Zoe Lambros's nose twitched, and she imagined herself on the Lambros farm in Farsala, Greece. She rubbed her nose with her hand, remembering how her cousin Artemis rolled their makeshift cigarettes made of cow dung and set them on fire. The bitter aftertaste in her throat was precisely the same as smoking those dung cigarettes.
Zoe pinched herself, hoping she wasn't dreaming, but it was not to be. "What is that godawful smell!" She reached for the light switch next to her bed and turned it on. The room was flooded with a warm light. "Oh, God, Evy, what is that smell!" she repeated as she huddled under the quilt.
"Well, it would be a nice stew for lunch, but..."
No sooner had Eva confessed than Zoe's head popped out of the quilt. "My kitchen!"
"Well, it's our kitchen."
"Evy! Did you set it on fire?" Zoe threw back the blanket and was ready to bolt out and see the damage, but Eva stopped her. "What did you do?"
"I made breakfast, went to the icebox, and took out the lamb shank. It was frozen." Eva gave Zoe a quick smile. "I decided to thaw it out, and while waiting, I fell asleep on the sofa and..."
Zoe's green eyes widened. "You fell asleep?"
"Yes..."
"Oh, no..." Zoe swung her legs over the side. "What did you do?"
"Well, I was hoping to surprise you by having your breakfast ready, and then I thought I would have your lunch made for your first day." Eva got off her knees and sat beside Zoe on the bed.
"What time did you wake up?"
"About two hours ago. I was excited that you were starting your dream job and wanted to make it special." Eva put her arm around Zoe and kissed her. "I took out the oats you had in the refrigerator and cut up some fruits, just the way you like it."
Zoe's smile widened. "You're a little too excited this morning."
"Hm, yes, but..."
"What else did you do that has the house stinking like a blocked-up toilet?"
"Let me just say the kitchen didn't catch fire."
Zoe stared at her wife and sighed. "All right. I'm ready."
"I put the lamb in the pressure cooker to thaw it out, added some water, and—"
"Oh, no!" Zoe bolted out of bed and down the corridor to the kitchen, followed by Eva. Initially, the damage to the kitchen wasn't as bad as she had anticipated until she looked up at the ceiling. It had cracked where the pressure lid had hit it. Zoe turned to Eva and pointed up. "There's a hole up there."
"Not really; it's just cracked paint... it's not as bad as the kitchen window."
Zoe gaped at Eva before she turned to the window and her eyes widened. "There's a hole in the window!"
"Hm. The lamb shank hit it."
"The shank hit it," Zoe repeated and leaned over the bench to look outside. The meat had been stopped from rolling onto the grass by the porch pillar. Zoe turned to face her wife. "You did all of this for me?"
"Yes. The plan had some problems, but..." Eva shrugged.
"You worked so hard to get the money for the cooker." Zoe put her arms around Eva's waist and looked up. "You are just adorable. The place stinks, but I'm glad you weren't hurt by the flying cooker."
Eva hugged her, letting out a gentle laugh. "I'm surprised you didn't hear the explosion. I saved the porridge." Her words stuttered into each other as she tried to speak and laugh at the same time. Eva kissed Zoe on the cheek and held her tight. "We're okay. That is all that matters."