This is a teaser chapter from my new story The Courier. Not sure when I will be posting it, but this is a neat little story in itself. Please let me know what everyone thinks! 
Chapter Ten
Earth
On Clinton Street in late November, the first snowfall of the season pelted gently down. The light dusting of crystalline snow muffled all the regular sounds of the city at night. Wintery air nipped at the tips of noses and ears of passersby as they hurried to their abodes. Weather of this type often calls up fun memories of ice skates, lost mittens, and hot cups of chocolate generously spiced with cinnamon, freshly ground nutmeg, and topped with frothy, white whipped cream.
Such was this early Friday evening in Metropolis. But inside the home of Lois Lane it was warm and toasty, the air tinkling with the happy sounds of her friends Molly Flynn and Abrihet Klein entering the apartment. The two women were laden with all manner of baking equipment for their unsuspecting friend to use. Tonight was going to be more than the usual ‘girls night’ in. For these were members of Lois Lane’s bridal party. The only one missing from the group was Lucy Lane.
Abrihet noticed the beautifully woven craft basket on one of the couches and seeing the contents said, “I am proud of you for knitting not only a scarf with a herringbone stitch, but a sweater as well.” Abrihet said as she held up the half completed garment. “The russet hue shall bring out the color of Clark’s eyes, it is a knitter’s choice.”
Lois gave her friend a wry smile and said, “Thanks, but that was Grace’s idea, after all, she’s sold several skeins of that color to Martha who really knows what looks good on her son. They are both fantastic when it comes to knitting!”
“I’d like to think I am to baking what they are to knitting. Are you ready for this?” Molly said.
Lois looked at Molly as she brought over a large cream colored canvas bag. “So you brought all the baking equipment. I shopped for all the ingredients and Lubrano’s is bringing the hot Pesto sandwiches. I’m so excited! I can hardly wait to see how the cake turns out.”
At that moment the phone rang. Lois ran over to the wall, picked up the receiver and said, “Martha is that you?”
Yes Lois, am I late?
“No Mrs. Kent. Right on time to listen to Lois bake her first cake!” Molly said with a mischievous laugh.
A shocked expression crossed Lois’ face. “What? No, that’s your job!”
Molly snickered and said, “Not tonight it ain’t! Its high time you learned a little bit about cooking. Back in college, the only thing you could make was popcorn. When Clark gets back he’s going to be so surprised his bride can actually cook!”
Turning to Abrihet she squeaked, “Are you in on this?”
The former Nigerian princess held up the sweater and said confidently, “Knitting a sweater with the herringbone stitch is not for cowards. Compared to that baking an apple cake will be as nothing. So, let us begin.”
Ten minutes later, Lois’ underutilized kitchen had been transformed.
“Martha, are you sure this will work?” Lois asked nervously, as she peeled the first of four large Granny Smith Apples. “When I decided my bridal party should get together tonight baking an apple cake was the last thing on my mind. Why can’t Molly or Abrihet do it? They have lots of experience.
Of course it will! My apple cake is a Kent family favorite. Besides you need to stretch your knowledge in the kitchen.
“Don’t worry Mrs. Kent, I’m standing by in case of emergencies!” Molly Flynn said happily.
Abrihet, joined in, “Oui, it is so good to be back in Metropolis just before the snow started. Bernard and I thought we were going to miss our flight from Paris on Thurday. Imagine my surprise when I heard Lois’ voice the answering machine inviting me over …especially in this cold. Thankfully the Metro Station is near our townhouse.”
Martha’s warm voice flowed from the phone’s speaker. See Lois, with a cheering squad like that behind you, how can this cake fail?
“Because I’m the one baking it! Honestly, does everyone think I’m going to eat this by myself? I spend enough time in the gym as it is.”
“Ah, that is where my scheme comes into play, Greg and I are celebrating six months of dating. We agreed to eat something dangerous and indulgent. I’m taking a slice of this cake to give to him at the Natural History Museum tomorrow. Besides apple cake with cream cheese frosting is perfect for this time of year.” Molly chirped.
“Hmmm, natural history and apple cake, now that does sound dangerous and indulgent!” Lois quipped.
“Its better than going to New Mexico and skydiving.”
Lois, Abrihet, and Martha all said at the same time, “Your foot is finally healed!”
