We lamented our lack of corn bread.
Our New Year’s dinner was black-eyed peas and cabbage — a mighty tasty product of the fair and industrious Trudy. But we skipped the corn bread.
“No corn bread this year,” Trudy said. “We would have just slathered it in butter and eaten it. You would have been unhappy.”
Sad but true.
That makes me think of pumpkin bread.
“Do you like pumpkin bread, Mr. Hasan?” a student asked.
I don’t recall what the context was. Had she made it? Was she giving it away to friends? Whatever it was, she had some that she was willing to share.
“I love pumpkin bread,” I said, “but no thanks. I try to minimize carbs.”
She looked at me for a moment and then said, “But what about your wife?”
Humbled that such spousal sentiment would have to be suggested to me, I said, “That’s a fine idea! She will love it. Thank you.”
That makes me think of banana bread.
It was morning on a day during finals week. A student came in through the doorway.
“Mr. Hasan, do you want a banana bread muffin?”
Remembering the pumpkin bread episode, I thought about the carbs and about Trudy, and then I said, “Thank you. I would love a banana bread muffin!”
The student gave it to me and walked back into the learning community.
The bell rang. The other students looked up from their desks. I took the muffin out of the paper and bit into it.
“Sorry to eat in front of you,” I said, “but my coffee’s still hot, so I’m not waiting for this!”