by Grady, D. R.
I promise that making breakfast will get easier. Well, even if it doesn’t, it won’t seem so much like rocket science once you’re used to feeding a small boy. He’s pretty easy to please for breakfast, which helps. You’re not hard to please, either, so I don’t foresee problems. At least you two can enjoy what you’re eating. (Sigh.)
The bakers have already sent us some cookies. To which we’re most grateful! And Lainy sent brownies. I’ve already put in a request for another batch. Again, for a woman who claims she can’t cook... Lies!
I really want to watch that video so I’ll say goodbye for now. (Oh, by the way, I’m glad you changed your mind about girls!) Since I’m one, and you claim to like me. And you’ve got four sisters and three sisters-in-law. Plus your mother and aunts and cousins. Well, you understand. Ryan might not figure out you’re lying, but I’d know!
Love,
KC
P.S. Everyone on base is eager to hear when Rocky has those puppies. I suppose Bentley is all proud papa-to-be? I had no idea, but Admiral O’Riley stopped me today and mentioned all the surrounding bases are as eager for news as we are. I’m telling you, this foundation is important!
Chapter 20
KC located the video and popped it into her laptop. Then, as per Mitch’s instructions, she found her sorely depleted brownie supply and settled back on her cot to watch a kitchen scene unfold.
Lainy stood at a cook top stirring something in a huge pot, surrounded by chaos. Kids ran through the door at what seemed like a constant pace. The other adults in the room maneuvered around them with ease. Melly shredded lettuce at the sink, while Laurie did something at the counter. Greg, Laurie’s husband, just got in the way. Max’s grandmother grated cheese near the stove.
Steve, one of Laurie and Greg’s sons, scrambled up the other side of the cook top where Lainy stood and peered into her pot.
“What is it?” Freckles stood out in stark relief to his pale skin and red hair. A definite cutie, despite the scrawny frame that didn’t quite match the rest of him, KC figured he’d grow into himself.
“Eye of the newt, dragon hearts, lizard limbs, and various and sundry insects I collected from the window sills,” Lainy answered without hesitation.
“Cool! Wait till I tell the guys!” he chirped and dashed out the door, a baseball mitt flapping against his side.
“Looks like plain old spaghetti sauce to me,” her grandmother commented dryly from where she grated. KC laughed. Melody Morrison had welcomed KC into her home and family when Max had first introduced them. Seeing the ladies together deepened her homesickness.
Lainy grinned and added more basil as she read from a book that lay open on the countertop.
“Aunt Lainy?” a young lady she recognized as a niece of about ten asked tentatively.
“Yes, Cassy?”
“What is that?” She pointed to the pot Lainy stirred.
“Grandma Morrison’s secret spaghetti sauce.” Lainy wiggled her eyebrows at the girl. “Which means in another year, you’ll own this recipe.” All the girls were gifted with a book of precious family recipes, some of them heirloom, on their eleventh birthday. KC loved the tradition. Someday if she had daughters... New brides were also gifted with the book on their wedding day. She decided not to go there.
“Oh. It doesn’t have anything...disgusting in it, right?” Cassy sounded unsure.
“Nope, remember, I have to eat what I make too,” Lainy replied and added more spices to the bubbling sauce.
“So, if you’re eating it, we won’t be poisoned?”
Lainy peered at her niece over the rims of her glasses. “I’m not your father, lovey.”
“No, but you’re a Morrison, so—”
“Most of us can cook, it’s just your father and uncles who won’t try,” Lainy finished for her.
“Okay.” The pre-teen seemed appeased and wandered away.
Rachel, beautiful, blonde and Will’s wife joined Lainy at the stove. She held a huge pan in both hands and briskly filled the heavy looking beast with water. She turned the gas on beneath the pot. “So, Lainy, did you remember the meatballs this time?”
“Uh-huh.” Lainy spooned up something and KC saw a lone ball on the spoon.
“There’s more than one?” Rachel asked dubiously.
“Of course there’s more than one. Your husband and kids alone will eat us out of at least one bag of these things, Rachel,” Lainy said, a bit of scold in her voice. She added something else to the pot.