Their friend’s only response was a wry chuckle.
“In any case, Bernard has tasted Martha’s cooking and would love une part de gâteau. Do not worry mon aimee, you only lack the time and instruction. With the three of us here, nothing shall go wrong.” Her lovely Nigerian accent, colored with French overtones and amusement hung in the air.
Lois grumbled good-naturedly and said, “Everyone seems to forget my lack of talent to bake, much less the ability to actually cook something edible! Besides, I have to finish writing an article for the Sunday edition. Mitch expects it by tomorrow at…”
“Nope! This is a girl’s night in… let’s enjoy it! Martha, if you were here, we could talk about farm-to-table cuisine. Imagine what a great section that might be for my next book?” Molly said.
No doubt thinking how many times Clark could have flown her to Metropolis, Martha responded thoughtfully, Now that is an idea. Oh Lois, don’t forget the butter and eggs have to be room temperature.
Molly picked up the large brown eggs and then touched the three sticks of unsalted butter and said, “Just right. When did you take them out of the fridge?”
Lois shrugged and said, “As soon as I got home from work. Around three o’clock, just before the snow started coming down.”
Abrihet’s eyebrow went up and she said, “Mon aimee, you departed work …. early?”
“I’m impressed,” Molly said.
Is everything all right Lois? Martha said with concern in her voice.
“Why the surprise? I have been looking forward to this night for a while. What could be better than takeout and having Molly bake Martha’s gourmet apple cake and cream cheese frosting with my friends? Not me doing it! I just wish Lucy could have come, but she’s studying for mid-terms.”
“Yeah, well don’t forget to save her a generous slice. She’s coming by to pick it up tomorrow.” Molly said.
Lois rolled her eyes in frustration. “Yeah, along with burrowing clothes, shoes and whatever else can fit in bottomless backpack of hers! Once I found my favorite little black dress and evening pumps stuffed in there!”
“Ah, the trials of university students. Simply be here when she arrives, so Lucy departs with only cake and good memories with her sister.” Abrihet said.
Lois put the peeler aside and said, “Easier said than done, but I’ll try it. Okay. Apples are done. Now what?”
Martha read the recipe. “In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together butter, brown sugar, and eggs until well combined, fold in grated and diced apples. Add flour mixture; mix just until combined. Divide batter among prepared pans; smooth tops.”
Lois frowned. “I have to do all that?”
“Yup, but don’t worry, the frosting will be my contribution,” Molly said as she began assembling ingredients on the other side of the kitchen counter that was now covered with mixing bowls, apple peelings, measuring spoons and two small jars of cinnamon and fresh nutmeg.
“Oui. I shall butter and flour the cake pans.” Realizing there was no more room for her tasks she picked up the flour, butter and three pans, then quickly moved from the counter to the kitchen table.
"Sounds like everything is going great. What will you do while it’s in the oven?"
“We’re going to watch Harrison Ford in
The Fugitive,” Lois said dreamily.
A giggle came over the phone speaker and Martha said, Harrison is adorable, but give me Tommy Lee Jones any time and Jeroen Krabbé is the perfect villain.
“Mrs. Kent, what would your husband say?” Molly squeaked.
Honey, that man knows Tommy Lee is one of my favorite actors. He took me to see Coal Miner’s Daughter at the old Smallville movie house back in 1980."
“Hmmm Krabbé reminds me of a CEO from an old investigation of mine. Stone and Mercantile manufactured some amazing kitchenware until the founder retired and sold the company. Unfortunately, the new CEO decided to steal the company coffers blind. What a creep.” Lois said as she carefully diced two of the apples.
“Hey, remember no shop talk! Tonight is all about the joys of baking!” Then Molly said thoughtfully, “Martha since its pretty cold outside, what’s a good soup for this kind of weather?”
As you know winters can get pretty chilly in Kansas, Jonathan and I love to have a pot of something mouthwatering bubbling away on the stove. The longer something can simmer, the better, until it fills your kitchen with the happy aroma of garlic, vegetables and herbs. My recipe for herbed white bean and sausage stew, made from dried, unsoaked Great Northern beans, sweet Italian sausage either pork or turkey and plenty of vegetables, takes up to two hours to reach a creamy consistency. Oh add a couple of parsnips! They give a touch of sweetness to the whole pot!
