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 'My first true love said that I didn't know how to boil water. That stunned me for a moment because subconsciously I knew my future depended on whether or not I could find a husband. My father said that after high school I should find a job and get married.'

Without higher education or work experience, my future was dependent on a husband. Years later, I didn't marry my first love but someone else. I became a widow and a single parent at twenty eight. These were experiences that my father did not prepare me for, but by then, I knew how to boil water. 

In a few minutes, I'm descending into my kitchen to prepare Gratin Dauphinois. The Gratin Dauphinois is a recipe I found in a cookbook a few years ago by Joanne Harris, the author who wrote Chocolat. I chose her other book, Coastliners, for our book club's reading for that month.

We had a different host each month who prepared a meal relating to the book on that night's discussion. When my turn came up with Coastliners,  I chose Gratin Dauphinois from Harris', My French Kitchen. I imagined the recipe would be just as decadent as Chocolat. It covered all my bases-inexpensive, filling and delicious. I had a green salad to go with it, and of course, bottles of wine that the club brought with them. (We were nine members at the time.)

I forget how the discussion went-no not really, I remember most of it, but the unforgettable comment I received was, "This is the best potatoes au gratin I've ever had." The Gratin Dauphinois was just au gratin to her. For me, I was reliving a night in Calais.

For dessert, I am serving a flourless chocolate cake. The recipe is from Joy of Cooking; it's so easy to make I couldn't resist. It asks for a pound of chocolate. Curiously, I have a ten pound box of chocolate that my significant other brought home to me from a past trip-maybe three years ago. He thought he covered all those missing Valentines, Mother's Day, birthdays, etc. Oddly, I never used it until now. After I cracked it against the counter to get the chunk I needed, I went to him to announce that I was finally going to use the chocolate he brought home. His blue eyes lit up against his tan eyelids, and a toothy smile spread across his bearded cheeks. I swear his eyes misted.

It dawned on me that he went through a lot to bring it home to Maui. He could have used the space and energy to pack car parts, tools or steel, like he normally does. I would have been happier with a slim, six ounce deep chocolate bar of organic 85% cocoa wrapped in gold. I couldn't relate to that ten pound brick. 

I suppose I can't expect others to feel the same way I do about anything. Learning to boil water was one step into my future. Appreciating what goes into the water and how is another. I have many more steps to go.