Daily Bread

I've had pizza on my mind now for days. Once a long time ago I had the craving, So off I went to buy a pizza pan that cost me a fortune, not to mention the price of the ingredients. I was so compulsive back then. The masterpiece was put together and placed in the oven. My feelings of accomplishment were short lived. The pan started to smoke from oil spilling over. Disaster! Today I'm a little less compulsive. I mixed the dough up this morning, and let it rise for two hours like the book said. Did not try to rush the process. My pace has been right-size since my bout with the flu. I couldn't find my spring coat, so I cleaned a cupboard. I've been waiting to change this room around for some time now. Pushed and pulled, changed this and that, it's starting to shape up and look more like me. The time has come at last to roll or toss the dough. I pulled it and let it hang till it looked like I could put it in the square jelly-roll pan. No pizza pan for me this time. The sides of the jelly-roll pan will ensure no juices spilling. Placed my cheese and pepperoni over a great tomato sauce I had prepared ahead of time and in she went into a 500 degree oven. It was when I took my pizza out of the oven and placed it on the counter that I started to feel like a woman in her clean, cozy, warm house with food prepared for those she wishes to please. "Why can't it be like this?" An intruding thought came into my head, breaking up my sense of well-being. Then my thoughts went back to the safeness of the moment. Today's woman must leave her safe places sometimes to ensure it will be there when she returns. My kitchen duties have enriched my life, centered me. As a young girl my passions took me out of the kitchen into the world sometimes far away from home. I would discover how brave and worldly I was and vow never to return to the kitchen. "Duties be damned," thought I.

Copyright; Ruth Mahoney 21-Apr-88