Sudden Lesson

Flash Fiction

Sudden Lesson

“John, don’t you like the goulash?” asked Gramma.

“I thought it would be different…” answered four-year-old John.

“I know it isn’t exactly like your mother’s but it’s close. Why don’t you try it?”

“My mother doesn’t make goo lash,” John said.

“No really, this is her recipe, I just changed it a little bit…”

“My mother never cooks goo lash.”

“She does Honey, they just look different.”

John looked at the plate again, then, “My mother would never make nooluls…”

“She does! It’s the curled part, right there,” she pushed one of the noodles over to the edge of the plate.

“That’s not a noolul.”

“It is a noodle Honey. Noodles are just like spaghetti only smaller. You love spaghetti.”

“Can we have spaghetti instead?”

“No Honey, I already made the noodles. I thought you said you were hungry.”

“I’m only hungry for spaghetti… not goolash…”

“Well maybe you would like a peanut butter sandwich?”

“Yes!”

“Well, I do have some peanut butter I’ll make you a peanut butter sandwich instead. OK?”

“Yes please!” John said. “Do you have jelly too?”

“I have some jelly, yes.”

“Is it red? I like red jelly best.”

“It is red!” She made the sandwich.

“Here you go!”

“Why is the bread brown?”

“It’s rye bread…”

“I don’t think I like ryebread. Do you have real bread?”

“This is all I have. Try it, it just tastes like bread…”

“Ah…”

Suddenly Grampa walked in. “Woo! A Ryebread sandwich and goulash too! I’ll bet you a dollar I can eat all of mine faster than you can eat yours!”

John sat up straight, “Bet you can’t!”

“Honey, give me mine!” he said to Grammie, who whipped him up a plate.

Grammie never tried to feed John again; well, not when Grampa was around…