Mr. Smith makes his own sandwich for lunch. It's a matter of pride for him that he never makes the same sandwich twice.
Today is no exception. Rummaging among the breads in the drawer, he considers: white, whole wheat, twelve-grain, light rye, dark rye, flatbread, Italian bread or naan? Dark rye it is. So now the meats: roast beef, smoked turkey, regular turkey, Virginia ham, Black Forest Ham or Beauneville Ham (the Apotheosis of Pig)? Today, a combination: one slice of smoked turkey and one slice of Beauneville Ham. And now the cheese: the reader will please forgive if the author refrains from enumerating the cheeses; suffice to say that the Smiths are fond of cheese, that they keep an ample supply of cheeses, and Mr. Smith chooses Emmenthal.
Some lettuce: mixed greens, romaine, or Bibb? Romaine. Which of ten possible types of pickle? Mr. Smith chooses Bread and Butter. Tomato? Not today. As a rule, Mr. Smith will include pickles or tomatoes in his sandwich, but rarely includes both.
And now the most important part: the condiments. Mr. Smith opened the mustard cabinet and pondered: there were three different brands of Deli style mustard and two different kinds of dijon mustard; there were fruit mustards, stone-ground mustards, honey, herb and hot mustards. There were mustards from various places in Europe: Tewksbury, Norwich, Dijon and Meaux; Dusseldorf, Pinzeldorf and Spree; Belgrade and Zagreb; and also the diabolical Duchy of Luxembourg, where the burghers play tricks on tourists. "Ja", they say, "zis moostard eez mild", then watch the sandwich-eaters run hither and thither, mouths aflame.
Mr. Smith chooses a moustarda di frutta favored by the Dukes of Milan. He doesn't know much about the Dukes of Milan -- presumably, they were dukes who lived in Milan. He likes the Duomo and the Galleria Vittoria Emmanuele Due. There is a bookstore in the Galleria, across from the McDonald's, where he and Mrs. Smith bought some of the black and white prints that hang in the hallway. They went into the McDonald's too, their minds set on Quarter-Pounders, but they could not find them on the menu so they left.
His sandwich now constructed, Mr. Smith ceremonially placed the creation in his lunchbox, poured a cup of coffee and sat at the kitchen table with the Beauneville Bugle. Mrs. Smith was already seated, reading the copy of Sense and Sensibility Megan gave to Roderick. Roderick sat on the other side, inhaling his daily dose of scrapple and applesauce.
Bibi wandered into the kitchen, nude, her blonde braids brushing her buttocks. "God dag!", she said, brightly. At the kitchen counter, she poured coffee into a bowl, added some milk, contemplated the fruit bowl for a moment, and selected a ripe peach. She padded over to the kitchen table, coffee-milk bowl in one hand, peach in the other, and sat down across from Mrs. Smith.
She noticed that the Smiths were looking at her. "Ho!" she laughed, charmingly, "in Sveden ve sleep vizout ze clothings, ya?". She bit into the peach.
"Ah", said Mr. Smith, and returned to the Beauneville Bugle. There was a really interesting story about the town budget, and a committee meeting to determine how to use the surplus. Mr. Smith thought he might attend.
"That's nice, dear", said Mrs. Smith, as she continued to read Sense and Sensibility. She's at the part where Mr. Willoughby carries Marianne home after her accident and imagines herself, briefly, as Kate Winslet.
"You like ze Brennball, ya?", Bibi inquires of Roderick. Roderick does not know if he likes ze Brennball, he has never heard of ze Brennball. But if Brennball is played vizout ze clothings, he thinks he could get used to it.
Bibi proceeded to explain the rules of Brennball, a Swedish form of cricket played on an oddly shaped field. Roderick carefully observed a drop of peach juice as it coursed over Bibi's chin and down her neck. He wondered if the drop would go to the left, to the right, or down the middle.
When Bibi finished explaining the ins and outs of Brennball, Roderick invited her to a birthday party he planned for Molly that evening. She happily accepted, ran upstairs to get her clothes and departed for home.
Roderick spent the day getting ready for Molly's party, and at six the guests began to arrive: Dickie Wickett arrived early, of course, followed closely by Megan Cupcake and Amanda Dennis. Katie Zeppelin arrived with Willard Woofington; they aren't a couple, but they do hang out together sometimes. Natasha came dressed in the red sari she bought last summer in Karnataka. Bibi and Jock came together, dressed. Bibi offered Roderick a nice bottle of clear liquid; he thanked her and placed it behind the apple cider on the table in the hallway.
Roger and Henry Witherspoon arrived last, just in time; everyone hid as Roderick answered the door for Molly. "Surprise!" everyone shouted, and Molly blushed red as a beet. "Happy Birthday!".
There was a cake, with sixteen candles, and presents. Natasha gave Molly a painting, a version of Alexandre Cabanel's Birth of Venus, with Molly posing as Venus. Bibi gave Molly a book about massage, and Jock gave her a book about the joy of running. Megan gave her a book about guns.
Roderick smiled shyly as he gave Molly a gift-wrapped package. She opened it carefully, and revealed both volumes of Thayer's Life of Beethoven. Molly hugged Roderick enthusiasticly. "How does it feel to be sixteen?", he asked. "It's nice", she responded.
Everyone had a great time, and stayed quite late. Dickie left, then Megan. Natasha befriended Jock: would he perhaps consider posing? (He would). The Witherspoons, Katie, Amanda and Willard all left at the same time, around midnight. Natasha and Jock fell asleep on the living room floor, but Bibi made it to the guest room.
The guest room occupied, Molly slept with Roderick. The two of them curled up like peas in a pod, very cozy, very friendly, very warm. For the first time, Roderick did not need to wonder how Molly sleeps.
