The Room of Resentment

A Love/Hate Relationship With My Kitchen

Your lino is shabby and never truly clean. Three earlier layers of flooring show through your cracks and missing tiles, while you’ve become the mouthpiece for the pattern underneath.

Your unfinished alcove mocks us daily. I guess we should have asked you what surprises we might find when we replaced the broken, antique, Chambers oven.

The biggest betrayal of all was the way you embraced his love of cooking and whispered in his ear, “Ask her to go. It’s the only way she can help. I’m not big enough for the both of you.”

I used to have dreams for fixing you up, returning you to your mid-century roots. But, it’s been easier to ignore you for a while now.

But, that’s about to change.

The Keurig is still my friend and we’re staging a coup. The cats, the dining room chairs, and all the vegetarian cookbooks are with us, and at midnight we cook.