Solomon got busy right away setting the table according to Anders’ precise instructions then moved on to the centerpiece. He couldn’t figure out why the task was assigned to him since Mathieu was the artist but he did the best he could to fit cut pine branches and flowers as decoratively as possible into the vase Anders had given him. It was too early for Anders to start preparing the side dishes so he helped Solomon decorate. They found, in a drawer in the sideboard, a holiday table runner which they placed on the top. The Englishman set more cut pine branches around silver candlesticks on the mantelpiece. While Solomon set matching candle holders on the sideboard. Ten inch taper candles were put into the candle holders to be lit when the rest of the guests arrived.
Next they headed down to the cellar to get a box of lights and ornaments for the tree. The lights went on the small Christmas tree Anders bought on his way back from Elise’s sister’s house in Yorkshire. Solomon was relieved when the plug landed on the side of the tree against the wall with enough length to plug into the socket. Next they put on the ornaments but Solomon had the same problem with Anders he had with Mathieu (too many of the same color too close together – and no Anders it doesn’t matter that they’re different shapes and sizes). There was a box of tinsel too but they determined that the tree didn't really need it. They did, however, decide to try and make popcorn garland with freshly popped microwave popcorn and a needle and thread from Anders’ mother’s sewing box but more popcorn wound up in their mouths than on the thread.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen Mathieu had been preparing the cake batter after setting the oven to preheat and spraying the pan with non-stick cooking spray and lining it with parchment paper. Using the stand mixer the Irishman beat the eggs on high for several minutes until they were pale and fluffy. The sugar was gradually added and the two ingredients were beaten until thick. Not used to using a stand mixer Mathieu removed the bowl from the stand to fold in the flour which was sifted into a separate bowl with baking powder and salt. The artist couldn’t bring himself to use the microwave to melt the chocolate so he used a small saucepan on the stove over low heat. While the chocolate was melting he mixed water, coffee liqueur, sugar and baking soda in a small bowl. Once the chocolate was melted he poured the liqueur mix into it and stirred until it was smooth. The chocolate mixture was quickly but gently folded into the rest of the batter. The finished cake batter was poured into the greased and lined jellyroll pan before being slid into the second of the kitchen’s double ovens. The Irishman set the timer for twenty minutes before he joined his friends in the parlor. He complimented the decorations but chastised them on the mess they made of the popcorn garland. In the end, Solomon made more popcorn and the three made a pretty decent go of it, if they did say so themselves.
Halfway through the bowl of popcorn the kitchen timer alerted Mathieu that the cake was done. He laid a tea towel out on the counter and dusted it lightly with icing sugar. The artist flipped the cake out of its pan and onto the towel. The parchment paper was carefully peeled away before the top was lightly dusted with more icing sugar. The dry edges of the cake got trimmed away and the cake was rolled up using the cloth as a guide. The rolled cake was put on top of a rack to cool thoroughly. Mathieu began the frosting by melting more chocolate in a small saucepan. While the melted chocolate cooled slightly Mathieu beat the cream cheese and icing sugar together until smooth. The vanilla got blended in along with some coffee liqueur. Once those ingredients were combined he folded in the melted chocolate. The cooled cake was unrolled and one third of the filling was spread over the surface. The cake was carefully rolled back up, placed on a serving tray then frosted. The artist used a spatula to form the ‘bark lines’ before he finished it by dusting more icing sugar over the top. The Irishman slid the cake into the fridge to keep until dessert.
Just as Mathieu reentered the parlor Anders left to answer the doorbell. It was too early for the ladies to be arriving which caused Solomon and Mathieu to look at each other in wonder. Solomon and Mathieu could make out Anders’ muffled talking, a familiar Welsh accent and another that sounded distinctly Scottish. Adrian ran into the room and threw his arms around Solomon before hugging Mathieu.
Solomon didn’t recognize the man who entered the room behind Adrian. He was tall and balding with a graying moustache and goatee. The stranger held out his hand and introduced himself, “Gregory, nice to meet you.”
