Louis and Sandra

As the autumn sun began to descend a small smile crept across Sandra‘s face. Although her Sunday evening routine wasn’t new, it never failed to give her a sense of purpose or a warm, fuzzy feeling in her tummy. She cheerily called upstairs, “I’m going to make a start now!” then lifted herself out of the cosy armchair and made her way into the heart of the house. 

This was her favourite room and it was set up just as she wanted it- everything to hand- some might say messy but it made things easy for her. 

She rummaged through the crowded kitchen draw until she found her trusty, well-loved note book and turned its curled form over to a fresh page. “Timings, timings, the sands of time wait for no man” she muttered to herself as she began to write out the timings for the different components of the meal. 

Each week she would try something new- she once read it was important in a relationship to try different things and show you weren’t complacent and her and Louis had always prided themselves on that throughout their years of marriage. 

She prized open the stiff fridge door and grabbed the ingredients she needed for the Thai beef curry before laying them out neatly on the kitchen counter top. Just as she started chopping the onions, she paused - was Louis calling her? She shouted up the stairs and waited, but no response- what she could hear was the football match she had put on for him earlier. “Men and their sports“ she chuckled to herself and resumed chopping. As the onions began to sting her eyes, her mind darted through all the relatable memories and thoughts-personal and universal: her teenage years where she cut them with a spoon in her mouth, the time her dad had jokingly donned swimming goggles, of course the quotable childhood film “onions have layers” and finally the sad story of the man who- suddenly her thoughts were halted by the harsh sound of the doorbell. 

She rinsed her hands and patted them on her dress before opening the door. The golden, damp of the autumn air was a welcome comparison to the stuffy central heating and the heat of the kitchen. She looked down. A small brown parcel sat on the front step and Sandra tried to wave to the Amazon delivery driver who was speeding off for his next drop. “Was waving the done thing these days?” She often felt out of touch with social interactions in recent times, but tried not to dwell on this as it was a vicious circle to say the least... 

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She locked the door and placed the safety train across, there would be no need to go outside for the rest of the evening she assured herself. “Now where was I?....” she checked the recipe card for the dish, collected the dry ingredients out of the cupboard and grabbed the oil. She fried the onions cautiously , trying her best to get them golden and not burnt before adding the rich, fragrant spices. Trains of thought arrived and left the station of Sandra’s mind as she continued to prepare the Sunday meal- fleeting ones,  silly ones, to do list ones and sentimental, nostalgic ones Most people would think her silly for putting so much thought into cooking this type of meal on a Sunday night every week, but they didn’t know the ways in which Louis had supported her over the years without fail. This was her little way of saying thank you. 

With the saucepan sizzling, she carefully opened the plastic packaging and separated the hefty chunks of beef- oh how she hated the smell of the uncooked meat! After quickly adding them to the saucepan, she throughly washed her hands, slightly burning them in her attempt to remove all traces of raw meat before setting about making the creamy coconut curry sauce. 

While the curry was bubbling away nicely,  Sandra wiped down all the kitchen counter tops and began to prepare the table settings. For someone who lacked finesse, she made sure everything was laid out just-so for the Sunday dinner: plates, cutlery, serviettes and a few candles for a sense of occasion. She stepped back proudly and took in the setting - “just one thing missing” she mused as she commanded Apple home to play a “dinner party playlist”. 

Sandra entered back into the kitchen and gave the curry one last stir- yes, her hour and a half of toiling was well spent- it smelt delicious. She heated the sticky rice she had prepared and was ready to dish up.....”Dinner’s ready Louis” she whispered gently, voice trailing as she poured herself a large glass of White wine. 

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With dinner finished and the plates cleared away, Sandra drained the last dregs of wine for her glass before adding it to the dishwasher and wearily making her way up the stairs. 

On the landing, photos of their children and grandchildren met her tired eyes and she smiled “must FaceTime them tomorrow” she mentally noted, although she appreciated this was difficult with the time difference. 

With a full tummy, she took her time getting ready for bed, finding enjoyment in the multi step skin care routine her friend Jackie had got her for a “pick- me-up present”. 

After changing into her pyjamas, she turned off the TV she had put on earlier in the afternoon. 

Sitting on the edge of the bed she reached her hand over to Louis’s side. “Did you like your dinner darling?” She said softly looking at a photo of them from over 10 years ago placed on the bedside table. 6 years without him and she still cooked for both of them- only on a Sunday now. As she got under the covers and curled up on her side she hoped her dreams would lead her to him once again- “the sands of time wait for no man, but in dreams, we can go back and leave more footprints in them....”