other things that are best kept hidden. This was one of those times when I so wished I had kept my revelation of my grandmother’s passed-down handgun, and how someday my mother would pass it on to me, to myself.
Nick picked up the weapon with a pen through the trigger housing, tipped it to drain the excess oil and walked over to take a better look at it next to the light above the barn door.
“Huh,” he said, again.
His “huhs” were getting annoying.
“What?” Leo asked.
“It’s loaded except for one empty chamber. Now why would you keep a loaded revolver in a futsi?”
“A futso, futsi is plural. Like panino verses panini,” I corrected, not knowing what else to say.
“Thanks. I’ll remember that.” The gun continued to drip oil. “And the fired round—did either of you shoot this recently?”
“No,” I said, just as Lisa said, “Yes.”
This was not going well.
He took a step back and stared at both of us. “Now, if I went on my instincts here, I’d say you ladies are hiding something. Could that be true?”
“You won’t get anything out of them, Nick,” Leo teased. “They’ve been keeping secrets from the rest of the world since they were kids. You’d have to waterboard them in order to make either one talk, and we’ve got the wrong president if you want to try that one.”
“Oh, I don’t think we have to go that far. Tell you what, I’ll just take this little number with me, run a few checks on it and return it tomorrow, if you ladies don’t mind.”
He pulled out a plastic bag from his pants pocket, dropped the gun in it and walked off to Leo’s car. No doubt about it, the man was one hundred percent cop.
I took a step forward to try to stop him, but Lisa grabbed my arm, kind of. It was too slippery for her to physically take hold of it, but I could tell she wanted me to let him go.
Leo beeped open the door from a distance and went after Nick.
“Let me handle this,” Lisa said leaving me there, dripping olive oil.
I was out of options so I let her go. Besides, I really needed a shower.
Spinach and Fresh Pear Salad – Level One or Two
1 bunch of spinach and/or romaine lettuce
1 whole ripe pear, cored and peeled
3 fresh figs, green or purple (optional)
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries
1/8 tsp. salt, depending on taste
3 cranks of cracked peppercorns
3/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese (crumbled or cubed)
1/2 cup Koroneiki EVOO
1/8 cup white or any fruit vinegar
3/4 cup candied pecans *recipe follows for level two
Clean and wash your greens then pat them dry in paper towels. This is soothing and should take you at least eight to ten minutes. Tear them in bite-sized pieces and drop them in a glass bowl. Slice the pear lengthwise into eight slices. Cut the figs into halves. Break open the pomegranate and pop out the seeds, enjoying a bite or two as you gather up your half cup. Make a mess with the sweet red seeds. The clean up will focus you. Assemble the fruit in the bowl on top of the spinach. Chill for at least a half-hour.
To turn this into a level two meal, buy pecans in the shell and take your time to carefully crack open each one and remove the shells without damaging the nutmeats.
1 pound shelled pecans halves
1 egg white
1 tbs. vanilla
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 to 1 tsp grnd cinnamon
Rub a delicate extra virgin olive oil on a baking sheet. Heat oven to 250 degrees. Slowly whip egg white with vanilla until it froths. Enjoy the vanilla bouquet. Set aside and mix the sugar, salt and cinnamon in a deep bowl, or large plastic bag. Set aside. First coat some of the pecans in the egg white mixture, remove and toss them in the sugar mixture. Spread pecans evenly on the baking sheet and roast for one hour, stirring every ten to 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and place on large platter.
Remove salad from fridge. Add oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and cheese and toss. Sprinkle five or six or ten warm pecans on top and serve with crusty warm bread, and a flavored sparkling water. This is enough for two. Eat slowly, and enjoy the flavors on your tongue, the snap of each pomegranate seed, and the crunch of sweet pecans. Take your time. Breathe. Stay focused on the food.
NINE
Oh, But It Feels So Good
I was halfway up