Baltimore, Maryland
April 21, 1970
April 21, 1970
A sounds and the smell of home cooking permeated the air of the brightly-lit townhouse. The doctor hummed an opera as he carefully diced the onions into neat little cubes. Cut them right, and they would liked cook away entirely in the pan, leaving only their added flavor to accompany the meat. Satisfied with his precision, he added them to the pan, smiling as they sizzled and immediately began to go transparent and cling to the meat. He turned away from the pan, bursting now into full-throated operatic song, a selection from Penderecki's
The Devils of Loudun
. The doctor stirred the beans, stewing with tomatoes, brown sugar and a little mustard. His own recipe. They were nearly done, so he turned the heat down to let them simmer while the meat seared. Waltzing with an imaginary partner, he dances from the kitchen into a tastefully-decorated dining room, where his guest sits politely at the table."I never do this," the doctor said, "Bringing a strange man into my home the same day I meet him. It's very unlike me." He pours a glass of deep red wine for himself, then smiles, pouring a second glass for his guest. "I suppose you meet new people all the time, in your line of work. I do too, I suppose, but it's usually much more clinical. I so rarely get to bring home new...friends. It's more often surreptitious, hidden. I don't get to talk about it, so this is a rare treat." The doctor retrieved two bowls from the china cabinet, placing one in front of each of them before serving a salad of mixed greens. "Wait for me, I need to check on the main course."
The beans were done, so the doctor took them off the burner, ladling generous servings onto both plates. The meat wasn't quite finished, as the onions were still caramelizing. He was patient, and waited until he could hardly see the remnants of the onion before he speared the meat onto the cutting board, neatly slicing it in two. Perfect - pink with just a hint of red in the center. He placed the cuts onto the plates and swept back into the dining room. "Et voilà, mon frère! Dinner is served."
He took his seat and wasted no time. It wouldn't do to let this meal go cold, not when his guest had paid so dearly for it. The doctor sliced into the meat -so tender! - and took a bite. "Mon dieu! Joshua, your liver is fantastic! You really must try a bite before the sedatives make you completely incapable. I've had liver before, but this? This may be the best I've tried." Doctor Creature sipped at his wine, a nice Chianti, and tried the fava beans. Delicious.
