Love potion
The guy told me “It only takes one drop to work,” when I bought the vial.
At home, I pulled the dropper out of the vial and squeezed three drops into a bowl, then cracked an egg and measured in a cup of flour, some sugar, chocolate chips, vanilla, and baking soda. My wife walked in the door an hour late with the same bags under her eyes and hunch in her back. She dropped her purse onto the floor as the couch caught her in its orbit and pulled. Still wearing her scrubs, she flopped down and clicked the TV on, kicking her shoes into the middle of the floor. Next thing I know I’m pouring her a glass of wine.
She took the glass and swallowed a big sip. “My back hurts from standing all day. I feel like an old lady.”
“Old lady, that reminds me, your grandma stopped by. She brought her normal cookies.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. Might be her best batch yet. Want one?”
“No thanks. I just wanna chill out and watch our show. Sit down hon.”
“Sure.”
She put on the show and I sat down.
“How’s the baby?” she asked.
“Calm. Didn’t cry much today.”
“Mm. That’s good.”
“The baby loves your grandma’s cookies.”
“Oh yeah?”
“I want one, do you want one?”
“No thanks.” She took a sip of wine as I grabbed a cookie from the counter.
“Let’s play a game, you pretend to be the baby, okay? Here comes the cookie!” I put it right in front of her face. “It smells good, right? Open up!”
She pulled away. “I’m not hungry right now babe, I had a big salad at work.”
“More for me!” I sat down and had a nibble. The crumbs were so strong, so flavorful. I took a bigger bite, drooled, and stared at the corner of the room as the wall was swallowed up by our painting of a bear eating a fish in a rushing creek. I walked into the painting, feeling a blast of cool air hit my face as the spray of the creek kissed my legs. I stepped into the water, feeling the ice cold rocks under my feet, and I approached the bear. Up close I realized that he was just a cub. The fish dropped from his mouth into my hungry hands. “Thank you,” I said.
“It isn’t free,” the cub said. “If you cook it for me, you can have half.” It sounded fair to me, so I walked into the kitchen, set the cast iron skillet onto the stove, and poured in a dribble of olive oil, then set the fish down. I seasoned it with salt, pepper, cumin, lemon, and rosemary. The cub said that it was the best fish he had ever had.
I shrugged. It wasn’t as good as the cookie.
I looked over at my wife. Oh my god! She was so beautiful! How did l get a girl like her? How did I get so lucky?
“This cookie is so good,” I said.
“That’s good hon.” She raised the wine glass to her lips.
“Wanna make love?” I asked.
She paused.
“I’m just kidding,” I said.
She tilted the bottom of her glass up, draining it, so I went and poured her another.