Chapitre 54: Chapter 10. Cranberry Season (December)
It isn't Christmas without a piece of Lisa's cranberry pie. It's almost an institution in town. People who don't order a whole one for Christmas Day usually stop by the diner for a piece of it -- sometimes many times.
"Piece of cranberry pie?" Anne asked Fabian, who had just finished lunch. Fabian recoiled.
"A piece of what?" he asked. Anne laughed.
"It's Lisa's special Christmas pie," Abe Wright told him. "It's out of this world! She has to make tons of them for Christmas Day -- I know a lot of families, including my own, who say it just isn't Christmas dinner without Lisa's cranberry pie."
"What's in it?" Fabian asked, giving Anne and Abe the side-eye.
"Cranberries," Abe replied. Fabian winced, giving Abe an unspoken "very funny". Abe laughed.
"Lisa came up with the recipe herself," Anne told him, cutting a sliver and placing it on a plate, then on the counter in front of Fabian. "It's like a Boston cream pie, only it has orange cake and cranberries instead of yellow cake and chocolate. It's orange cranberry cake, orange custard, and a cranberry glaze. Really -- it's good."
Fabian looked at it suspiciously, then poked at it with his fork as though making sure it wouldn't jump into his mouth on its own.
"I thought you'd eat anything that wouldn't eat you?" Abe challenged, laughing.
"Sorry. It does smell good. I just can't imagine cranberries in pie. When I imagine cranberries, it's that jelly stuff at Thanksgiving." He poked at it some more.
"It's dead," Abe assured him. Fabian gave him another withering stare, which Abe enjoyed tremendously. Fabian finally got up enough courage to bring the fork to his mouth with a bite of pie on it. His eyes went wide and he motioned for Anne to cut a bigger piece. Now Anne joined Abe in laughter. Fabian swallowed.
"You were right," he said. "That is fantastic! If I wasn't already in love with her, I'd marry her just for this!" Anne pushed the rest of the pie piece onto Fabian's plate and refilled his coffee.
"Hey, Fab -- I wanted to ask you." Abe turned a little on the stool. "What do you plan to do with that gypsy wagon of yours after you get married?" Fabian swallowed another mouthful of pie and took a quick sip of coffee.
"Lisa likes it; I was thinking of keeping it set up as a getaway."
"Would you object to renting it now and then?"
"I never thought about it. Why do you ask?"
"That place you're sitting is right near the pier where I like to go trout fishing in the spring," Abe explained. "If I could stay in your wagon, I'd have a jump on everyone else who fishes there. I've tried tents, but it's not a very pleasant experience. I'm not a very good camper."
Fabian laughed.
"Sure -- I'd be happy to. In fact, I'll even let you have it this spring -- I think I can find someplace to stay during trout season. Someone in my family has a spare couch I could probably use. Stop by and I'll show you around and how the wood stove works. There's a toilet and running water, but no bath. You'll have to go home for a shower or a bath."
"What do you do?" Abe looked at him suspiciously. Fabian laughed.
"I shower at the school right now, during the winter," he said. "It got a little too chilly to use the showers at the pool."
Sometimes when you ask the wrong question to the right person, they will still give you the right answer.
"Aunt Mat, do you have a minute?" Lisa peeked around the door to Martha Epperson's office. Martha smiled, motioning for Lisa to come in. In reality, Martha was Amy and Annie's aunt; she was Ella Wright's older sister. But thanks to the "Mat and Maude Show", she was an honorary aunt to Lisa as well.
"For you? Of course I do, dear. What's on your mind? Get your Christmas club cashed and ready to go?"
"Yes, I've been shopping. I was wondering ... I'm not sure how this works. How would I go about buying Grandma's place from the Estate?"
"Lisa, please. Don't worry about that. Let your mom and uncle Paul take care of that."
"Really -- I'm serious. What would I need to buy it?"
"Sweetie, with the appraisal that was done for the Estate, I'm afraid I have to tell you you can't afford it. Even with all you've already put into it. Your pie business is very successful, and I know you have the waitress job. But you'd still need to make a down-payment, and it would have to be huge for your salary to cover mortgage payments of that size. It would be several times what you pay in rent now. Please, Lisa. Stop worrying about this. Nobody is going to let you lose your home. It's just too early for anything to move yet."
Lisa's eyes filled with tears.
"What if ... you know how much money Fabian has?"
"You could move the wedding date up, I suppose. Fabian's teacher salary might help. But again, to keep the payments reasonable he'd need to enter more violin contests. Lisa, I don't like telling you this sort of thing. I'm trying to help you all I can. Please trust me, all right?"
Lisa heard Fatima's voice inside of her mind: "Remember your friends -- you have many. Trust them. Even if you can't see them, they will be helping you." She took a tissue from the box Martha offered and dried her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Aunt Mat."
"No need to be, dear. I understand that you're worried. But consider this. Nobody wants to defeat William more than your mother and I do. And we will. Please give us time. I could help you with something else, while you're waiting. In fact, I thought that was why you wanted to see me."
"Like what?"
"We have very good rates on business loans right now. With a business loan, you could buy a delivery vehicle so that you can deliver your own pies and desserts. I know you applied for your learner's permit and that you're learning to drive. You would also have more money to put into ingredients -- something that you need more of in the winter than the other seasons when you can pick your fillings in the orchard. You could expand your customers. And although I don't think this will be necessary, you would have the money to set up elsewhere if the absolute worst would happen, so your business wouldn't have to skip a beat. I've heard your desserts are a huge hit in the Tavern restaurant. I eat there frequently, and have been very pleasantly surprised at your range. You have a lot of potential, Lisa, and I honestly think that if you see me about a loan, you'll have it paid back in no time. Think it over."
Sheer persistence never persuaded anyone who wasn't persuaded in the first place.
"So how's Miss Lisa?" Lisa was tempted to call Carlos Moreno and beg him to please send Carl on another trucking run. She was getting very tired of suddenly discovering him in a diner booth just when she thought the day was going fine -- or finding him in a diner booth being the crowning blow on a bad day.
"Just fine, Carl. Are you ready to place an order?"
"Just a cup of coffee. Hey -- you're still wearing your so-called engagement ring."
"It is an engagement ring, and I wear it because I am engaged. I'll just bring you that coffee now." Lisa turned, careful to stay out of reach. He still tried for a pinch or a pat if he thought he could get away with it.
"If you're engaged, then how come he's dating my sister?" Carl asked in a gloating voice.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
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