Page 34 of Your Carriage Awaits in Crumbleton
By the time her parents wandered into the kitchen, sniffing the air hungrily, Michelle had a big grin on her face.
‘Come here, my little Chaos Magnet,’ chuckled her mum, stepping forward and gently brushing Michelle’s cheeks. ‘You’re covered in flour.’
Michelle submitted to the motherly tidy-up, biting her lip at the pet-name.
‘What on earth have you been up to?’ said her dad, peering around. ‘And what is that glorious smell?’
‘That, dear Papa, is your tea,’ said Michelle, disentangling herself from her mum with a smile.
‘You cooked for us?’ said her mum, looking thrilled.
‘I did,’ said Michelle. ‘But no worries if you’ve already eaten. I just… fancied cooking something.’
‘We haven’t!’ said her dad, patting his stomach.
‘This issucha lovely surprise,’ said her mum. ‘I remember you used to do this sort of thing all the time when you were a youngster.’
Michelle nodded. ‘It’s just burgers and fries. I hope that’s okay?’
‘Okay? I’m in heaven right now!’ said her dad. ‘By the way, this looks incredible, love!’
Michelle grinned as she ushered them towards the table. She had to admit—it had worked out even better than she’d hoped. The gingham tablecloth had just the vibe she’d been aiming for, and she was chuffed with the table centre she’d put together.
After a quick trip up to Millie’s Flowers for some pink carnations, Michelle had packed them tightly into a tall, vintage glass. With a striped red and white paper straw sticking up from the middle, it looked exactly like a frothy milkshake. She’d placed the flowers on top of an old vinyl record, along with a pair of folded cat’s-eye glasses, and a kid’s toy car that looked spookily like the Buick.
‘Is it strange that I feel underdressed in my own kitchen?’ laughed her mum.
‘Don’t be daft,’ said Michelle with a grin. ‘You look gorgeous—as always. Now, would you like a milkshake, or a Coke, or something else?’
‘Coke for me, please!’ said her dad.
Michelle had to resist a little fist-pump. She’d been hoping one of them would say that. She’d managed to get hold of a pack of the old-fashioned glass bottles in Bendall’s, and they fitted her whole fifties vibe perfectly.
‘Oh, wow,’ laughed her dad as she placed one in front of him, the bottle beaded with condensation after chilling in the fridge. ‘I’ve not seen one of these in years!’
‘Were you serious about a milkshake?’ said her mum.
Michelle nodded. ‘Strawberry, banana, or chocolate?’
‘Strawberry, please. Ooh, what a treat.’
By the time Michelle had whipped up the milkshake, serving it in a huge sundae glass she’d found in her mum’s cupboardalong with another stripey straw, the food was ready for plating up.
‘That looks incredible, love,’ said her dad, as Michelle brought the plates to the table with their chequered greaseproof paper and fries in the little red baskets. He lifted his burger with reverence and examined it like it was a work of art before taking a bite. ‘I feel like I’m in a fancy restaurant.’
‘It’s just a burger,’ said Michelle, sliding into a chair. She couldn’t keep the grin off her face. This felt right. More right than anything had felt in a very long time.
‘Just a burger?’ said her mum, taking a sip of her milkshake and closing her eyes in bliss. ‘I think not. This is amazing! I didn’t think you liked to cook anymore… what inspired all this?’
Michelle stole one of her mum’s chips, suddenly feeling nervous. She couldn’t exactly tell them about the Buick and the abandoned showroom awakening her long-lost dream, could she? But… maybe she could tell them some of the other stuff.
‘Well, you remember I always used to love anything 1950s?’
‘You had Grease on replay until the video wore out!’ said her dad around a mouthful of fries.
‘Yep. And… like you said, I used to love to cook.’
Her mum nodded. ‘You were always feeding us elaborate weekend breakfasts and trying out new recipes.’
