The Way to a Man's Heart
by Elizabeth Dearl
TheCase.com Twist 108: Feb 10, 1999
(p. 1 of 3)
sprinkled the chicken
with Fred's favorite lemon seasoning and
slid it into the oven. There. I was feeling smugly organized until I
glimpsed my reflection in a polished copper pot. My hair was a
disaster and I had flour all over my dress. My lipstick (which I'm
unaccustomed to wearing) had been thoroughly bitten off, leaving a
bright red rim around my mouth, which made me look like a vampire
who'd just indulged in a snack. On top of that, I still hadn't
wrapped Fred's gift, and he'd be here in less than two hours.
 "Weee-hooo!"
Oh, no. Emma. She makes that peculiar noise in lieu
of knocking. I suppose it's her version of yoo-hoo, but it's most
annoying.
"Come on in!" I called out, grabbing a paper napkin to
scrub off the remaining lipstick. I couldn't take any teasing from
Emma today. Not when it might turn out to be the most important day
of my life.
Her painted-on eyebrows rose as she bustled through
the door and caught sight of me. "Let me guess. Your can of talcum
powder exploded."
"It's flour," I said, swiping uselessly at my
dress with a dish towel. "I was baking bread." She helped herself to
a cup of coffee and plunked down at the table. I cast a frantic
glance at the clock. How was I going to get rid of her?
Emma
sniffed the air. "Mmm. Lemon chicken? That's Fred's favorite." She
smirked at me over the rim of her coffee cup.
"Is it?" I busied
myself sponging the counter, refusing to meet her eyes. "I ran into
Jane at the market. She said she'd left Fred at home, and that he
was getting all gussied up." Fred is Jane's brother, who had
recently come to stay with her. I'd met him the month before when it
was Jane's turn to host our weekly poker game. I know, I know... most
elderly ladies prefer bridge or mahjong, but Emma talked us all into
poker. She says it's more stimulating. I suspect her real motive
lies in the fact that she almost always wins. A nice supplement to
her Social Security income, though it tends to leave the rest of us
strapped for cash.
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