it might make Ida indignant.
One thing Ida was good at was bullying people into doing what she wanted. Jackie sometimes wondered if she hadn’t also blackmailed a few people into selling her product, knowing everyone’s secrets as she did. Apparently she had no secrets to hold over Rosa because she had so far failed to win her over.
“Now she’s implying that if I was a good son,” Ben said, “if I loved my mother, I wouldn’t turn down such a small request.” He lowered his voice. “If it was up to me, I’d do it. Just to keep the peace. But Rosa won’t budge. Both of those two, they’re stubborn as hell.”
Rosa appeared beside him with a paper plate. “Who’s stubborn as hell?” she asked in her mild Latin accent. The look she gave him with her dark, languorous eyes made it clear she knew he was talking about her. She handed the plate to Jackie with a smile. “Here you go, Jackie.”
After leaving the truck, Jackie walked into the bait shop, pulling a chunk of spicy grilled beef off a wooden skewer with her teeth. Her mother sat behind the checkout counter reading a gossip magazine. She looked up as the door chime rang.
“Hi, Mom,” Jackie said. “Where’s Dad?”
“He’s gone to town to get some turkey livers. He wants to surprise Grandpa for his birthday. He spent all morning phoning all over creation looking for a store that carries them and finally found this little Asian grocery in Walnut Grove.”
“Turkey livers?” Jackie made a face.
“He’s not gonna eat ’em! It’s for bait.”
“I know. Still, you’re going to ruin my lunch.”
“What are you eating?”
Jackie held up a meat skewer. “Charrusco. Want a bite?”
Ida sat up straight on her stool with a sudden look of interest. “Are they out there?”
Before Jackie could answer, her mother was on her feet and coming around the counter. Jackie nearly gasped out loud when she saw her mother’s shorts, black with a skeleton design in white—tailbone, pelvis, hip bones and femurs cut off at the bottom hem of the shorts.
Ida ran to look out the window, let out an excited grunt and scurried back to the counter where she scooped up the jar of Ida’s World-Famous Beef Jerky. Then she was out the door in a flash.
Jackie stole one more bite before putting down her plate to follow. Her mother stood at the window of the truck, her chin just reaching the ledge. Ben and Rosa crowded each other at the window, leaning out to observe her. Ida placed the jar of jerky on the edge of their counter with both hands and held it there.
“You can put it right here,” she was saying. “It won’t bother anybody.”
“No!” Rosa shrieked, shoving Ben out of the way as she leaned out the window and tried to push the jar off the ledge with one hand. But Ida had a firm grip on it, so it stayed where it was.
Jackie stopped on the porch steps of the bait shop, debating her next move. She didn’t want to get involved in this family feud, but it was starting to look like it might get carried away and someone had to be the voice of reason. Ben, she knew, would have a hard time coming between his wife and mother.
Rosa gave up trying to push the jar off the ledge and disappeared from the window only to reappear from the side of the truck, stomping toward Ida in her white apron. Ida clutched her jar protectively to her chest.
“I’ve told you before,” Rosa said angrily, “only food authentic to the República Federativa do Brasil goes on my truck. Only food I cook myself goes on my truck. Why don’t you understand that?”
“What harm could it do?” Ida asked. “It might even bring in some new customers. Maybe not everybody likes Brazilian food.”
“What?” Rosa stood with her hands on her hips, her face scrunched into an intimidating scowl. “Are you kidding me? If they don’t like Brazilian food, they’re not going to come to Rosa’s Churrascaria. Are they?”
Ida shrugged. “They might come for the jerky.”
Rosa let
One thing Ida was good at was bullying people into doing what she wanted. Jackie sometimes wondered if she hadn’t also blackmailed a few people into selling her product, knowing everyone’s secrets as she did. Apparently she had no secrets to hold over Rosa because she had so far failed to win her over.
“Now she’s implying that if I was a good son,” Ben said, “if I loved my mother, I wouldn’t turn down such a small request.” He lowered his voice. “If it was up to me, I’d do it. Just to keep the peace. But Rosa won’t budge. Both of those two, they’re stubborn as hell.”
Rosa appeared beside him with a paper plate. “Who’s stubborn as hell?” she asked in her mild Latin accent. The look she gave him with her dark, languorous eyes made it clear she knew he was talking about her. She handed the plate to Jackie with a smile. “Here you go, Jackie.”
After leaving the truck, Jackie walked into the bait shop, pulling a chunk of spicy grilled beef off a wooden skewer with her teeth. Her mother sat behind the checkout counter reading a gossip magazine. She looked up as the door chime rang.
“Hi, Mom,” Jackie said. “Where’s Dad?”
“He’s gone to town to get some turkey livers. He wants to surprise Grandpa for his birthday. He spent all morning phoning all over creation looking for a store that carries them and finally found this little Asian grocery in Walnut Grove.”
“Turkey livers?” Jackie made a face.
“He’s not gonna eat ’em! It’s for bait.”
“I know. Still, you’re going to ruin my lunch.”
“What are you eating?”
Jackie held up a meat skewer. “Charrusco. Want a bite?”
Ida sat up straight on her stool with a sudden look of interest. “Are they out there?”
Before Jackie could answer, her mother was on her feet and coming around the counter. Jackie nearly gasped out loud when she saw her mother’s shorts, black with a skeleton design in white—tailbone, pelvis, hip bones and femurs cut off at the bottom hem of the shorts.
Ida ran to look out the window, let out an excited grunt and scurried back to the counter where she scooped up the jar of Ida’s World-Famous Beef Jerky. Then she was out the door in a flash.
Jackie stole one more bite before putting down her plate to follow. Her mother stood at the window of the truck, her chin just reaching the ledge. Ben and Rosa crowded each other at the window, leaning out to observe her. Ida placed the jar of jerky on the edge of their counter with both hands and held it there.
“You can put it right here,” she was saying. “It won’t bother anybody.”
“No!” Rosa shrieked, shoving Ben out of the way as she leaned out the window and tried to push the jar off the ledge with one hand. But Ida had a firm grip on it, so it stayed where it was.
Jackie stopped on the porch steps of the bait shop, debating her next move. She didn’t want to get involved in this family feud, but it was starting to look like it might get carried away and someone had to be the voice of reason. Ben, she knew, would have a hard time coming between his wife and mother.
Rosa gave up trying to push the jar off the ledge and disappeared from the window only to reappear from the side of the truck, stomping toward Ida in her white apron. Ida clutched her jar protectively to her chest.
“I’ve told you before,” Rosa said angrily, “only food authentic to the República Federativa do Brasil goes on my truck. Only food I cook myself goes on my truck. Why don’t you understand that?”
“What harm could it do?” Ida asked. “It might even bring in some new customers. Maybe not everybody likes Brazilian food.”
“What?” Rosa stood with her hands on her hips, her face scrunched into an intimidating scowl. “Are you kidding me? If they don’t like Brazilian food, they’re not going to come to Rosa’s Churrascaria. Are they?”
Ida shrugged. “They might come for the jerky.”
Rosa let
Similar Books
