Page 64 of The Girls of Pearl Harbor
‘Come in,’ the man said. ‘Come in and sit.’
They walked in, past a cat with some young kittens lounging by the front door, with April in the lead. They all stopped the moment they were inside, greeted by the woman of the house waiting for them, her hands clasped together as she smiled and nodded, and the little boy, along with two older sisters, standing beside their mother.
‘Thank you,’ Grace said, ‘for having us in your home. Thank you.’
April and Eva echoed her thanks, and they were ushered to the table, where there was only enough room for the adults.
‘My daughter,’ the woman said, pointing to her eldest. ‘She was sick, and one of your doctors, he helped her.’
Grace beamed at the woman, wondering who it might have been. ‘We have good doctors. I’m happy he helped you.’
‘And our son, he said you were very kind.’
This time it was Eva smiling as the young boy came forward. She bent to talk to him as Grace stepped forward and took her place at the table.
‘This doctor, what was his name?’ she asked.
‘Evans,’ the man said, nodding. ‘Dr. Evans. Good man.’
‘I don’t know him personally, but I’m sure he’s a very good doctor.’
‘We have food now,’ the woman said, moving toward the little kitchen.
The house was so humble, smaller and more basic than anything an American would expect to live in, but it was impeccably clean. Grace thought back to their first impressions of North Africa and its people; they’d all been horrified at how primitive their lives were. Locals seemed to relieve themselves wherever they wanted to, with no hygiene to speak of, but she could see now how much pride this woman had in her home to keep it so orderly.
‘Can I help?’ April asked.
‘No!’ the woman said. ‘I have daughters; we cook for you.’
Soon they were being presented with a dish put in the center of the table, some type of vegetable, and Grace reached for the food first as the man beckoned her to do so. The others followed suit, and she was surprised at the flavor, wondering what spices might have been used.
‘Many plates,’ the woman said. ‘You try everything.’
Grace wasn’t sure what she meant until the woman reappeared with another dish, and after that another. There was rice and more vegetables, things that brought Grace’s taste buds to life, and she could barely remember ever being so well fed.
‘This is our last dish,’ the woman announced. ‘Please enjoy.’
Grace was baffled at the plate that was presented. It was a small creature, cooked whole with its head intact, and she studied the little catlike ears and wondered what on earth it was. Whatever it was, though, it smelled delicious, and she glanced at her friends to ask what they thought it might be. But irritation rose within her as she saw Eva’s worried expression.
Grace smiled for her hosts before glaring at Eva. ‘Stop looking like you’ve sucked a lemon,’ she whispered under her breath.
‘But it’s a whole animal,’ Eva whispered back.
‘It’s no different from eating meat at home; it’s just a different way of presenting it.’
She looked over at April, pleased that at least her sister didn’t seem concerned by the plate on the table.
The knife was passed to Grace, but she shook her head. ‘Please, cut for me,’ she said, making the motions of cutting. ‘I’m not sure where to start.’
The woman laughed at her and patted the bottom of the animal. ‘This part is best.’
‘The bottom? Is it nice and juicy?’ April caught Grace’s eye, and she erupted into giggling, the entire table suddenly laughing as Grace’s cheeks flushed and she laughed along with the others.
‘Somebottomfor me, then,’ she said, rolling her eyes at her sister and trying not to laugh again.
The woman nodded, her face eager as she leaned forward and sliced the meat while Grace held out her plate. She kicked Eva until she lifted her plate, but when she noticed that Eva had tears in her eyes, she reached for her hand under the table and gave it a little squeeze.
‘It’s okay,’ she whispered. ‘Just be gracious and eat a little. Just think of it as beef or something.’
