Janel’s Bio:

Janel Gradowski is a wife and mother who lives among the farm fields in Freeland, Michigan. She has been a stay-at-home mom for the last 12 years, but has an Associateís in Desktop Publishing from Delta College. She decided she wanted to be a writer in the fifth grade after her story about a talking car received glowing reviews from her classmates and an A grade from her teacher.

After the birth of her second child she began making jewelry. Soon after she began designing beadwork and had her first pattern published in an international beadwork magazine in 2004. Since then she has had over a dozen patterns published in magazines and online. In 2010 she switched her writing focus back to her first love, fiction. She enjoys writing micro, flash and short stories. She can often be found writing with her Golden Retriever, Cooper, napping nearby. You can find pictures of Cooper and observations on life as a writer at her blog: http://janelsjumble.blogspot.com.

A Relationship with Food

By Janel Gradowski

 

1. Lasagna
2. Lettuce
3. Salad dressing
4. Hot fudge sauce
5. Strawberries

Maggie flipped on the oven light and peered through the splattered window. She frowned at the dark rivulets of sauce sliding down the side of the white pan, forming bubbling pools on the oven floor. The transfer from flimsy, aluminum tray into the ceramic baking dish had been difficult. The lasagna looked disheveled and, hopefully, homemade.

She dumped a container of vegetables from the salad bar onto the baby lettuce mix waiting in a bamboo bowl. A drizzle of expensive balsamic vinaigrette from the gourmet market, some shredded cheese and a sprinkle of croutons completed the salad. Her stomach growled. She plucked a slice of red pepper out of the bowl and licked the dressing off of it.

The door bell rang as Maggie scooped a jar of hot fudge sauce into the fondue pot, “Just a moment.”

She wiped her hands on a stained dish towel and adjusted her skirt. The apartment smelled like an Italian restaurant. The clean scent of soap drifted into the room when she opened the door. Jack greeted her with a bottle of wine and an adorable smile.

***

1. Broccoli
2. Parmigiano-Reggiano
3. Fresh linguine
4. Shrimp
5. Wine

“Hodges is transferring to the New York office.”

Jack opened his second beer while she separated the broccoli head into a pile of tiny clones. Steam from boiling water swirled toward the ceiling. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. The hazy humidity made the stark stainless steel and black granite in the kitchen feel warmer, friendlier.

“I thought he liked it here.”

Maggie unwrapped the chunk of cheese and started grating it into a pungent, snowy pile. She had learned how to make the shrimp and broccoli pasta from the chef at their favorite restaurant. The gourmet cooking class was a Christmas present from Jack.

“His divorce was finalized last week.” Jack’s stool rattled over the ceramic floor tiles. “Maybe he just wants something different.”

Her knuckle scraped across the grater’s teeth. Splashes of blood dotted the cutting board with crimson. She sucked on her wounded finger as the door slammed shut behind him.

***

1. Skillet Helper
2. Hamburger
3. Mac & Cheese
4. Pot roast

“Just put it over there.”

Maggie sat the bowl on the corner of Jack’s desk. The noodles and greasy chunks of hamburger were covered in lumpy, orange slime. Rubbery mystery meat and reconstituted convenience meals seemed to be as tasty as fresh linguine with homemade Bolognese sauce to him now.

“Would you like to watch a DVD tonight?”

She stared at the side of his head and held her breath. When her lungs ached and throbbed she let the air out in a turbulent whoosh. He stared at his computer screen. His jaw muscles twitched.

“No, I have too much work to do.”

The mouse clicked erratically, like a broken metronome. She massaged his shoulders and leaned in to nibble on an earlobe. His neck smelled faintly of a perfume she didn’t own.

1. Celery
2. Olives
3. Bloody Mary mix
4. Vodka

***