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“Are you all right, lelka?” she heard Solon rumble from her left. “Are you having difficulty finding selections you like for Last Meal?”
Abbey coughed and fanned at the awful scent.
“I just…haven’t found anything that’s quite right for me yet,” she said, aware that the Empress might hear her.
“If I may make a suggestion, I believe you’re looking at the high-end part of the menu,” Solon told her. “The heading at the top of the card says, ‘Rare Delicacies.’ Maybe you’d have better luck at the bottom part of the card which is labeled, ‘Hearty Everyday Fare.’ The chud-wump sando smells especially nice—at least to me.”
“Oh? Which bump is that?” Abbey asked. She was beginning to feel desperate and she hoped that the big Monstrum was right.
“Here, let me show you.” Solon’s big, warm hand covered hers and he led her fingers to the bottom part of the card and the correct bump. “Try that one,” he told her. “It reminded me of a delicacy I had while visiting Earth called a ‘roast beast sandwich.’”
“Do you mean ‘roast beef?’” Abbey asked, laughing.
“Possibly.” His golden blur made a motion she had learned meant he was shrugging his shoulders. “Whatever it was called, I found it delicious. Try it.”
Feeling slightly encouraged, Abbey raised the menu card to her nose again. This time the aerosol-like spray that went up her nose and into her mouth wasn’t bad at all. In fact, it was rather good.
“Mmm—I can smell fresh baked bread… and rare roast beef… and some kind of spicy mustard,” she remarked. “And some spice I can’t name, but it smells delicious!”
“That’s the one to choose then,” Solon remarked. “But don’t give up—I believe you’re allowed as many selections as you want. You should try a few of the other bumps as well.”
Abbey wasn’t eager to get sprayed in the face by something nasty again, but she reluctantly tried a few more of the Hearty Fare scent/taste bumps. She got one that smelled like road-kill and another that was reminiscent of skunk spray—the Tengulans certainly seemed to like strong smelling foods! But she also got a bump that sprayed a scent that was almost like fresh French fries with a kind of citrus twist and another that reminded her of French Onion Soup.
When the waiters finally returned, Abbey was ready with her order.
“I’ll have the chud-wump sando, the molly-golly-gooten-tot, and the gargen-heimer,” she told him. She didn’t order the fart-flavored cheese and was relieved when the Empress didn’t say anything about it.
“Very well, Lady Abbey—your dishes will be out shortly,” the server promised. He whisked away the menu card but Abbey called,
“Wait! Can I keep that?”
“Oh, good idea, my dear,” she heard the Empress say. “You might want seconds. Or if you’d like any of tonight’s dishes brought to your room later, for a little snack, you have only to call the Royal Kitchen on the com system and ask.”
“Thank you,” Abbey said, smiling. Actually, she wanted the menu card for a souvenir. She could just imagine her friends’ reaction to the different scents and smells if she brought it to her high school reunion.
Now that she and Solon had decided to Bond, she was definitely going, she told herself. She wanted to show off the big Monstrum and remember the good times she’d had while trying to forget the bad times.
For so long, the memory of the attack had hung over that part of her life. Abbey wanted to reclaim her high school experience and brush away the cobwebs of fear and hurt. Since Solon had come into her life, she’d found real joy again and she wanted to shine that light into even the darkest corners of her past.
She tucked the menu card beside her plate and then reached for the big Monstrum’s hand. Bringing it to her lips, she kissed it.
“What is that sweet gesture for?” Solon growled softly.
“It’s just a thank you,” Abbey told him. “I can’t remember a time when I was happier than I have been since you came for me.”
“I feel the same way about you, lelka.” He raised her hand and Abbey felt him kiss it, just as she had kissed his.
“Oh, Pretty Abbey, the fur-man is giving you love-looks again!” Spex squeaked in her ear, making her laugh. “And the server-man is bringing food too,” he added.
Sure enough, the food was arriving. Abbey could hear the clinking of plates as dishes were set before her. As he placed the dishes, the server spoke in her ear.
“Lady Abbey, there are three round dishes placed before you in a triangular pattern,” he murmured. “At the top of the triangle, furthest from you, is your chud-wump sando. To the right and slightly below it is the molly-golly-gooten-tot. And to the left and below is the gargen-heimer you ordered. Everything has been cut into bite-sized pieces for your convenience and all can be eaten with your fingers. Please enjoy your food.”
“Thank you,” Abbey told him. She liked that he had given her such a good explanation of exactly what was in front of her and where everything was located. It was nice that everything was cut up as well. She could use utensils, of course, but it could be difficult cutting food she couldn’t see into bite-sized pieces. She was pleasantly surprised that it had already been taken care of for her.
The blurs she could see when she looked down were indeed arranged in a triangle pattern. The top one was brown and white, the right one was tannish-pink, and the one on the left was bright green.
Cautiously, Abbey tried a bite of the chud-wump sando. Just as she had hoped, it tasted a lot like a roast beef sandwich with crusty bread, juicy meat, and some kind of spicy but delicious alien herb that enhanced the meat’s flavor.
