eating soft food tonight.”
“Oh, yum. What are we having?” I leaped at the opportunity to change the subject.
“I’m making bubble and squeak right now,” Maude answered.
I glanced over to where my father was sitting in the corner, reading his paper. The paper was absolutely shaking now. “Dad, can you come upstairs?” I asked.
“Sure, Savvy.” He closed the paper, and I knew he was using all his self-control to hold those forty-three facial muscles in check and not burst out laughing.
I grabbed my book bag and headed up to my room. Dad was right behind me.
“You’ll have a good time tonight,” he said. “Even if Aunt Maude’s digestive problems are causing her to bubble and squeak.”
“Very funny,” I said. “You’re going to owe me for this. Like a fantastic sweet sixteen birthday. In three weeks.”
“Hey,” Dad said, “I’ve got it. What does Savvy sound like when she’s been overchewing her gum? Bubble and squeak.”
“Not funny, Dad.” I tossed my books in the corner as Mom came in for a quick vote of approval on her outfit.
“Looks great, Mom,” I said. “Can I come?”
She grinned. “Nope!”
They kissed Louanne good-bye and headed downstairs and into London for the night.
“So what shall we do?” Aunt Maude said once Louanne and I returned to the kitchen. Aunt Maude had already cut up half a chicken breast for Growl, his favorite, and he was resting contentedly on the back of the couch. “The bubble and squeak is boiling away. I’ve got some lovely ideas for afters, but we have some time to kill first.” She peered out the window into the back garden area. “Well, hardly a thing has been done since we cleaned it up last month. Mum pretty busy?”
I made eye contact with Louanne, who looked back at me. I wasn’t exactly sure how much to tell her.
Chapter 46
“Well, there’ve been a lot of expenses this spring,” I began.
“I see.” Aunt Maude appeared to be thinking hard. Then she turned the heat down on the bubble and squeak and said to us, “You know, the British government requires that landlords invest a certain amount of money into their properties each year. Now I try not to grumble, as you know, but with the many ailments I must bear, it’s been difficult for me to decide what to do here. I’ve got just the idea. Let’s buy some roses and put them back there for your mum.”
“Actually, Mom has a notebook of plants she’d like,” Louanne said. “It’s in the drawer by the microwave if you want to see it.”
I closed my eyes and cringed. You didn’t tell someone what to buy as a present! When I opened my eyes again, though, Aunt Maude didn’t seem to be put out at all. Which was sweet!
“Certainly she would have ideas about what she’d fancy. Well, come along then; let’s go. I’ve got to come back and make a mess very soon, so there’s no time to waste.”
“A mess?” I inquired. Normally Aunt Maude bustled about cleaning up, not making a mess.
She grabbed her keys and threw me an I’m-so-sorry-you’re-an-undercultured-American look. “Yes, dear, Eton mess. Strawberries, meringue, and cream.”
After the dinner of bubble and squeak—aka cabbage and potatoes—followed by the mess, Aunt Maude informed us that she was going to make a dessert for my parents to eat when they arrived tomorrow, and would I please look through her cookery book to find something? “You do cook, don’t you?” she asked.
“Nope,” I said.
“She’d better learn,” Louanne teased. “She’s got her first boyfriend now.”
“Ou’reyay eadday,” I said under my breath.
“My, my,” Aunt Maude said. “And of course it’s a British boy. Vastly superior to all others in every way,” she said, clucking. “I’m sure he’s quite handsome.”
“She’s got a snap of him on her phone,” Louanne volunteered before she ditched from the room.
“Well, then, let’s have a look,” Aunt Maude said.
I pulled out my phone and scrolled
“Oh, yum. What are we having?” I leaped at the opportunity to change the subject.
“I’m making bubble and squeak right now,” Maude answered.
I glanced over to where my father was sitting in the corner, reading his paper. The paper was absolutely shaking now. “Dad, can you come upstairs?” I asked.
“Sure, Savvy.” He closed the paper, and I knew he was using all his self-control to hold those forty-three facial muscles in check and not burst out laughing.
I grabbed my book bag and headed up to my room. Dad was right behind me.
“You’ll have a good time tonight,” he said. “Even if Aunt Maude’s digestive problems are causing her to bubble and squeak.”
“Very funny,” I said. “You’re going to owe me for this. Like a fantastic sweet sixteen birthday. In three weeks.”
“Hey,” Dad said, “I’ve got it. What does Savvy sound like when she’s been overchewing her gum? Bubble and squeak.”
“Not funny, Dad.” I tossed my books in the corner as Mom came in for a quick vote of approval on her outfit.
“Looks great, Mom,” I said. “Can I come?”
She grinned. “Nope!”
They kissed Louanne good-bye and headed downstairs and into London for the night.
“So what shall we do?” Aunt Maude said once Louanne and I returned to the kitchen. Aunt Maude had already cut up half a chicken breast for Growl, his favorite, and he was resting contentedly on the back of the couch. “The bubble and squeak is boiling away. I’ve got some lovely ideas for afters, but we have some time to kill first.” She peered out the window into the back garden area. “Well, hardly a thing has been done since we cleaned it up last month. Mum pretty busy?”
I made eye contact with Louanne, who looked back at me. I wasn’t exactly sure how much to tell her.
Chapter 46
“Well, there’ve been a lot of expenses this spring,” I began.
“I see.” Aunt Maude appeared to be thinking hard. Then she turned the heat down on the bubble and squeak and said to us, “You know, the British government requires that landlords invest a certain amount of money into their properties each year. Now I try not to grumble, as you know, but with the many ailments I must bear, it’s been difficult for me to decide what to do here. I’ve got just the idea. Let’s buy some roses and put them back there for your mum.”
“Actually, Mom has a notebook of plants she’d like,” Louanne said. “It’s in the drawer by the microwave if you want to see it.”
I closed my eyes and cringed. You didn’t tell someone what to buy as a present! When I opened my eyes again, though, Aunt Maude didn’t seem to be put out at all. Which was sweet!
“Certainly she would have ideas about what she’d fancy. Well, come along then; let’s go. I’ve got to come back and make a mess very soon, so there’s no time to waste.”
“A mess?” I inquired. Normally Aunt Maude bustled about cleaning up, not making a mess.
She grabbed her keys and threw me an I’m-so-sorry-you’re-an-undercultured-American look. “Yes, dear, Eton mess. Strawberries, meringue, and cream.”
After the dinner of bubble and squeak—aka cabbage and potatoes—followed by the mess, Aunt Maude informed us that she was going to make a dessert for my parents to eat when they arrived tomorrow, and would I please look through her cookery book to find something? “You do cook, don’t you?” she asked.
“Nope,” I said.
“She’d better learn,” Louanne teased. “She’s got her first boyfriend now.”
“Ou’reyay eadday,” I said under my breath.
“My, my,” Aunt Maude said. “And of course it’s a British boy. Vastly superior to all others in every way,” she said, clucking. “I’m sure he’s quite handsome.”
“She’s got a snap of him on her phone,” Louanne volunteered before she ditched from the room.
“Well, then, let’s have a look,” Aunt Maude said.
I pulled out my phone and scrolled
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