A. I. Evolution: The Coming of Christopher

Chapter 41

The door swings open to the kitchen located in the back of the large main building and George pushes the cart through. Covering it is a large white cloth, showing numerous humps, giving the barest of hints as to the contents below, adding to the mystery, and anticipation of the meal.

I turn slightly in my chair to watch the trolley approach. I, of course, can smell the meal and know exactly what it is. The sharpness of the salt and butter wafts across the room when George stops it between us, but far enough away that he can stand at the table in front of it, which he does after getting the rest of the bottle of wine from the bucket to pour the remainder of it into our glasses. He then places the empty bottle on the lower ledge of the trolley under the top where the food rests.

He steps back to the table and speaks in a Chefs voice that displays his pride in the creation of the meal. "Tonight, I have prepared for you a most tantalizing dish from the east coast of Canada."

I look to Jane and she smiles as she tilts her head slightly at the presentation. George turns to the trolley and pulls the white cloth from the right side folding it perfectly before picking it up and placing it under the top ledge. He then gathers up the two plates, each one covered with a shiny metal cover. He steps back to the table and sets one in front of each of us, then, with a practiced move, he lifts both covers off at the same time to reveal our meal.

Jane lets out a small sigh as she stares at the deep red color of the hard-shelled crustacean on her plate. She looks to me and glows with anticipation.

George nods as he bows slightly. "Yes, it is lobster from a small fishing village on the coast, right by the entrance to the Saint Lawrence River. They were pulled from the frigid water just twelve hours ago and flown here specifically for you tonight."

Jane closes her eyes and leans forward to catch a whiff of the salty delicacy. "It has been years since I had properly cooked lobster. The water is too warm on the west coast for them to be as tasty as the Eastern Canadian version."

I look to my plate and nod my head at the perfectly displayed tail spread out between richly buttered snow peas to each side of the tail section and a sculptured mound of mashed potatoes covered in a thick rich gravy topped with a trio of sauteed mushrooms, in-between the front claws. I look back to George. "You have done it again, George. I have been dreaming of this all afternoon, and you have not let me down. It exceeds my expectations."

George beams and nods his head slightly as he holds his hands clasped before him. "Thank you, Sir. It is always a pleasure serving someone who appreciates fine foods." With that, he turns to the trolley and lifts another bottle of wine from the lower shelf and deftly removes the cork and sets it in the ice bucket beside me.

Jane and I both grab our large napkins and tuck one corner into our tops just below our chins. Lobster is very good, but it can be messy trying to get the delicious meat from the shell, even though George had precut the claws and tail. We eat in silence except for the occasional moan at the rich flavor. George, of course, seems to have a sixth sense when it comes to judging the timing for the next course and arrives just in time to remove the now empty plates and places a crystal bowl of fruit sorbet before each of us.

The sun has totally set by the time we finish our meal, and the lights in and around the pool area come on to give the back yard a soft dreamy feel as we relax with our wine after dinner.

"That was a delicious meal," I blurt out into the silence that had come over us. "My mother used to make it for my older brother and me. My father traveled quite a lot for work, and he would occasionally bring home some when he traveled up north to Canada."

Jane turns slowly to face me as she sits her glass down on the table. "I have not heard you talk about your family much and I don't know if you have ever mentioned having a brother before."