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- 07/12/2023
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
ARROW - 193. Chapter 193
Sunday dinner at the club was something else. James was challenged but not because of his skills, he was challenged as the family raved about the Paella in Barcelona. It started when Richie told James about the Spanish paella he had eaten in Barcelona. “James, I don’t think anyone can make a paella as good as Marko’s mother.” The gauntlet was dropped and now James picked it up and smiled. At that moment I would bet on James. There was a look in his eyes that conveyed confidence and I knew our paella was going to equal that which we ate at Marko’s restaurant or it will be better. How it could be better I didn’t know but at that moment, with the look on James’s face, I would bet on him.
Henry and Ann were in the club’s dining room. I went and invited them to have dinner with us. Since Colin had benches at the kitchen table, seating wasn’t a problem. While James and his staff prepared our dinner and the various dishes for the Sunday crowd in the club room, Ann told us about their European trip. Her stories brought back a lot of memories from my first trip to Europe.
“The first morning at the hotel we didn’t know about the breakfast buffet. We are sitting at a table waiting for a waiter to take our order. Henry saw some guests walking around with plates of food. When a waiter brought us coffee, I asked if we could order breakfast. He said that breakfast was a buffet and we could help ourselves. When he showed us where the buffet was, we laughed. We had walked past it without noticing it. From that day on, we looked for the breakfast buffet where ever we stayed. We are going back this summer.”
I looked at Henry, and he smiled. “We will see. But I agree with Ann, we should have done that sooner.”
I was getting hungry. Sitting in the kitchen, the aromas tend to jump-start your appetite.
Ann wanted to know what the specialty was going to be. “We are going to have Chef James’s version of a dish we had in Barcelona. And here it comes.”
James had a large platter of paella, and he showed it to Richie, who took his fork to take a taste, but James moved the platter away from him. Billy brought over a stack of plates and started to set one in front of everyone.
Peter had a small table to set the tray that James had. James started to fill plates and Billy and Peter started to place them in front of us. Henry, Ann, and Pat, They got the first three plates. Wanted to know who got a plate last, if you said Richie you would be correct. He also got the smallest plate. I looked at Colin, he was going to town on his plate.
“Is it good Colin?”
“The best I have ever eaten.”
I watched Richie, one fork full, he stood up and clapped. “James, you have proven your word. This is better than any Paella we have eaten in Spain. I salute you.” We all laughed as he saluted James.
“Your penance for doubting, you will help wash the dishes.” Then he topped off Richie’s plate.
I looked at Henry and Ann, they were too busy eating to talk.
When everyone was finished eating, we all stood and clapped. “An excellent paella, Brother.”
Richie did help to do the dishes. We went into the club room, Uncle Jimmy had small ice cream cups for everyone. One of the waiters brought us a pot of coffee. The boys were willing to go fishing again on Saturday if Uncle James would make paella
That evening in bed, “I thought the cooking staff at the club did an excellent job tonight. That paella was the best I have ever eaten.”
“I wonder where he learned how to make paella.”
“Didn’t you give him a copy of the recipe we brought back from Barcelona?”
“Yes, but that was much better than Marko’/s mother’s.”
“Maybe because it was freshly made.”
“No, he did something different. I’ll ask him and he will tell me.”
“The kids liked it.”
“You know I’m glad we took the time to tuck them in tonight. We always did that with the older boys and then we stopped. I forgot why we stopped but I’m glad we started again.”
“That was when you got deep into that painting in the Louvre. I had to drag you to bed.”
“That was a terrible time for me. I couldn’t paint fast enough, my thoughts were dark.”
“You always painted a portrait of the kid's parents. What are going to do with the new boys, in some cases there aren’t parents like Peter. From hospital to adoption center and I’m not sure about the other five.”
“I’ll ask GG she will know.”
And with those thoughts, I fell asleep thinking how lucky I am.
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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