Momma Flo and MTLC

Prompt: Set your story in your favorite place in the world.

Momma Flo and MTLC

“Teddy, I’ve got something for you,” as my Momma called from the kitchen. Right away I knew it would be yummy. When I entered the kitchen, she looked at me with her saucer-like, loving eyes. “Teddy Bear, I know how much you enjoy licking my wooden spoon so I added extra for more tasty fun,” she smiled as she handed me the wooden spoon. It was heaven on a stick. My Momma, Florence knew how to feed my sweet tooth. She was in her element in the kitchen. Before television promoted cuisine cooking and delectable delicacies, my Momma was hard at work creating incredible meals, pastries, and delightful oven creations for years. Ever since I could remember the kitchen was always my Momma’s special haven. As time would pass, it became my favorite place to go for so many reasons.

No one in the family dared to interrupt her while she was assembling one of her special recipes over a hot stove. We did not need to see her to know the intensity of her labors. Seemingly, day or night we could smell the aromas of her fabulous creations whether sweet, savory, or simply as fresh baked bread. My dad never intruded on her endeavors except to wash and dry dishes. Once I asked him why he did not get a dishwasher and my dad responded “It ensures me an opportunity to get some quality time with your mom.” I scratched my head wondering when did they ever get the time to have eight children? But that did not matter. Momma (and dad) loved us all. But I think I was Momma’s favorite because I got more private invitations into her Momma cave, the kitchen.

She never called it “the kitchen.” Instead, it became the room where “taste buds come alive and tummies get filled.” She referred to it as “Momma’s Tender Loving Center (MTLC).” Her kitchen was huge. It had a commercial oven and stove. A cork board the size of a school chalk board showcased recipes and pictures of family and friends. Cupboards containing various cookware and dishes outlined the perimeter of the MTLC. Homemade knickknacks from us and many of the neighborhood kids dotted the shelves as well. The center feature of her room was the dining table capable of seating sixteen guests comfortably. I wondered if my parents planned on increasing our number from eight to a manageable baker’s dozen. Momma insisted that one spot should remain empty for that surprise guest. Surprisingly, very few meals were ever repeated. The dinner menu was as diverse as the family and friends seated at the table. It was always filled to capacity except for that one empty spot.I wondered if Momma was saving it for a homeless person or a wandering angel.

As I got older my imagination went amuck. When she was at the height of her daily preparations, Momma reminded me of a mad scientist. She would dress up for each holiday and cook in her attire. Halloween was very spirited (pun intended) as Momma would adorn her cookies and candy with scary ghosts, goblins, and skeletons that looked like little kids. Yikes! Her arms flayed about. A fine dusting of flour permeated the air. Buzzing and grinding noises filled my ears. I thought maybe she was assembling the body of Frankenstein! Nonetheless, it was obvious to see how much Momma loved the kids in the neighborhood. Her kitchen became a bastion of good treats, lots of love, and a safe place to retreat from obnoxious strangers and some overbearing parents.

My Momma showcased her cooking finesse every Sunday. Her preparations were not just for our family. She would invite a family from the neighborhood. On other days she would host dinners for us and neighbors to celebrate birthday parties, graduations, and other special occasions. Her generosity and flamboyant cooking style earned her the title of Flambé Flo because her meals were spectacular and dramatic like steak flambé or crepes Suzette including some of her desserts such as cherries jubilee and creme brûlée. Momma could transport her guests, including the family, to points around the globe. One night her dinner would send us to the hillsides of Rome with her Italian fare. The following night our tastebuds would be boarding a flight to the streets of Paris. And she would even give the family a week-long vacation to the Greek Isles with her souvlaki, spetsofai, roasted feta, and tzatziki sauce. We never knew where we were ending up next in our culinary adventures!

Momma was a magician with food and we were in her magical place. I revered her place for more than just her food. Like I said before, I suspected that I was Momma’s favorite child. When I was not receiving special treats from her, I was pulling on her apron strings asking her all kinds of questions. Meanwhile my brothers and sisters would always be occupied doing their own things. Momma never tired of me being with her in Tender Loving Center. When there was a break in her activity I got to connect with my Momma. We would sit together at the kitchen table and she would gently say, “Teddy Bear, I am all ears. What’s on your mind my precious son?” That was my cue to unload my issues of the day and receive copious amounts of her TLC. No doubt I was a real Momma’s boy!

Over the years Momma would not disappoint and provide me with attention while being a creative genius in her cave. She was always attentive to my questions and my feelings as we sat at the enormous table. I would engage her with such topics like school, girls, where do babies come from, or why do people get married? As I got into my teenage years, Momma never stopped seeing me in her MTLC, the kitchen. The topics seemed not to change so much. Somehow our chats still involved school, girls, sex, marriage, and big families.

The years marched on. Momma’s Tender Loving Center seemed to fade away. Occasionally a friend or two might stop by. The neighborhood kids had grown up and no longer visited. Momma stopped making treats. One day I came home from college seeing her at the kitchen table with her head resting at the table. “Momma, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” I asked with great concern. She replied, “Oh, Teddy-Bear, Momma is so tired. My heart aches because time has stolen away my energy. I am feeble and have grown weary. The joy I had making others happy with my food creations has melted away like the buttercream frostings on my cakes. No one comes by any more. And yet the empty seat for the unknown guest has not been filled in all the days that I have served my family and neighbors.”

I held her shoulders. “Momma, you taught all of us well. You showed our family, friends, and strangers the meaning of selfless love through your culinary gifts. Do not be disheartened because the King of Glory has prepared for you a place at the head of His table.” I quoted Scripture, “For I (Jesus) was hungry and you gave Me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was in need and you invited Me in.” (1) “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me.” (2)

I said, “Momma, your giving spirit touched the lives of so many people. You entertained angels without knowing it.”

“Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” (3)

After hearing these words Momma rested her head on the table and fell asleep.

-END-

Matthew 25:35 (New International Version)

Matthew 25:40 (NIV)

Hebrews 13:1-2 (NIV)

Author:Pete Gautchier

Acknowledgement:Reedsy.com prompts