It Was Supposed To Be Dinner

It was just supposed to be dinner. Nothing magical, or life changing. I wasn't curing cancer or liberating a condemned people. It was dinner........proteins, starch, and a veggie.

I had a London Broil in the broiler (natch,) some potatoes boiling in a pot, and carrots steaming in another pan. In exactly two minutes, I would need to flip the Broil, dump the potatoes into a colander, and pull the carrots of the heat, all at the same time. I don't have much space to be dumping pans all over the place, and most of my work station's being used up for my mashed potato manufacturing line. Add to that the fact that my kitchen's been running handicapped with only two functional burners, and the end result was I would have to move damn quick to avoid overcooking anything.

But not just yet. I stared intensely at the digital clock on the microwave, waiting for everything to come together. Essentially, I was in the eye of the storm, just waiting for things to get crazy. Most folks would probably have done something with their two minutes. Maybe looked at what was on TV, or flipped through the paper. But not me, I never let my eyes leave that clock. I stood there with my arms crossed, waiting for the numbers to flip. In the back of my head, I was processing everything. Did I have everything I need to do this? Was my cream, Parmesan, and seasoning on hand in an easy to reach location? Was there a colander placed in the sink for easy draining? What would I need to do first? I stood there and processed this information, making sure I had accounted for everything. That I was truly ready.

The digital clock flipped, and now I had one minute left. There was no doubt I was about to pounce into the thick of it. And for some reason, I felt......jittery. I was actually nervous, nervous about dropping the ball, about screwing up my meal. It was just supposed to be dinner after all, and yet I couldn't shake that unmistakable sense of worry.

But it wasn't just worry. No, it was also excitement. A rush of adrenaline, giddiness I dare say. I was thrilled to go screaming into this crazy situation I had made for myself. In a few moments, I would be tested. I would have to prove to myself and anyone I fed that I could handle all these elements at once, that I could process this scenario effectively, and respond with great speed. That one guy with a bunch of malfunctioning appliances could deliver something great.

The clock flipped again, it was time.

I had outlined my priorities, and hit everything that I knew needed to be done. I moved as gracefully as I could muster without wasting time. I wish I could tell you step by step how everything was handled, how I moved and what got done when. But to tell you the truth, I just don't remember. My mind went blank for those few moments in time, I didn't think about much, just tried to stay on task. The only thing I remember clearly, was the humming. Ye gods, I was humming the whole time.

The one thing I remember was the end result. Two plates, clean and well laid out with food that was still plenty warm. I still had plenty of adrenaline in my bones and was darting, looking for things to do. I needed to do more, but alas, I had done it all.

And the meal turned out pretty fantastic. Everything turned out just the way I had hoped. Cooked to the right temperature, and seasoned perfectly. Of course, maybe it wasn't perfect, maybe it just looked perfect because of the work I put in to get it right. Maybe I was a bit too biased, and not willing to see the imperfections. Who knows? All I can say was, it tasted great to me.

I suppose sometimes, some things just go beyond "dinner."