“Ah, like Nigerian Beef Stew! I should make that for Bernard this weekend.”
“Both recipes sound good, but can they be made without the meat?” Molly asked hopefully.
I don’t see why not. As a vegetarian cook, consider that a challenge.
With a brisk nod of her head Molly said, “Challenge accepted. Looks like Abrihet and I are going to be giving our personal cooking spaces a workout! So, what do you do while its simmering? It’s gotta be boring sitting in the kitchen waiting for the stew to finish.”
Goodness no! Life on the farm is non-stop, while the stew is going, I’m either tending to chores or tackling my latest welding art project. Meanwhile the whole house fills with the spicy aroma of vegetables and meat. When Jonathan, Ethan and I sit down to table and ladle up big bowls of stew along with fluffy yeast rolls just out of the oven all that waiting is worth it!”
Curious, Lois said while tentatively measuring the baking powder, “Who’s Ethan?”
Maisie’s youngest. He took a semester off from agricultural college in order to help his dad at the feed store and get some real-life farming experience. For a kid whose never baled hay or cleaned a barn, he’s doing a good job.
“I’m glad Jonathan has someone to help around the farm, especially …” Lois’ voice trailed off for a moment. The two women exchanged glances wondering if Lois would be so overcome with sadness she might put an end to the evening before it truly began.
Martha, unaware of what happened said, "I will honey, don’t you worry."
She shook her head as if to clear and errant thought, then said, “Please thank Ethan for helping out.”
Determined to lessen the tension, clearing her throat, Abrihet said, “The cake pans are done.”
Molly added with a cheerful voice that was a little too forced, “So are the dry ingredients, whisked to perfection.”
Great! Now, in a large bowl, whisk together butter, brown sugar, and eggs until well combined, fold in grated and diced apples. Add flour mixture; mix just until combined.
With a brittle smile, Lois followed Martha’s instructions. Ruining this time with her wonderful, patient friends and Clark’s mother was the last thing she wanted to do. With a tiny sigh she said, “I’m so glad you are all here to help me do this.” Her friends each placed a gentle hand on her shoulders and watched as Lois cautiously mixed all the ingredients together, they knew she wasn’t talking about baking.
Shortly Lois poured the batter into all three cakes pans, smoothed the tops and then each woman took a pan and placed it in the oven which had been preheated at 350 degrees.
Molly closed the oven door, sighed happily, and said, “Mission accomplished!”
"Not so fast! Is the frosting done, the timer set, and the cooling racks laid out?"
“Yes, Martha everything’s done.” Lois said proudly.
Suddenly the doorbell rang, and Lois went to the front door and after paying the person shouted out. “Dinner is here!”
“Viola! I’m famished!” Abrihet said.
“I’m looking forward to eating Pesto Caprese Sandwiches. The creamy mozzarella, basil, and fresh tomatoes really make a difference from the usual Friday night pizza. Now let’s sit down, watch Harrison Ford and wait for the apple cake to bake.” Molly said.
Martha sighed, Oh, I wish I was there to taste the sandwiches and watch Tommy Lee Jones. It sounds like so much fun! But looking at the time tells me I need to get our dinner started.
“What are you making Martha?” Lois said as she carried the large brown and white takeout bag into the kitchen and placed it on the table that Abrihet had cleared.
"We are having leftover brisket, Greek salad and baked sweet potato. Now Lois, don’t forget to call and tell me how everything turned out. I’m sure it will be a wonderful success!"
“Thanks for walking us through the recipe.” Lois said. Happy that she had gotten over the momentary sadness at Clark’s absence. From New Krypton he had encouraged her to be patient, but to also move forward in her life. Soon, she prayed, he would be by her side again.
The three women said good-bye and Martha rung off.
It was nearly forty minutes later that the oven timer dinged; Lois ignored the sound. She wasn’t used to hearing it. Besides, Dr. Richard Kimble had just confronted Sam Gerard in the tunnel under the reservoir. How could she walk away now?
Abrihet, quickly got up and moved to the kitchen, put on a pair of heavy red oven mitts, and pulled open the oven door. The pungent smells of baked apples, cinnamon and sugar filled the air. She stuck a toothpick in the center of each golden brown cake which happily came out clean.
“Viola! They are complete!”