Solomon heard the Scottish accent but clearly understood it (not like the kid he had to live with his first year at university), “Uh…yeah, Solomon, nice to meet you too.”
“Oh, sorry,” Adrian pulled out of Mathieu’s embrace, “Everyone this is Gregory. Gregory this is everyone. Solomon you’ve just met and this,” he says gesturing, “is his fiancé, Mathieu. Anders you met in the hallway.”
Gregory shook Mathieu’s hand, “Congratulations on your engagement. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you too,” Mathieu turned wide eyes to Solomon who only shrugged.
Anders passed out glasses of wine while Adrian began his story. His rental car had broken down outside some obscure Scottish village and Gregory, who was on holiday of his own, stopped to help. It seemed that the Scot was also suffering from a broken heart and the two hit it off immediately and had been together ever since. Adrian was smiling like Mathieu had never seen before so he knew he didn’t have to worry about the Welshman trying to come between him and Solomon anymore (not that he was…). They learned that Gregory owned his own business, a small souvenir shop on Buchanan Street in Glasgow (which his sister was watching for him) and that he also did occasional movie voice-over work. The Scot was also thinking about trying his hand at local theater productions but hadn’t auditioned for anything yet.
Conversation flowed easily until it was time for Anders and Mathieu to return to the kitchen to prepare the rest of the meal. The two men diced sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash and parsnips. The vegetables were drizzled with and mixed into olive oil, salt and pepper before the trays were slid into the oven. The next item to be prepared was the sausage, apple and raisin stuffing. Mathieu boiled orange juice and raisins in a pan while Anders melted butter to cook the celery and onions in another pan. The celery and onions were cooked until soft then spooned into a large bowl. Mathieu took the sausage meat out of the casings and gave it to Anders to fry in the pot the celery and onions had been cooked in. Once the sausage was cooked; it along with breadcrumbs, diced apples, pecans and the orange juice were added to the celery and onions. Chicken stock was added to the mix along with thyme, herbs de Provence and salt and pepper. The stuffing was mixed well and put into greased baking tins, covered and slid into the oven with the vegetables.
The duo cleaned up the kitchen and put the dirty pots into the dishwasher before returning to the parlor. Anders spotted the ball of mistletoe Solomon must’ve found in the ornament box now hanging in the entryway and looked down at Mathieu, “No offense because I really like you but there’s no way I’m kissing you.”
Mathieu laughed when he realized what Anders was talking about but he put a hand on the taller Englishman’s shoulder, leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek anyway.
Dinner was still an hour away and Elise and Mathieu’s mom would be arriving shortly. Anders turned on the radio and found a station playing holiday music, lit the candles on the sideboard and over the mantle and lit the fire in the hearth. The house was filled with the delicious aromas coming from the kitchen and the warmth from the fire in the parlor. It was more than Mathieu could’ve imagined. He snuggled closer into Solomon and wished they were alone….upstairs….in bed, “I never thought that when I first saw you leaning over the balcony railing nine months ago that I would wind up here with an entirely different life. Thank you. I love you.”
Solomon pressed a kiss to the top of Mathieu’s head, “Love you too, Baby.”
The five men shared stories from Christmases past and sang along with some songs on the radio while they
had more wine and sat in the comfortable warmth of the fire. The doorbell rang and Anders rose to answer it. He soon returned to the parlor with two ladies. Mathieu immediately stood to embrace his mother while Anders introduced Elise to Adrian and Gregory. There were tears in the Irishman’s eyes when he finally let his mother go. Solomon was immediately by Mathieu’s side with a hand on the small of his back in support.
“Mum, this is my fiancé, Solomon,” Mathieu took a step back from his mother and sniffled. She looked exactly like he remembered, not one gray hair ran through her dark curls which were swept away from her face and held in place with tortoiseshell combs, light-brown eyes with dark lashes and not one wrinkle marred her ivory complexion. Her hands were still soft; the nails at the ends of her long fingers carefully manicured. It was so easy for him to think no time at all had passed since he had last seen her.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you Mrs. Wallace.”
