Free First Class Menu by Aj Harmon, Christopher Harmon

to
cook.
    “I’ve been to culinary school and trained under some of the
best chefs in the country,” she told him. “And I’ve been working in the
business for years and years, but I’m always learning something new. It never
stops.”
    “You don’t get sick of it? Cooking ALL the time?”
    “No not at all. I love cooking! I love creating. I love
watching people enjoy eating my food.”
    “I like creating too. It appears that art and cooking are
similar,” he observed. “We both make something from nothing.”
    They were pureeing the roasted squash and adding the
vegetables they’d sautéed on the stove and the chicken stock and some cream.
David poured it all back into the dutch oven and stirred ‘til the thick, creamy
soup was heated through. Lindsey had dished up the green salad they’d put
together while the squash was in the oven and David finished it off by adding the
croutons they’d made from day-old brioche bread.
    “I have a couple of beers?” David asked as they laid their
food on the table.
    “Sounds great,” Lindsey smiled.
    David popped the tops off two brown bottles and sat down at
the table. “This smells wonderful,” he grinned.
    “And you made it!”
    “I did, didn’t I?” he grinned again.
    “Let’s eat!”
    It tasted as good as it looked and smelled. They chatted all
through lunch about the different restaurants Lindsey had worked at and how it
had taken David a while to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. She
listened as he talked about the gallery.
    “You really love that place.”
    “I do,” he nodded. “In school I couldn’t fathom how I could
make a living in the art business, so I figured I’d have to do something else. But
now here I am…doing what I love.”
    “I wish everyone could do what they love,” she sighed.
    “You’re not talking about you now?”
    “No,” she said as she shook her head. “My foster dad worked
as a janitor until he retired a few years ago. He used to say that the best
part of his day was coming home to Trudy, his wife. I didn’t think about it at
the time, but he disliked his job. Not the duties of his job, but the
supervisor who made him feel like dirt. I don’t understand when people get a
little bit of power, why they treat the people under them like crap. They used
to be in the same position. You’d think they’d have compassion not contempt.”
    “I bet you’re a good boss,” David said as he finished the
last of his salad.
    “I try to be,” Lindsey replied. “In the restaurant business,
you work a lot of hours every day, sometimes seven days a week. And most of the
time you don’t earn much money either. It’s hard work but the people who go in
to this profession do it because they’re passionate about food. The financial compensation
is a side benefit, not the main focus. I hope that my employees think I treat
them with respect because I do try to.”
    “I’m sure they do,” David assured her. “I’ve seen you with
them.”
    Lindsey smiled. “Well? What do you think of your first lesson?”
    “This was awesome. I can’t believe I made this.” David
appeared to be quite proud of himself.
    “Same time next week?”
    “Absolutely!”
    *****
    Peter Lathem sliced the prime rib as the family sat
salivating around the table. Serving bowls were passed around and plates were
being filled with potatoes and vegetables and bread. Finally, everyone was
ready to eat. Peter said grace and the clink of knives and forks on the china
plates filled the room.
    It had been a family tradition that every Sunday, the sons
who were in town joined their parents for dinner after they’d attended Mass. As
the sons found significant others, the table expanded and the dinners got
bigger. On this particular Sunday, the only son that was missing was Ben. He
was off in London on business. But all the grandchildren were in attendance,
including Janie’s twin boys and Katy’s son, Derek, and that had Maureen’s