strategically placed on the plates, along with candles lit inside glass jars placed on the oversized mahogany dinner table beneath a chandelier suspended from the ceiling.
Kelly brushed off your comment, opening the stove to check on something. "You're just like Shawn! No understanding about nutrition. Didn't you take a cooking class in high school? An atmosphere of ease and gentleness is the best for digesting food. Beef is great for protein, calories, and the like, but you really need fibers, vitamins, and minerals from fresh produce. Anything we don't finish tonight will be leftovers tomorrow, although I suspect most of this will be gone anyways."
"Can't I spend time with the friends I haven't seen since high school?" You complained, washing the lettuce in a colander and placing a bowl next to the cutting board.
"Not until you help me with this." Kelly said resolutely. "I really do appreciate it, Jonathan. You might not be aware but it takes a lot of effort to prepare a dinner for 6 people. I've been consumed solely with dessert preparation for the past few hours. It's baked Alaska, my specialty. You'll love it! It's almost done right now. Here, help me get it out of the oven."
You stopped what you were doing to don some oven mitts and take the ceramic dish out of the oven. "Think you can handle that, sweetie?" Kelly snickered, watching you place the heavy dessert on the counter to cool.
"You're enjoying this too much." You grumbled.
"And why not? It's about time you men appreciate the finer art of food preparation." Kelly said. "In most households, it's always the woman responsible for keeping the family well nourished. Families rely on the wife, the mother, for something so basic. Without us, you would resort to macaroni and cheese or ramen noodles every night!"
"And what's wrong with that, exactly?" You retorted, placing your hands on your hips and cracking a smile.
"Because men should learn how to cook too. It's super attractive if a man knows how to cook and do other things around the house." Kelly replied. "That way, we women can drink beer and watch the football games for a change?"
You returned to dicing the vegetables and plopping the potatoes in boiling water. "That wouldn't interest you anyways."
"Speak for yourself, Jonathan." Kelly giggled. "See how much fun this is? You're getting a new perspective already!"
You decided to drop the conversation and focus on making the food as quickly as possible. It didn't take too long (mostly waiting for the potatoes to soften) before your contribution to the meal was complete. It was a large table with intricate wood carvings on the side. Its entire surface was filled with bowls, dishes, plates, condiments, silverware, and the food. Shawn came inside with the meat covered by aluminum foil. Setting that on the counter next to the table, he announced to the guys that dinner was ready.
"Finally, I'm starved!" Matt cried, being the first in line to gather food.
"Well, you're a growing boy after all. Literally." Zach rolled his eyes.
"These mashed potatoes are excellent. Not too flaky, just the right amount of flavor." Paul said, pouring more gravy over the top of a generous mound on his plate. "Thanks for the meal Kelly."
"Actually, you can thank 'Violetta' for that." Grinned Kelly. "She prepped for a few of the dishes on the table here."
"Is that a good thing or bad thing?" Chuckled Matt. "I won't be in the bathroom all night, will I?"
"Oh, stop it! I supervised Jonathan and made sure he did everything alright. With more of my guidance I think he could become a fine woman." Kelly replied, in a half-patronizing tone that made everyone laugh. "
"It's so good to see everyone again. Not in the flesh, ironically, but in spirit." Shawn added, slicing another chunk of steak to add to his plate. "Do you all remember Ryan? Ryan Ferguson? Last week I read on Facebook that he passed away after a hang gliding accident."
"He was the center on the high school basketball team, the year we went to the state championships." Observed Zach, the mood around the table becoming more somber.
"Is that true? Man, that's a tragedy. He and I had a psychology class together senior year. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he worked his ass off in everything he did. Made the most of life, you know? Nothing was out of reach to him. My condolences to his family; if I had a Facebook I would have attended the funeral." Paul said.
"How about a toast?" Proposed Kelly. "To making the most of life." Glasses clinked around the table, and you downed a glass of red wine in a heartbeat. Apparently, your body was conditioned to prefer wine over beer, as you enjoyed the dry taste of the Chianti.
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