“Excellent.” Rachel wasn’t in the least bit offended by Lainy’s comment. KC remembered Max’s brother Will, the oldest, and his sons had huge appetites, so Rachel’s fears were justified.
Tom, the youngest of Max’s brothers, ambled in. He looked a lot like Will, only a bit smaller, with blonde streaked hair and as usual, wore a loud shirt. This one was neon orange, with hot pink stars and electric blue flashes. KC winced. Where did he shop?
“Okay, who let Lainy in the kitchen?” he asked to no one in particular.
Lainy continued stirring her pot, but her eyebrow rose.
“She’s a good cook, dear.” Her grandmother defended her.
“No she isn’t, she’s a nerd. Nerds can’t cook.” KC thought she felt a headache coming on from his atrocious shirt.
“Nerds can follow recipes,” Lainy retorted and then looked over the rim of her glasses again. “Unlike some people, who managed to poison the entire camp last year.”
“I didn’t poison the entire camp,” Tom denied.
KC shook her head, willing and able to refute his statement. She definitely remembered that incident. Max had missed a day of work, which never happened.
“Did too,” Melly said from the sink.
“You most certainly did,” Laurie added from where she stood at the counter top. She turned and KC saw a huge tray of garlic sticks in her hand. The Morrison family garlic sticks were a legend based purely in fact. Laurie inserted the tray into the oven and set a timer. Rachel dumped several boxes of pasta into the now boiling water.
“I did not poison the entire camp.”
“Okay, one of your daughters and Sophy didn’t get sick because they found Granddad’s Ho Ho stash and didn’t eat what you cooked. Everyone else got sick.” Lainy continued stirring and KC realized her friend wasn’t paying much attention to the conversation. Lainy kept glancing from the pan to the book in front of her.
“What’s this I hear we’re having eye of the newt, dragon livers, and various insects for supper?” Will demanded as he entered the already tight kitchen.
“We are?” Tom sent a horrified look Lainy’s way. KC figured this was for the benefit of the boys crowding behind Will, trying to see around him.
“We are,” Lainy confirmed, not looking up. She continued to focus on her bubbling sauce. “Ah-hah! That’s it!” she finally exclaimed and hurried to the cupboard above Laurie. Lainy grabbed a bottle from the shelf and after twirling its lid off, removed a bunch of leaves. She dropped those into the sauce and the boys eyes went wide.
“What are those, Aunt Lainy?”
“Yeah, what’d you put into our eye of the newt stew?” another boy asked, distrust clouding his words.
“Magic leaves,” Lainy answered easily.
The boys surged forward. “What’ll they do?”
“Turn you into a werewolf whenever the full moon comes out. Of course, that could happen anyway considering who your fathers are.” Lainy stroked her forefinger and thumb along either side of her chin as she stared at her brothers.
The boys let out raucous hoots of laughter and concluded they should go start howling at the moon now. They left the room in an awesome display of pre-adolescent boy antics. KC figured she had this stage to look forward to in five years from Ryan.
“Please don’t give them any more ideas,” Laurie begged but everyone ignored her and egged the boys on.
KC watched Lainy easily dodge a poking finger and slap a hand hovering near her sauce.
She managed to get in a few good kicks and a few more excellent shots of her own, though. KC couldn’t tell which brother bugged her, but again envied Max and Lainy for the closeness of their family.
“Go buy a real shirt,” Lainy said, as she whapped Tom’s fingers with the spoon in her hand. KC laughed. She needed aspirin to counter the effect.
Tom looked affronted. “This is a real shirt!”
“It’s a disaster,” Lainy concluded and several of the women smothered laughter.
“I can’t believe you don’t like my shirt. But then, who would listen to fashion advice from a nerd anyway?” KC wondered if Max, who was the masculine version of Lainy, had to put up with that type of comment. Being a nerd? Since when was that a bad thing? She rather liked them, personally.
“Don’t blame me when the fashion police fine you and take away your license. I tried,” Lainy returned.
“Just one meatball,” Will coaxed, breaking into their sibling spat and Lainy and the other women all set glares on him.
