Duke’s Favorite

That evening she made Duke’s favorite supper:

2½ lbs pork ribs

2 cups pineapple juice

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons sesame oil

4 cloves chopped garlic

Hot red-pepper flakes

2 teaspoons chopped ginger root

She simmered the ribs in pineapple juice until almost all of it had evaporated, then tossed them in the rest of the ingredients so that they could marinate for thirty minutes. Then she baked them in a hot oven until they were crispy.

“To what do I owe this pleasure to?” asked Duke, with marinade glistening on his chin.

“I don’t know. I just thought it was time we started trying to be nice to each other.”

Duke sniffed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“You look different. You wearing some kind of different eye shadow or something?”

“Unh-hunh. Same old Midnight Caress.”

“Who thinks these stupid things up, huh? Midnight Caress.”

Bonnie helped herself to salad, and thought of Ralph’s hand reaching across the bed in the small hours of the morning and gently cupping her breast.

“Any beans left?” asked Ray.

“Sure.” Bonnie stood up. “You want some more, Duke?”