Kelly assured Mika this was the case, a fact Mika did not question. Mika quietly considered a life as a pizza pie maker, tossing the dough in the air, spreading the toppings with flare, and shouting in Italian.
Tonight, they had decided to make the sauce from scratch, so they made a special trip to the Farmer's Market to get all the ingredients. Mika couldn't believe you could make your own sauce.
"Why doesn't everyone do it, Auntie?" Mika asked with earnest curiosity.
"Maybe they just don't know how great it is to make it yourself. Or maybe they don't have a wonderful little helper that makes it so great." She gave Mika a wink.
Mika giggled. "Which tomatoes do you want, Auntie K, the little ones or the big ones?"
"Let's start with the small ones," Kelly replied. Mika grabbed the clear bag of colorful heirloom cherry tomatoes and handed them to Kelly.
"Thank you, Sweetie. Here, why don't you try one? We need to test them first."
Mika took a bright yellow one and popped it in her mouth. "It's so sweet!" Mika replied excitedly.
Kelly chuckled. It was amazing to see her discover the world. "That's how you know they're the good ones, baby girl."
Kelly thought about earlier that day at the Farmer's Market, one of the last concessions of community. The market had been so alive, buzzing with people bartering over vibrant, healthy food.
The smell of the barbecue and baked goods, with the funnel cakes and kettle corn, was downright intoxicating. Mika loved it, all the samples of soft white peaches, nectarines, blood oranges, and cherries.
They had also shared a bag of kettle corn while watching some ducks in the pond; Kelly relished the memory. Mika picked out the best of everything, making sure to verify her findings with the attendants, who were always happy to oblige.
One lady in particular had delighted Mika. She was an aging hippy lady who sold various knick-knacks, crystals, dream catchers, hemp products, and tie-dye skirts.
She was a sweet and quirky lady with a flower in her hair and big turquoise bead bracelets. She smiled a lot and said her name was Pearl.
She told Mika a joke: "How do you make a tissue dance?"
Mika's eyes got big. "How?" she asked.
Pearl squatted down and did a little twist, wiggling her rear opposite her arms. "You put a little boogie in it." Mika giggled at the silver-haired lady's antics.
"Can you do a boogie?" Pearl asked. Mika smiled and squatted down to show her best boogie. She squinched her nose and face and hopped around, twisting herself in an endearing fashion.
Or at least Pearl had thought so, because she stood uproariously and clapped her hands together, WooHahaha. "Oh, dear girl, you're so adorable." She continued laughing. "Wait here; I have something for you!"
Pearl exclaimed with excitement and skipped to the back of her van, where she had the doors open. She retrieved a small item from a box and hurried back over to Mika. "Here you are," Pearl said.
It was a shiny gold butterfly brooch with little jewels in it. It was two inches tall and quite sparkly. Mika loved it; she looked at it with big eyes, and then to Kelly.
Kelly smiled and gestured, "Go ahead."
Mika smiled big and then held out her hands. "Thank you!"
"Oh, you're welcome, Sweetie. Here, let me put it on for you; it goes on your dress." Pearl reached out and pinned the brooch on Mika's dress.
"It looks MARVelous, dear girl," Pearl exclaimed with delight and clapped her hands.
"Thank you!" Mika said with a little jig. "I Iove your toes!" She pointed to the lady's toes. Pearl was sporting flip-flops with flowers lacing the straps. Her toes were vibrant turquoise with flowers and frogs on them.
They had left the market with a beautiful assortment of veggies that filled the car with aromatic splendor. Along with the heirloom cherry tomatoes, they picked out some lovely Roma tomatoes, a huge bright yellow and red heirloom, and a beautiful black krim.
They also grabbed some garlic, onions, mushrooms, and fresh herbs: Thai basil, sweet basil, oregano, and thyme to throw into the mix.
For dessert, they picked up some fresh peaches, for peaches and cream, another first for Mika. Despite the world's aura, there was still love to be experienced.
Kelly looked at Mika and asked, "Are you ready?"
Mika gave a squinch and a smile. "Let's do it!" she proclaimed.
"Let's get saucy!" Kelly replied with enthusiasm. She began cutting the cherry tomatoes in half, while Mika washed the larger tomatoes.
Kelly put the halved cherry tomatoes in a bowl and set to work on the onions. Mika had no idea that the sulfur in onions combined with the water in your eyes to create sulfuric acid, or that this caused one's eyes to turn red, burn, and tear up.
Mika addressed Kelly with concern. "Why are you crying? What's wrong."
"Oh, you know," Kelly said, sounding choked up as she wiped the tears with her arm. "You're just so darn cute; I can't stand it." She gave a smile that let the little one know they were not painful tears and exclaimed how onions make you cry.
Kelly began with the garlic, explaining to Mika garlic preparations. "So, first, you turn the knife on its side, and smash the garlic like this." She turned the knife flat and placed it over the garlic clove.
She gave it a little tap with her fist. "You see, once it's crushed, you can chop it up like the rest." Kelly expressed this information with the great pleasure that comes with passing knowledge to the next generation.
"Next we need to get the pot all warmed up," She retrieved the cookware from a lower cupboard. Kelly put the pan on the stove and turned the pan on medium heat.
She reached for the olive oil and said, "Next, add in a swirl of olive oil." She gave a demonstration swirl with the cap still on. Kelly opened the lid and handed it to Mika.
Mika mimicked her auntie with great attention, taking the instructions very seriously. Kelly commended Mika: "Oh my gosh, girl! You are quite the little chef."
"Such flare, such pizazz! Where did you learn to be such a great cook?"
Mika giggled. "From you, Auntie!"
"Oh yeeaah," Kelly pretended to remember. "Such a good-lookin’ teacher."
Mika giggled some more and said, "You are beautiful, Auntie."
Kelly replied with a little ditty and looked up. "Aww, so are you, my little munchkin."
Kelly grabbed the cutting board and scraped the garlic and onions into the pan with olive oil. They made a little familiar sizzle, and Kelly began dicing the herbs Mika had just washed.
When she was done with the herbs, she and Mika watched the garlic and onion sizzle. Kelly stirred it with a wooden spoon. She then scraped the herbs into the pan and gave it a little toss, causing Mika to coo with delight.
She dumped in the cherry tomatoes and asked Mika for the larger tomatoes. Mika was happy to oblige and watched Kelly dice them up with grace and experience.
She then dumped them in the pan and stirred it with the wooden spoon. "There!" she proclaimed, putting the lid on the pot. She turned to Mika and held her finger to her lips. "Ssshhh, we gotta keep a lid on this."
Mika just looked at her quizzically. Kelly laughed. She hadn't heard the idiom yet and didn't get the joke.
"You want to grab the dough out of the fridge for me?" Kelly asked politely.
Mika responded in kind, "Of course, I would love to." They began kneading the dough, lightly dusting their hands to prevent sticking.
Kelly let Mika do most of the kneading and began stretching the dough. After putting it