It was my turn to host the book group tonight. I went to get a tenner out and it said I only have £1.38. My peculatory gains have been spent or sent to Italy for the holiday. Then the tardy postman arrived with a letter and a fiver from my Mum.
With things I already had in the house, the food was sorted. Delia Smith's "Moroccan" salad (couscous, hard boiled eggs, sundried tomatoes, olives, rocket, grilled yellow pepper, cherry tomatoes, garlicky dressing), baby potatoes in soured cream, Martha Rose Shulman's cheese pastries made from Bowland Organic Lancashire and Parmesan.
But no wine and no coal. Coal is expensive and takes several days to be delivered. I rang Niall, who's in the book group. "Hiya Niall. Feel a bit awkward about this but I'm a bit strapped for cash, very strapped actually. I was just wondering if you could buy a bottle of red and one of white and bring them round, and I can see you right on Monday." Niall apologised, "You know I would if I could."
I texted Kirsty. "I'm sorry to ask you this but I was just wondering if you might be able to led me £10 until tomorrow. It's just that I'm hosting the book group tonight and I haven't got anything to give them to eat." Lying a bit.
Kirsty shook her head as she gave me a tenner. I enjoyed making the food, talking to myself with the luxury of no-one else in the house. I laid out the table with cutlery and crockery. It looked attractive and colourful. Blue fairy lights over the fireplace, tea lights in frosted purple glasses. "This looks cosy," said Niall as he walked in, which made me have a little swell of pride as a host. They woofed the food, another compliment. Hardly anything left. The book was my choice, as host, so we discussed William H Gass's Omensetter's Luck which I first came across from its enthusiastic advocacy on An und für sich
