disappointed  Listen, if I sketch out step in please.

You won’t. 

If I do . . . please.  sounded to her like she was begging two heads were better than one

she hadnt spent time any substantial time in the MidWest since she moved but St. Louis Park Minnesota wasnt Waterloo Iowa  didnt occur to her that a chef salad could be as different as night and day

Iowa served iceberg lettuce

                             she couldnt remember if she ever bought it for a salad for tacosyeah

Iowa also heaped it with luncheon meat  she mistakenedhadnt ask for the dressing on the side  it was slathered over the top of meat over the iceberg lettuce

Thasnot a chef salad babe her father said

Preaching to the choir, Papa, preachin . .

. . his suddenunrestrained laughter interrupted her

   You’re laughi . .

. . With you with you Im laughin with you

I don’t think sodoesn’t sound like . with.

snort  Yaoughta saysnort  ya don believe so . .

. . You’re laughing at me.

I am I am

           Im laughin atya I can see your face your beautiful face all screwup all Whadafucks tha  snort snort 

Yawanna quitwith the pig impersonation.

Do I have to

   I suppose notno.  Tossed me for a loop . .

. . Speechless

Speechless, fuckin’ mute . . couldn’t believe that . . that was . thathat was a chef salad.

Youre not in Kansas any more Dorothytry an click those ruby heels fly back home 

Didya try to eat it

I had to ask the girlthe waitress an honest-to-God waitress not a server stitched in the breast of her swear-to-God Fifties diner’s dress uniform . .

. . Quaint . .

. . Not quaint, I’d say throwback but I’d be wrong . . . I had to ask Dolores for a side plate she screwedup her face Another dinner plate I interrupted her Yes. Please.

I excavated my salad to reach the pitifullyfew poor suffocated vegetables . .

. . Tomato slices.

Chopped.

Wasnt a chop salad ya ord . .

. . No. Chef.

   Truly luncheonmeat

Julienned SPAM.

Stop

No.

two night later in Reinbeck she ordered another chef salad

she didnt need backupwas on her game 

                                          Could I not get any meat on that, please?

Dearie, stitched Lucille said  that’s what makes it a chef salad cleared her throat  the julienned meat.

not ham not turkeysaid nothing nothing about swiss cheese hard-boiled egg slices

                                                                                        MEAT a mystery

1932,  day-between-2-Ts,  6  12. 23

2010,  2sday – Boxing Day,  26  12. 23