Her Irish accent was thick, “Oh, please, call me Vianne.” She took Solomon’s hand and pulled him into a hug, “Are you feeding my boy? He looks too thin.”
Solomon blushed as he heard Mathieu groan behind him, “Well…he mostly feeds me.”
“You’re much too thin too.”
Mathieu took her by the elbow to cut her off before she could embarrass him any further, “Mum, this is Adrian and his friend Gregory.”
Both Adrian and Gregory stepped away from Elise to shake Vianne’s hand.
“You’ve met Elise and Anders, yeah?”
“Yes, I bumped into Elise on the steps and of course, Anders opened the door.” Mathieu’s mother opened the shopping bag she brought in and presented a bottle of wine to Anders, “Thank you so much for hosting dinner. I hope this is good. I had to ask the clerk at the shop.” Vianne took another bottle out and handed it to Solomon.
Anders took the bottle and was pleasantly surprised, “Yes, this is lovely. He recommended an excellent wine. Thank you.”
Solomon bent over to pick-up the wrapped calligraphy box from under the Christmas tree and handed it to Mathieu’s mother, “Mathieu and I got this for you. We hope you like it.”
“Oh, Dear,” Vianne replied, “you shouldn’t have. I told him not to bother.” She sat in a chair balancing the box on her knees to unwrap it. She unhooked the latch and lifted the lid, “Oh, my. It’s lovely. I’ll get a lot of use out of this. Thank you.” She fingered through the box expressing her delight at every piece. After she placed the box in her shopping bag she gave Solomon and Mathieu hugs and kisses on the cheek.
***
As Vianne talked to Adrian about Wales, Elise whispered to Mathieu, “She doesn’t know I’m your doctor, does she?”
“No,” Mathieu whispered back, “I told her only that you were Anders’ friend.” It’s at that time that Mathieu realized something about Elise and grinned down at her, “Elise…are you….? And is that….?”
“Yes,” the doctor rubs a hand over her growing middle and wiggled the fingers on her left hand to show the sparkling diamond, “twins and we’re engaged as of yesterday.”
“Congratulations! I can’t believe I didn’t notice but you’re always sitting down,” the Irishman tugged her into a careful hug then turned his attention to her boyfriend, “Anders! Congratulations!”
At Mathieu’s shout everyone turned their attention to the Irishman who had Elise and Anders in his arms. When the three separated it was obvious what part of the shouting was about. Elise explained that she was about twenty weeks along and that Anders asked her to marry him before they left for her sister’s house for Christmas Evelyn-day breakfast. Good wishes and congratulations were given to the happy couple and the artist asked if she had a boy if she would name him Mathieu because he was the reason she and Anders had met. She said no…but with quite a bit of fondness in her voice.
Mathieu kidnapped Solomon by pulling Solomon into the kitchen. The Irishman knew his behavior seemed a bit rude since the mother he hadn’t seen in years had just arrived but he felt the need to be busy and not just sit in awkward silence. Mathieu had Solomon help him remove the vegetables and stuffing from the upper oven before removing the turkey from the lower oven. Solomon spooned the vegetables and stuffing onto serving trays while Mathieu placed the turkey on a large cutting board then set the pan on the stove to make gravy with the drippings. The Irishman removed some of the fat from the pan before dissolving corn starch in water and pouring it into the pan. He whisked the ingredients together until the gravy began to thicken. As it cooked and got thicker he had Solomon pour in some stock and cream until it was the consistency he wanted. While Mathieu stirred Solomon sliced a loaf of French bread and put the slices into a bread basket.
Anders came in to help Solomon bring out the serving trays then returned to the kitchen to carve the turkey. Mathieu finished the gravy with some salt and pepper then ladled it into a gravy boat. The artist took the gravy boat and grabbed the bread basket on his way to the dining room. Mathieu went back to the kitchen for butter and to see if Anders needed any help. Anders shooed the artist away, telling him that everything was almost done and he would be out in a few minutes.
