al I had to do was fol ow the recipes, right? Should be easy enough .
Okay, so my first meal took me al afternoon, but I was happy with the end result. It looked good anyway. It smel ed good too, but I was afraid
to taste it. I decided, at the last minute, to invite Levi, Ashley, and Josh to be my guinea pigs. They graciously accepted.
I decorated the table with my mom’s white, linen tablecloth, set out the good dishes, and prayed for a miracle.
I was anxious as everyone took their seats. I mean, anyone can cook meatloaf, right?
“It looks delicious, babe,” Levi commented with a smile, kissing me on the forehead and taking his seat.
“Yes it does,” Ashley added, “I applaud you. Everything looks good.” She made a face. “What is that?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“If it was, would I have asked?” She smirked.
“Fine. It’s mashed potatoes.”
“It’s a little chunky,” she said, putting a glob on her plate.
“Shut up and eat,” I snapped.
Mom bounded down the stairs and shocked us al . I think I’m going to have to talk to Doc about her medications. She pul ed up the empty
chair and took a seat. “Oh, Charity, it looks divine.” She heaped food on her plate and began to eat.
Everyone else was now a little reluctant. Maybe it was the green beans. I real y didn’t think they were supposed to be hard. But what did I
know.
I studied al the faces before me as each one took their first bite. I tel you it was torture, plain and simple. I didn’t like what I saw.
“Wel , it’s definitely like nothing I’ve ever tasted before,” Levi politely commented. But his smile was apologetic.
I threw my hands up in the air. “Great! I suck at cooking!”
“No!” Ashley butted in, “it’s not terrible, just—not done. How long did you cook the potatoes?”
“Huh?”
“You did cook the potatoes before you mashed them, didn’t you?”
“Oh, so that’s why it was such a pain. I wondered.”
“Good grief, Charity.”
I turned to glare at Levi as an odd crunching sound came from his lips. “Charity,” Levi asked, “What’s in this meatloaf?”
“Um, hamburger meat, bread crumbs, chopped onions, some kind of seasoning I found in the cabinet, and ketchup, oh—and an egg.”
“Oh!” everyone said in unison.
“Am I missing something?”
“Charity, did you even read the recipe?” Ashley asked.
“Yes I did.”
“And what did it say about the egg?”
“It cal ed for one egg, lightly beaten.”
“And how did you beat the egg, exactly?”
“I dropped it in the pan with the rest of the ingredients and beat the snot out of it with my hands. Was that wrong?”
“Including the shel ?”
“Umm.”
Everyone at the table burst into shril ing laughter. I didn’t get the joke, but their laughter was contagious, and soon al of us were doubled
over, laughing hysterical y. Al except my mother, who was in the process of cleaning her plate. That’s my girl.
Okay, so not everyone’s cut out for cooking, but I, for one, was not a quitter. Needless to say we ordered in pizza. But my experience wasn’t
a total failure. I’d say I definitely learned what not to do to meatloaf, anyway. And when the recipe cal s for an egg, remove the shel first. Even if they do leave that bit of information out.
My alarm meter sounded as I observed that Ashley took only a few bites of her pizza. Levi and I exchanged concerned glances but said
nothing.
After I had Mom tucked comfortably in her bed, we al cuddled up on the sofa and settled into a movie in the den. I let Ashley make the
popcorn.
Chapter Eight
The next night I invited the gang from school over to try my second attempt. Ashley, Stacy, Delaney, Missy, and Toby arrived on time and in
humorous moods. It’s not often Levi and I spend a night apart, but there is a time just for friends, and I thought this was one of them, not to mention he declined my offer—chicken. And I have to admit Ashley’s eating was becoming a bit of a
Okay, so my first meal took me al afternoon, but I was happy with the end result. It looked good anyway. It smel ed good too, but I was afraid
to taste it. I decided, at the last minute, to invite Levi, Ashley, and Josh to be my guinea pigs. They graciously accepted.
I decorated the table with my mom’s white, linen tablecloth, set out the good dishes, and prayed for a miracle.
I was anxious as everyone took their seats. I mean, anyone can cook meatloaf, right?
“It looks delicious, babe,” Levi commented with a smile, kissing me on the forehead and taking his seat.
“Yes it does,” Ashley added, “I applaud you. Everything looks good.” She made a face. “What is that?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“If it was, would I have asked?” She smirked.
“Fine. It’s mashed potatoes.”
“It’s a little chunky,” she said, putting a glob on her plate.
“Shut up and eat,” I snapped.
Mom bounded down the stairs and shocked us al . I think I’m going to have to talk to Doc about her medications. She pul ed up the empty
chair and took a seat. “Oh, Charity, it looks divine.” She heaped food on her plate and began to eat.
Everyone else was now a little reluctant. Maybe it was the green beans. I real y didn’t think they were supposed to be hard. But what did I
know.
I studied al the faces before me as each one took their first bite. I tel you it was torture, plain and simple. I didn’t like what I saw.
“Wel , it’s definitely like nothing I’ve ever tasted before,” Levi politely commented. But his smile was apologetic.
I threw my hands up in the air. “Great! I suck at cooking!”
“No!” Ashley butted in, “it’s not terrible, just—not done. How long did you cook the potatoes?”
“Huh?”
“You did cook the potatoes before you mashed them, didn’t you?”
“Oh, so that’s why it was such a pain. I wondered.”
“Good grief, Charity.”
I turned to glare at Levi as an odd crunching sound came from his lips. “Charity,” Levi asked, “What’s in this meatloaf?”
“Um, hamburger meat, bread crumbs, chopped onions, some kind of seasoning I found in the cabinet, and ketchup, oh—and an egg.”
“Oh!” everyone said in unison.
“Am I missing something?”
“Charity, did you even read the recipe?” Ashley asked.
“Yes I did.”
“And what did it say about the egg?”
“It cal ed for one egg, lightly beaten.”
“And how did you beat the egg, exactly?”
“I dropped it in the pan with the rest of the ingredients and beat the snot out of it with my hands. Was that wrong?”
“Including the shel ?”
“Umm.”
Everyone at the table burst into shril ing laughter. I didn’t get the joke, but their laughter was contagious, and soon al of us were doubled
over, laughing hysterical y. Al except my mother, who was in the process of cleaning her plate. That’s my girl.
Okay, so not everyone’s cut out for cooking, but I, for one, was not a quitter. Needless to say we ordered in pizza. But my experience wasn’t
a total failure. I’d say I definitely learned what not to do to meatloaf, anyway. And when the recipe cal s for an egg, remove the shel first. Even if they do leave that bit of information out.
My alarm meter sounded as I observed that Ashley took only a few bites of her pizza. Levi and I exchanged concerned glances but said
nothing.
After I had Mom tucked comfortably in her bed, we al cuddled up on the sofa and settled into a movie in the den. I let Ashley make the
popcorn.
Chapter Eight
The next night I invited the gang from school over to try my second attempt. Ashley, Stacy, Delaney, Missy, and Toby arrived on time and in
humorous moods. It’s not often Levi and I spend a night apart, but there is a time just for friends, and I thought this was one of them, not to mention he declined my offer—chicken. And I have to admit Ashley’s eating was becoming a bit of a
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