Pasta Perfect: Reunion

Kathleen burst into the kitchen. “Rosalie! Guess who’s out there?”

“I’m too busy for guessing games now, Kathleen,” barked Rosalie. “Later. Tell me later.”

Kathleen persisted. “It’s that man who was here this morning. You know. That hunk!”

Rosalie thought to herself, Hunk? What is she talking about?

Suddenly, she dropped a saucepan on the floor as she whirled around to face Kathleen. Neither woman paid attention to the sauce, which slowly spread itself on the floor.

“This morning?” Rosalie asked. “Hunk? Ohhhhh!”

As Rosalie stepped forward, she put her foot in the sauce. As she slid towards the dining room entrance, she let out a scream. “Noooooooo! Watch out!”

Rosalie slid right through the swinging door, knocking Kiki into the nearest table and into the lap of the mayor’s wife as she was about to eat her chocolate pie. The pie flipped over towards the next table and hit the good Monsignor in the eye.

Meanwhile, Rosalie’s forward motion carried her until she hit the fourth table. The impetus caused her upper body to sprawl on top of the table, as she tipped the plate of spaghetti on that table into the lap of the nearest diner. Of course, that particular customer just happened to be none other than Peter Barbetta.

Rosalie picked her head up out of the salad dish, Roquefort dressing dripping off her nose. She took a peek at her customer. She moaned as her head dropped back into the salad.

There was silence in the dining room. Nobody moved. Time froze.

Suddenly, a deep voice called out. “I didn’t know there was a floorshow tonight with full audience participation!” And Peter began clapping his hands with enthusiastic applause. The other diners joined in. Pretty soon, Peter whistled and yelled, “Bravo! Great show! Encore! Encore!”

The other customers began whistling their approval, or, at least the ones who weren’t laughing too hard to whistle.

Kiki got up out of the mayor’s wife’s lap as fast as she could. She gingerly made her way over to the table where Kathleen was having great difficulty in removing Rosalie.

“Hey, big guy. How about a little assistance here?” she asked Peter. Rosalie made some strange, choking noises.

“Ro! Are you okay?” Kathleen reached to lift up Rosalie’s head. One of Rosalie’s arms dangled in the mass of spaghetti which was in Peter’s lap.

Kathleen and Kiki soon realized that Rosalie was choking with laughter, aside from the fact that she also was having a hard time breathing through all the salad dressing. Kiki reached for a corner of the tablecloth to wipe off Rosalie’s face. With the corner, along came Peter’s tie.

“Oh no! Here we go again,” laughed Kathleen.

Peter stood up but slipped on the spaghetti and sauce that had dripped from his lap. He hit the edge of the chair, which scooted back. In a split second, Peter once again found himself on the floor in this restaurant.

As several customers started towards them to help, they were waved off. There was so much dressing, spaghetti and sauce on Rosalie and Peter that any helpers would have also become likewise adorned.

Through renewed laughter, Kathleen choked out, “Peter, are you hurt?”

Rosalie looked at Peter, he looked at her, and all hope of dignity was lost.