“Already? Lois asked, as she paused the VCR. “I thought they needed another twenty minutes.”
“Nope,” Molly said, “This is a good oven, it gets hot quickly and maintains steady heat throughout the baking process. Boy, what stories I could tell about wonky stoves!”
Lois, with Abrihet’s help removed the pans to cool, while Molly reset the oven timer for twenty minutes. Than they returned to watching the movie.
Nearly fifteen minutes passed when Abrihet said, “Why is the river dyed …green?”
“Part of the St. Patrick’s day parade celebration,” Molly said, “The city of Chicago dumps about a hundred gallons of environmentally friendly dye into the river every year at this time.”
“I see…” Abrihet responded, clearly confused about this strange ritual.
Lois asked, “How do you know so much about it?”
Molly sighed, “While in Seattle, I briefly dated a doctor from Chicago. He was actually there when The Fugitive parade scenes were being filmed. He remembers watching Tommy Lee Jones chasing Harrison Ford through the streets, it was really funny!”
“What happened to the
ọrẹkunrin?”
“Uh?” Lois said.
“Ah … sorry. That word means ‘boyfriend’ in Yoruba.”
“Still in Seattle I guess. He loved being a doctor more than being with me.”
“Sorry to hear that.” Lois said.
She shrugged, “Don’t be. If we hadn’t broken up I wouldn’t have come back home and met Greg.”
“This is a promising relationship, yes?” Abrihet asked.
Molly smiled in the affirmative and was about to say something when the sharp ‘ding’ was heard, alerting the women that the cakes had cooled and were ready to come out of their pans.
Lois, brimming with eager anticipation jumped up from the couch and said, “Times up! Those cakes need to come out of their pans. You two can sit and watch Kimble avoid the bad and the good guys.”
“Maybe we should help?’ Molly said cautiously.
“We promised Mrs. Kent.” Abrihet chimed in.
Lois didn’t respond, only stepped up to the table and grabbing a pan turned it over onto the wire rack and jerked it up, the rough movements caused the cake to split straight down the middle.
“Oh no!” Lois dropped the pan, balled her hands into fists and wailed, “It’s ruined. All that work for nothing. See, me in the kitchen means its federal disaster time!”
Molly studied the cake, it was split down the middle, but by no means ruined. “Its fine Lois, just split. Let’s get the other two layers out, let them finish cooling for a few more minutes, than frost ‘em.”
“But what about the bad layer?”
“Place that layer in the middle, thick frosting hides a multitude of sins. Take it from me, I’ve seen a lot worse.” Molly said with a smirk, “By my own hand.”
Folding her arms across her chest Lois said, “Fine, but I’m not taking out the other layers.”
Abrihet shook her head and said, “My dear friend, you are. What is the saying, ‘Practice makes perfect.”
“I’ll break those two.” Lois said with a pout.
“Unlikely.” Molly said, “Now, remember to gently tap the bottom of the pan.”
Gingerly she approached the table and with her friends watching, picked up a pan, turned over and tapped the bottom with three fingers. She lifted the pan and its contents slide out, a perfectly brown round layer of baked goodness.
Lois held her breath as she repeated the process again, with the same sweet results.
“Congratulations, your first cake is out of the baking pans.” Molly said happily. “Now let’s get back to the movie for ten minutes, than the frosting begins!”
Buoyed by success, Lois gave a lopsided grin and said, “Sure. How hard can it be?”
Three layers of delicately spiced apple cake are filled and frosted with flavorful cream-cheese frosting, creating a lofty dessert worthy of any movie night.
Twenty minutes later the three women sat in front of the television with cups of coffee flavored with Almond creamer and freshly ground nutmeg. On each woman’s lap was a plate that held a luscious slice of apple cake.
“Oh, this is so good!” mumbled Molly around a bite.
“Perhaps Bernard’s slice will not make it home.” Abrihet said as her fork dug into the creamy frosting.
With a giggle Lois said, “Oh, bring him a piece. He’ll never believe I made it.”
“Nonsense. I shall tell him!”
Later that evening when her guests had departed, Lois sat down and contemplated the advice Clark had given her about reaching out to friends and family. She was still desolate. But at least the loneliness with such a support system was easier to bear. She hoped and prayed that her fiancé had such a support system on New Krypton.
