The Luncheon

Last week about this time we were all making plans for Valentine’s Day: buying chocolates, sending flowers and entertaining. Me too. Except that my entertaining did’t go so well.

It was my turn to host a book club lunch. This is a new book club for me – I joined in the fall. So there was a bit of self-imposed pressure to make a good impression. I chose some parts of the meal from the book we were disucssing, and other parts to celebrate the occasion. I bought the ingredients and thought I was all set.

Wednesday morning before breakfast I began preparing. I decided to start with the cocktails so they’d have time to chill in the fridge. I was making Cosmopolitans, not because we live like characters from Sex In the City, but because the drinks are Valentine pink.

I filled a shaker with vodka, cointreau, cranberry juice, and lime juice, and shook them up. Then of course I had to taste them…ooh too bitter! So I added some more cranberry juice and tasted again. Nope – too bland. I added cointreau and tasted again. After some more tasting and adjusting I began to feel a little bit wobbly…not a good sign before breakfast! I quickly stuffed the cocktails in the fridge and started making the breakfast oatmail… I mean oatmeal.

After breakfast I worked on the Greek salad. I washed and chopped: romaine, onions, cucumbers, olives, feta. But still the bowl didn’t look very full. Something was missing. Aha… tomatoes! I had bought 2 ripe red tomatoes the day before, just for this salad. But Peter happens to love tomatoes so, to be on the safe side, I decided to hide them. But where??

I checked all the secret hiding places in the fridge. Then I looked through the kitchen drawers. And cupboards. Getting a little anxious, I headed to the basement pantry area where we keep extra food. Surely I had put them there. But no. In desperation, I started thinking about the Cosmopolitans in the fridge. Would just a little sip or two help me remember?

On my way to the fridge I spied our large ottoman in the sun room. It opens, and I have often hidden secret things in there. Like chocolate. And… tomatoes – there they were! I added them to the salad and organized the rest of the meal without any more issues. The cocktails were safe.

About noon the book club members began arriving. I ushered them into my newly-decorated sun room, through the dining room, so they wouldn’t have to navigate the little step from the kitchen. Everyone seemed to enjoy being together and we happily shared our news about health, family and travel plans. The main course was in the oven and the salad was in the fridge. All was going well.

Until one of the guests got up to find her purse, by way of the kitchen. In a nanosecond she tripped on the little step and went down onto the tile floor. She lay there, her nose bloody and her ankle turned in an odd direction. Her other friends got up to help her. They wiped her nose and helped her get up and hobble to the sofa.

Meanwhile I was in shock. Never mind the cocktail recipe or the lost tomatoes – how could my guest be lying on the floor? I couldn’t think of anything else to do, so I served lunch.

Things did turn out OK. The brave guest, whose nose dried up quite quickly, sat during lunch with her ankle elevated and ice on it. She even participated in the book discussion. Her husband brought her crutches from home when he picked her up. She recently reported that she has put the crutches away, but her ankle is brilliant in colours of purple and green.

As for me, so far I have not been demitted from the book club. I have not hidden any more tomatoes and I have not invited anybody else for lunch. And I did Not ask the injured guest if could take a picture of her colourful ankle, for my post. But I did make a temporary adjustment to the little step. It seems to be helping.

Hope your entertaining adventures go well.

Sue