Anders carried the turkey out to applause. Everyone had already helped themselves to the sides (Elise spooned some of them out for Anders) and now Anders brought the turkey around the table for everyone to take some. Once everyone had been served they passed around the gravy and the bread and butter and raised their wine glasses to toast to the day and each other’s health and began to eat.
The talk around the table was friendly and easy. Mathieu’s mother found Gregory’s business very interesting and asked all kinds of questions about how he got it started giving Mathieu the impression that she wanted to start a business of her own. Mathieu shared newly learned facts about the history of Bristol with Anders while Solomon and Adrian regaled Elise with stories from their university days. They made an especially hard effort to remember and tell her embarrassing stories about Anders. Conversations shifted around the table again and again like they’d all known each other for years. Mathieu was surprised how well his mother conversed and held her own in conversations with the different types of professionals around the table.
When everyone was finished eating, some their second or third helpings, Mathieu and Anders cleared the table to prepare it for dessert. Mathieu brought out cups and saucers then went back for the sugar bowl and milk. Mathieu took his seat while Anders poured the coffee; Anders had started buying the same imported brand Mathieu got and everyone loved it. When everyone was done Solomon and Mathieu cleared the plates from the table and put them into the dishwasher and set it to run.
Seconds of coffee were offered and served to those who accepted and they took the cups into the parlor to relax. During a break in the holiday music they heard fireworks going off over the river. Everyone, except Mathieu, ran for a coat then out the door to the back deck to watch the display. Mathieu smiled and nodded his approval to Solomon as he watched from behind the closed sliders. The fireworks boomed and sizzled, “Have a Holy Jolly Christmas” played on the radio, the people on the deck cheered and shifted positions to get a better view, someone bumped Elise and she shouted. Mathieu closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Mathieu was four; Christmas music was playing in the background and he was standing on a deck full of people watching fireworks with his mum. Boom! Red. Boom! Blue. Boom! Green. Boom! Silver. His mum lifted him up to sit on the rail so he could see better. There was someone else sitting next to him on the rails. The girl had the same curly hair and big brown eyes as he did and appeared to be about the same age. He turned his head looking for his dad only to see him smiling from behind closed glass doors. He looked back up into the sky but his mom cried out and pitched forward almost knocking him from the rail. His little hands grabbed for her coat, there was another jolt and then they were falling. When he woke up it was days later and he was in hospital with his arm in a cast, a plaster on his head and a bandage around his chest. His d
ad was asleep in the chair next to the bed but woke instantly when Mathieu called out for him. Dad said he had a broken arm, a big bump on his head and other bumps and bruises on his chest but all Mathieu knew is that he hurt everywhere and he wanted his mum but dad said that mum couldn’t be there right then because she had got some bumps and bruises too and needed to rest.
When next Mathieu opened his eyes he was on the floor in Anders’ study with is head resting in Solomon’s lap. Elise sat on the floor next to him wiping his face with a cool, wet cloth. The Irishman tried to sit up but Solomon’s strong hand on his chest kept him in place. Mathieu could hear voices coming from the other room and he was glad everyone wasn’t standing around gawking at him.
“Mathieu,” Elise’s gentle voice called to him, “tell me what happened.”
Mathieu did his best to tell her what he saw; what happened to him when he was little and about the little girl who looked like him. The doctor nodded her understanding, handed the cloth to Solomon and told them to come to the parlor when they were ready. The artist’s hand shook as he reached out to Solomon for more physical comfort.
Solomon grasped his love’s hand in his, “I’m here now. You’re alright.” Solomon wiped Mathieu’s brow with the towel, “How are you feeling?”
Mathieu sighed, “Tired. Confused. I don’t remember any of that happening.”
“I know, Love. We’ll figure it out together with Elise. Can you sit up?”
“I think so.”
Solomon helped Mathieu sit up, the artist’s back to his chest like all those months ago when they had first met, “Do you want to go upstairs to lay down or into the parlor?”
“Elise wants us to go into the parlor.”
“Right now I’m not concerned with what Elise wants. What do you want?”
“I want to go home,” that’s when the tears started to fall.
The Sweet Tooth Page 32
