The kitchen at Ivaloo was the deal-maker. T and I knew it the minute we saw the green tea kettle that perfectly matched the sage green walls. Since I am feeling nostalgic about summer mornings eating pineapple on the bench beneath the window, here are the top 25 things I remember about that happiest of rooms:
- T’s perfect 10 fried egg & cheese sandwiches.
- WBUR’s Morning Edition and hot tea on the window bench while the snow blows by.
- $4 Vino Verde in stemless wineglasses, talking about boys and making dinner.
- T and I piling the table with books, bags of half-eaten popcorn and mugs of tea . . . writing papers and listening to Beethoven. Or Ryan Adams.
- Teaching Carrie how to cook 1st Date Salmon.
- Choreographing an elaborate dance to each song from Confessions on a Dance Floor.
- The cross breeze from the porch door out the window.
- The linoleum floor that never showed dirt.
- My Bastille Day/Birthday party . . . parts I and II.
- The board that we hung pots, pans and colanders from.
- Knowing that most Saturday mornings I would find cold Crab Rangoon in the fridge and sticky sweet and sour sauce on the counters from another ‘dunk fest’ between T and Dita.
- The White Trash party (PBR and pigs n’ a blanket).
- Sliding across the floor in my slippers and crashing into the doorjamb.
- Making steak frites for Adam and almost scorching the ceiling when flambe-ing the Calvados.
- Sitting on the counter.
- T’s vanilla rooibos iced tea when the temperature hit 95.
- Getting very drunk with T, Ari and Jenny. Too many times to count. And usually involving sparkling wine.
- Listening the the And the call was coming from the basement! episode of The American Life for the first time.
- The green dish towels with the pink roses.
- The hole in the ceiling above the stove that occasionally rained down insulation.
- Mopping the linoleumfloor while dancing to Fleetwood Mac.
- The broken chair that would pinch people’s butts.
- Trying not to burn the waffles.
- Market Basket $3 frozen pizza.
- Talking with Teresa . . . about anything and everything. Conversations that ran for 15 minutes to 3 hours and that usually ranged from pop-culture references to personal reflections to books we were reading for class. Oh, boy were we unapologetic navel gazers. And was it ever fun.
Leave a comment