Dodo Eggs

It’s an early summer day just after noon.  My cousin Travis had come Grandma Teply’s to play with my brother and I.  All morning we had been outside  chasing toads near the seasonal pond formed from melted snow.  It was almost dry now and the toads were hopping everywhere in search of a new home. 

When we came inside, Grandma Teply was putting the finishing touches on a lunch of leftover roast beef, carrots, and for some reason, toast.  She had her own way of preparing a roast beef sandwich and you were ruining perfectly good food if you tried anything else.

“You butter the bread, then slap on the meat, and salt to taste.  I’m telling you boys your grandpa loves it.”

Grandma Teply was either right or wrong but either way you agreed with her.  It was just a lot easier than the alternative.  Fortunately, I agreed.

Travis had other ideas.  “I’d rather just have some peanut butter on my toast and eat the roast beef separate.”

Grandma gestured to the cabinets.  “Well Travis, what type of peanut butter do you want?  I think there’s crunchy and creamy under the there somewhere.”

I gave my brother a quick nudge.  “What do you want to bet he picks the creamy?  It means he doesn’t have any nuts.”

Travis, as any fifth grade boy would, responded forcefully.  “No!  It means I don’t like nuts like you do!”

“Stop it!”  Grandma wasn’t amused.  “No more of that or I’ll have at you with the fly swatter and don’t think for a second I don’t mean it!”

“Aaack.”  Nate was leaning over his plate with his fingers in his mouth.  “I think I got a hair.”

My brother pulled out a black hair the exact length of Grandma Teply’s. 

“Eeew, grandma!  Dad and mom always send their plates back when this happens!”

Grandma leaned across the table and took the hair away from Nate.  She pinched it between her index finger and thumb giving it close scrutiny.  A second later, she simply flicked the hair away.  It hung in the air for a moment then disappeared below the table.

“Don’t you boys know anything about a grandmother’s secret ingredient?  That wasn’t a hair.  It was love.  I know they look the same but they’re totally different.”

I looked at Nate, he stared at Travis, and Travis didn’t glance up from his peanut butter.  We all waited on each other to disagree with grandma but no one did.

Finally Nate asked, “Is there love in the carrots too?”  

• The Outhouse
• Need Bathroom Reading?
• The Digressive Gene
• “Grandma Dollar”
• Eggplant