Dancing Backward 3: A Beloved Slave Reclaimed by Thomas Lavalle

Author:Thomas Lavalle [Lavalle, Thomas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B07MR8165H
Publisher: Juno Unlimited
Published: 2018-12-28T08:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE MATRIARCHAL FAMILY VALUES PART THREE

In the dining room, they were greeted by Petra, with father and son already standing at attention behind their chairs. The males moved quickly now, Jonas pulling out Petra’s chair at the head of the table, then Kelly’s to her right, while Theo did the honors for his sister on Petra’s left.

Empty plates and full platters were already on the table, along with a bottle of red wine and crystal stemware for the ladies, who proceeded to serve themselves, chatting as they passed the dishes to one another. Only when all three plates had been filled and the females began eating did father and son sit down, serving themselves quietly and with eyes respectfully cast down.

Now Petra poured the wine—a Belgian pinot noir—not forgetting a few splashes for Sophie so she, too, could celebrate Kelly’s visit. Father and son were allowed to join the toast, lifting their plastic tumblers of water, as long as they did so silently.

“What do you think, Kelly?” Petra said between bites. “My Jonas is not so bad a cook, so long as Sophie and I give him the recipes and they are simple.”

“Because he’s, like, totally clueless at meal planning,” Sophie added.

“I understand his limits,” Kelly said, “but the beef stew—or however you call it—is excellent. My compliments to your chef.”

“Did you hear, Jonas? You must to thank Mistress Kelly for this compliment.”

Jonas mumbled a thank-you without looking up from his plate.

“In Flemish we call this stoofvlees,” Petra explained, “which comes usually, as you see, with the carrots, onions, mushrooms, and also bits of bacon. But somehow I am not finding any bits of bacon on my plate tonight. Yes, Jonas? You wish to make an explanation for this? I give you permission.”

“Mistress, I am very sorry. I forgot this ingredient on my market list.”

“Yes, I believe that was my point.” Petra returned her attention to Kelly. “Even though Jonas knows how to make this simple dish for us, he must to be very careful with it, because, for this special flavor, always it is cooked in beer. Belgian beer, of course. But my Jonas is not allowed to drink, or even taste, beverages of alcohol.” She smiled before going on. “Jonas, please to tell our guest why your wife is so cruel to make this rule for you to live under.”

“Because of what I did at our wedding, Mistress.”

“And what did you do?”

“I fell down dancing.”

“Because?” she prompted impatiently.

“Because I got very drunk, Mistress.”

“You certainly did.”

Kelly was reminded of a witness being led by a courtroom attorney wherever she pleased, and here came a follow-up: “Now tell me, Jonas, if you can remember back to when you were allowed to drink, what kind of beer was your very favorite?”

“Stella, Mistress.”

“Stella Artois, of course. And was it Stella that you used tonight for cooking the stoofvlees?”

“Yes, Mistress.”

“And, after using all you needed for the recipe, was there any of your very favorite beer left over?”

“No, Mistress.”

“How sad! You didn’t save any for yourself? Even a tiny drop, when no one was looking?”

“No, Mistress.

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