There has never been any question left unanswered when it comes to my personal preferences. I adore older men. I've reached a pivotal point in my life that allows me to spend most of my time devoted to the men I adore. I am an avid cook, maybe a few steps just below an accomplished chef de cuisine I like to think, I'm chuckling, I'm a damn good cook. In any case, a few of my gentleman friends asked if I would consider giving them a few pointers in the kitchen. Contrary to what you may think, I do have male friends who have never been anything more than plutonic relationships.
Many of my boys, I always refer to them as "My Boys" never had the time to learn the basics or had no reason to make the kitchen part of their daily routines. I started a weekly group meeting and would choose a particular menu, send out an e-mail, and spend a few hours in the afternoon instructing.
The people I met were wonderful and I had a great time. One of the extra added surprises was that many of the seniors I met had family recipes going back to when they children. I may have been the instructor but I learned quite a lot along the way.
I received a call from a gentleman who was wondering if he could invite a few of his friends over for a group lesson. It seems that he had made a few of the recipes I'd given him for his buddies and they wanted to cook them for other friends and family.
I arrived at Stuart's home at precisely noon. There were a few extra cars in the driveway so I suspected his group had already arrived. I could hear the laughing and talking as I got closer to the door. I knocked and heard the familiar "Come on in."
"Well, there you are Layla; I've got the boys all ready for today's lesson."
I walked ahead of Stuart into the kitchen and sure enough there were five other fellows waiting for the lesson to begin.
"This is Layla guys; she's the lovely lady who taught me to cook. So, let me introduce you to the guys Layla."
Dennis was a man in his late sixties and had recently moved to the community. He lost his wife a few years prior and with his kids grown he just decided he'd move to a warmer climate and spend the rest of his days playing golf and fishing.
Mike, he was a retired railroad man. He and his wife lived just up the street from Stuart and he wanted to learn how to cook a meal for his wife. Mike was seventy seven and he and his wife Ann just celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary.
Ted and Leo were brothers who Dennis has known for many years; in fact it was the brothers who convinced him to move into the community when he lost his wife. Ted was the older brother and clearly the stronger personality. Leo was a much laid back man, quiet and reserved. The brothers lived a few streets down and had been here for many years. I guessed they were close in age and probably well into their seventies.
Al, a retired fireman met Stuart on the golf course. He was a very happy fellow; the smile never left his face. It seems that Al had his eye on a certain lady and wanted to invite her for dinner, the problem was Al didn't know very much about cooking. I laughed when he said that at his age, 73, he hoped that the old adage "You can't teach on old dog new tricks" didn't apply to him.
"Well, I'm impressed Stuart, it great to see that these fine gentlemen thought enough of your cuisine to want to learn how to do it themselves, I'd say I have created a chef."
The afternoon was quite a success. We made a basic salad, and vinaigrette that everyone enjoyed. The main course was a simple beef and vegetable soup with a rich beef and wine broth, garlic bread with a cheese topping. Dessert was a simple pound cake, some fresh strawberries and homemade whipped crème which I must admit was the ultimate hit of the whole meal.
The afternoon had flown by and it was already after four. The friends had a good time, cracking jokes, teasing each other and just having fun. One by one as they left they thanked me for the lesson and said it would be great if we could do it again. Stuart's wife Debbie had returned from her lunch with a friend, we spoke for a few minutes and I said my goodbyes.
I had a few errands to run on the way home and finally arrived just after six. The afternoon was very rewarding. There is something to be said with doing something for others just because. I saw that there was a message on my machine and stopped to see who it was.
"Hello, this is Ted; we met this afternoon at Stu's. My brother Leo and I were wondering if we could have you come to our place for a few more lessons. Give me a call."
Ted left his number and I thought I'd call after dinner.
"Hello"
"Hello is this Ted, this is Layla how are you?"
"Oh, hello Layla, thanks for calling me back."
"I'm glad you and Leo had such a good time this afternoon, so much so that you'd like a few more lessons is that right?"
"Yeah, me and my brother are lousy cooks; mostly we eat out or just throw something frozen in the oven. We got to talking on the way home and I decided to give you a call and see if you have any time to teach us a few more recipes."
"You did very well today, so sure I can do that, when would you like to get together, I'm busy tomorrow but any day after that is fine."
"Okay, well good, how about Friday?"
"That's fine Ted, how about ten o'clock Friday morning that will give us a good part of the day. Is there anything special you'd like to try?"
"Leo and I have a few idea's,so just come on over and we'll see how it goes. I'll make sure we go shopping tomorrow so we have all the things we need. Maybe if we do okay you can stay for dinner?"
"I actually don't have any plans for the evening so okay, that sounds like fun. I'll see you on Friday morning."
Ted gave me directions and the plans were made. I was happy with the prospect of teaching the brothers how to cook good wholesome food. Older people don't always eat well and if I could give them what they needed I was thrilled to help.
Friday morning was here before I knew it. I showered and dressed and got to their house at just about ten o'clock. The brothers lived in a very secluded part of the community. Their home was at the end of a road that only had one other house on it at the very beginning of the street. The house was small but well kept. The lawn was mowed and they actually had some really pretty landscaping. I parked in the driveway and walked to the door admiring the beautifuk flowers. Ted had evidently watched me pull in and was already waiting to greet me.
"Good morning Ted, what a beautiful yard you have, someone spends quite a bit of time out here."
"Leo and I had a landscaping business for almost forty five years before we sold it and retired. These hot summers got too much for us and the old bodies gave out. We still like working in the dirt so we keep it looking nice as we can.
Come on in."
Ted stepped aside and I walked into a very lovely home. I must admit I wasn't expecting it. Two older men living together don't usually take the time to keep a house so nice. Leo was in the living room and got up to say hello when Ted closed the door.
"Hello Layla, we're sure glad you could come over, I'm pretty tired of frozen food and going out."
"It's my pleasure Leo, nice to see you again. So did you have time to go shopping?"