“Would you three kindly get out of the kitchen – you’re in our way,” Grandmom Melody stated emphatically and pointed an imperious spoon toward the door.
“But Grandmom, we’re staying out of the way,” Greg whined, and the ladies laughed. He managed to snag a piece of pasta from the spoon Rachel held.
“Out!” Grandmom commanded and Lainy seconded, Melly added a third and Laurie took to pushing the men through the door.
Rachel sent a sweet smile to Will, and KC suppressed a sigh. She wanted a love like that.
The men filed out of the room, grumping, and when they finally left, a round of relieved sighs filled the newly vacated space. KC commiserated, even though she wasn’t there. All those men in the room could only spell disaster.
“Finally, now we can get some work done.” Laurie pulled the garlic sticks from the oven and placed them into towel lined baskets. Rachel drained the pasta, and then dumped it into huge bowls. Lainy began scooping her concoction into more bowls. Grandmom placed several plastic containers of salad beside those dishes ready to go to the table.
The ladies then carried the food to a table outside. The table appeared to go on for a mile and drop off into the lake. Laurie yelled and almost miraculously, the benches filled with bodies of all sizes and ages. When everyone was seated, parents made a few adjustments, and somehow Lainy got stuck between Tom and Will.
She didn’t appear fazed by the arrangement, however. Soon after meeting Lainy, KC learned her friend had lightning fast elbows which she used whenever necessary. KC decided she could learn a lot from Lainy. She bowed her own head when they asked the blessing for the meal.
Immediately after, typical Morrison family chaos broke out up and down the table. It didn’t deter any of the occupants intent on enjoying the culinary spread.
“Mom, pass the garlic bread, please.” KC watched as Monica picked up the basket. Ryan’s ‘Granme’ looked fit and healthy, and happy to be surrounded by her family.
“Did you finish dessert?” Laurie asked from her part of the table. KC smiled sadly, enduring yet another wave of pure homesickness. She had seen Laurie in constant motion like that in person. Catching a knocked-over glass here, cutting up a meatball there, breaking up a spat beside her, sending her husband hot looks when she thought she could.
“Yes, I did. Brownies and ice-cream for whoever finishes their supper!” Monica declared and the kids ate faster. Or, as KC observed, slyly moved the contents of their plates to the mouths of the dogs lying conveniently nearby. KC now understood why Spuds came home sick every time he visited the lake.
Most of the pre-adolescent boys and all the teenagers ate second and third helpings.
“How is it they’ll eat whatever you make, but not what I make?” Laurie asked Lainy in consternation.
“You just have to know how to sell the stuff,” Lainy said around a bite of garlic stick.
The meal didn’t take long.
Max sat across the table from Lainy and KC noticed the two of them exchanged looks from time to time as the conversations rattled on around them. This wasn’t unusual for them. He said very little at the table, his main conversation consisted of asking someone to pass him something. This wasn’t unusual, either. Every once in a while he did something to rile the kids up but he didn’t often get the blame. Usually the kid’s dads got in trouble, or Ed. Especially Ed.
Like the salt Max managed to sprinkle into several drinking cups, was blamed on Ed. Or the meatballs Max swiped off a few plates. He seemed to have ventriloquist abilities too, but the kids realized it was him. He could do several voices, two of which sounded remarkably like Ed and Tom. KC grinned at his antics. That was so Max, she ached for him.
KC wondered anew at the dynamics of the family. She remembered her and Max rescuing Sophy from the tree in his parent’s yard. The kids almost seemed interchangeable. Whichever adult was handy took care of any problems that arose. And her son was included in that dynamic. If he needed help, someone took care of his need.
Lainy and Max, while not having children of their own certainly seemed called to service often enough. Lainy scooped more meatballs on one little guy’s plate, one of which promptly got winged at the little girl across from him. Max intercepted the meatball before the projectile reached its destination. He winged the food over his shoulder, and one lucky dog snapped up the tidbit.
KC knew this was perfectly normal behavior for the Morrison family. Max did have incredible reflexes, no doubt due to the myriad number of kids. Being a part of the Morrison family offered so many advantages. KC hadn’t seen any disadvantages so far.
