.Page 1 "Ever try cooking with your Nana or Papa? Not me. Eating’s more their thing,"
Page 2 "When they cook, it’s plain. Huge — but plain. With a side salad. Dry,"
Page 3 "They have spices. Salt. Pepper. Sweet’N Low. (Which is not extra delicious in your birthday cake.),"
Page 4 "I’ll cook and make them love spices! A bubbling beef bourguignon with cherries jubilee lit on fire!"
Page 5 "Tonight, we cook!
"Who’s we?" asks Papa,
"Fun! Where?" chimes Nana,.
"Here! We are cooking!"I beam
Page 6
"Wonderful!"Nana pops up.
Papa pumps his fist, "To the Price Chawppa!"
"What the whosma?! Now?"
It's early bird hour--
Nanas insist nothings fresh.
Papas circle the free samples
Wheelchairs face off
The doors whoosh open.
Dressed and ready, octogenarians charge the aisles, hunting tonight’s kill—and their sciatica meds.
I want to run."
"Grab Papa a papaya! I’ll get the pippins!" calls Nana,
A wave of white-hairs barrels towards the avocados on sale. CRASH! "Wrong cart, Dahlink!" I’m crowd-surfed into a cart. I've squished a squash
"Peeping through the chaos, I can’t see my Nana. They’re all the same—whitish hair, size small. Which one is my Nana?!.
I dash toward the bakery. A Nana squeezes every bagel. Some have bite marks!
'Stale. Stale. These yesterdays, Marv?'
Thankfully… not my Nana,"
"Glimpsing her orange sweater set, I shout, 'Nana Lois!'
Two papas and three nanas turn and stare. They point to the pickles. I hand each a jar. Like I work here.
Page 10.5
A scream splits the store in half.
The PB&J aisle.
“Nana! I’m coming!”
[Illustration: child running toward a distant scream, shelves in disarray.]
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Page 11
Grabbing wet wipes in case she's doused i. grape j, a Papa shoves a jar at me.
“You stock my Meemaw’s famous jam!”
“I don’t work here, sir.”
What is a Meemaw?
[Illustration: child holding jam jar, puzzled, Papa pointing at shelf.]
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Page 12
I live here now —
between Meemaw’s jam
and the marmalade.
(I hate marmalade.)
Then —
Like a Christmas tree on the Fourth of July —
I spot it!
INTERNATIONAL. IYKYK
Nanas’ gefilte fish and Kosher items live there!
[Illustration: child wide-eyed, shelves full of colorful jars and packages, holiday-like sparkle on the items.]
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Page 13
Relief!
the bright orange sweater,
handbag clutched tight,
that little gasp she makes
when startled by absolutely nothing.
“Nana!”
I dive into her arms.
“You lost me,” I say.
“I had my eye on you the whole time.”
[Illustration: warm embrace, child lifted off feet, happy expressions.]
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Page 14
We hug tighter —
“I’d search the whole world for you, kid.”
And just like that,
Salt and Pepper are my favorite spices!
[Illustration: close-up of child and Nana smiling, little heart or spice jars in the background.]
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Page 15
In fact, I’m
all
for salmon slathered
in mayo topped with parm.
And a side salad.
Dry.
As long as it’s with Nana and Papa!
Behind us,
Papa slips Meemaw’s jam into the cart.
“A local guy’s Meemaw made this. So I bought
four.”
[Illustration: child and Papa walking away from cart, jars of jam visible, happy chaos behind.]
