Train Wreck

thirty nine

"Well, now, if it isn't the luckiest dog in the world! How are you, Peach?" he asked in a baby voice that made Remington, Daisy, and me chuckle. She happily accepted his pets and scratches, dancing around his wheelchair easily as he moved through the house and up to the dining room table.

"You good, Dais?" I asked, moving next to her while she took a long drink of her soda that was still sitting on the table.

She nodded, "Yeah, it's just really hot and there was a swarm of bees that she kept trying to mess with. Figured a break was a good idea." Daisy looked around the room with a furrowed brow but her expression changed to a soft smile, "Did Benji go take a nap?"

"Yeah, he took pain meds also," I answered, grabbing one of the boxes from a pile and sliding it next to my chair at the kitchen table.   I surveyed the room a moment, noticing around a dozen boxes of various sizes strewn about.  Most were not labeled but the first one I grabbed said "Remington and Reese," so felt like a good place to start.

"Good. He was exhausted earlier." She smiled, looking into the kitchen as Remington started preparing the steaks. "Whatcha doing, Remington?"

He grinned, those dimples flashing while he washed his hands again, "Letting the steaks rest for a bit. If you salt them and let them sit in the fridge then pull them out about a half hour or hour before grilling the steak will grill more evenly."

"No shit!" Daisy's eyes lit up and she leaned against the counter on her elbows, looking closer, "Just salt and pepper?"

"Yep, keep it simple then people can add dressing or sauces on their own."

Daisy nodded, leaning to the side while Greg wheeled himself around the kitchen and appeared to be collecting utensils for the grill. "What are you up to, Greg?"

He paused his work, smiling toward her, "Just getting my gear together for the grill. Gonna need tongs, the scrubber brush, a couple spare half sheet pans, all that fun stuff."

"Ooohhh you're getting your mise en place!" Daisy's excited lilt made me smile from the table.  I sat down, sipping my water and observing their interaction from a distance.  She was so curious about the world and loved to know what was happening.  Daisy was never afraid of asking questions.  Thankfully we had endless patience for her and were thrilled to have her presence nearby.

Greg chuckled as he wheeled himself toward the dining room table, meeting my eyes and smiling brightly, "What does that mean, Daisy?"

Daisy turned as he moved, now sitting on a stool and leaning back against the kitchen counter as she faced me while I sat at the table. "Mise en place is French for putting in place. It just means you're prepping for the meal."

"We do it for baking projects. Clara taught me to make sure I mise'd out every recipe or we would start and realize we were missing something important then have to throw everything away."  I offered, stretching as I spoke in an attempt to get more comfortable in the straight back wooden dining table chairs.

The mention of Clara made Greg's eyes widen and a smile creep on his lips.

"That's a great idea! I don't think I realized there was a term for it, but yes, I am getting my mise en place." Greg's voice was different this time, almost hopeful. Peach approached, sniffing around his chair and the utensils before abandoning Greg to make her way into the kitchen.

"No steak for the puppy, Remington," I stated, craning my neck higher while I raised my eyebrows and smiled into the kitchen as he continued working.

A rumble of laughter came from that direction along with scratching from Peach's nails against the tile as she pranced around, attempting to get bites of whatever Remi was working on.