Lainy scolded the little boy, but he didn’t look all that repentant and when she looked away, stuck his tongue out at the little girl he threw the tomato encrusted ball at. Probably a sister. The little girl returned the favor and several other kids got in on the action.
Laurie ended the fun, and another little boy down the table, away from the camera started something she missed. The kids at that end all jumped back and KC laughed and groaned as a very green, croaking amphibian hopped down the table. Ryan would do the very same thing.
Ed snagged the frog and threw it at Lainy, who caught it and turned to let it go behind her. Only to be greeted by Bentley, who wagged his tail furiously. She handed the captive across the table to Max, who waved the amphibian in the face of the little girl beside him.
Laughing, KC wanted to scold Max, and hug him. The little girl screamed and he let the frog go, apparently content with the scream and lunging effort to get away from him. He tugged on one curly pigtail and she smacked him before going back to her supper, her little legs swinging contentedly.
There was no stopping the feeling of remorse that encroached. How KC would love to have grown up in a huge family unit like this. To be picked on and tormented and loved and wanted. With her family, a brother and parents, she’d never experienced those things.
She couldn’t recall ever eating a meal with her family. KC and Greg had eaten in the kitchen with the help. Her parents had rarely been home. As a child, they were a fuzzy image, so rarely had she seen them. When they were home, they fought. She and Greg had preferred them to stay away from home.
KC leaned forward as Lainy and several of the other women stood, thankful to have her thoughts broken up. She noticed Dory, finally, and realized Max’s youngest sister had been missing during the dinner preparations. She swayed with Eliza, her daughter, in her arms. She looked to be singing softly to the baby, whose head rested against her shoulder, eyes drifting shut, peace on her little face.
Dory looked like Monica, her mother. Both resembled the proverbial blonde. But she also seemed perfectly comfortable with the streak of dirt that ran nearly the length of her leg. And the stains dotting her pale colored shirt. Her cutoffs looked old and her hair straggled.
She looked more like a tomboy than a put together cheerleader. She was a mom now so perhaps that made a difference. KC knew all about that. The child’s needs al
ways came first.
KC watched as more people, neighbors, she couldn’t tell if they were relatives, joined the crowd at the table. Each was welcomed in typical Morrison family tradition. A plate, utensils, and cup were passed along and the newcomers helped themselves to the food. She enjoyed the warm welcome for whoever came, because she had been a thankful recipient of the Morrison hospitality often enough in the past.
Lainy refilled the bowls a few times, as did her mother. Max caused subtle trouble and Laurie and Ed jumped up a few dozen times to rescue drinks and catch flying objects or to pest, at least on Ed’s part.
Just as the kids grew restless, the men cleared the table. They carried in the dirty dishes and Lainy’s mom disappeared into another cabin. Max’s father followed her. They carried out several huge trays of brownies and four large tubs of ice-cream.
The kids stopped being restless. Ryan would be disappointed to have missed out on this.
They dug into the trays and ice-cream and KC watched as sundae toppings appeared on the table. Some of the adults helped the younger kids, while the older ones built amazing brownie sundaes. There were nut and non-nut brownies and four different flavors of ice-cream.
She watched with envy as Lainy delved into a non-nut tray and then added chocolate ice-cream on top. That would have been KC’s choice too. Probably why she and Lainy got along so well, since Lainy was a fellow chocolate addict.
Lainy slathered both with hot fudge sauce and topped the confection with some whipped cream and two cherries. Her sisters and grandmother had similar concoctions in front of them. The men topped theirs with the typical vanilla, although Ed and Max both selected French vanilla rather than the usual regular stuff. KC smiled as she thought of all the times she had teased Max about his boring vanilla tendencies.
The kids ended up wearing almost as much as they ate and KC saw several of the men finishing off what the kids didn’t eat. Again, that interchangeable thing went on. Ed ate one of Will’s kid’s desserts and Will ate one of Tom’s kid’s desserts. And Tom finished off Will and Ed’s wives desserts. Lainy snagged someone’s cherry and got a dollop of whipped cream on her nose, which she rubbed on Ed.
