Chapter 38, Swimming Champion

“It is time for me to tell you about your uncles,” said Meme Milli. I loved Meme Milli, she was the best person I have ever met. You can never do wrong with her, at least when it comes to her grand kids. Even when one of my cousins stole some money from her. She just gave him more money. 

The “Jukitta” story was hers. She told it to me a few times, but the most favorites were the stories about my dad and his brothers. She didn’t tell me much about her daughters except that they were very pretty. 

After my husband, your grandfather, passed away, your dad had to take over many roles. One of them was to take care of his brothers and sister. Yes, I had some help from the husband of my older sister Mayssa. If I needed help disciplining the kids, he would step in. What I didn’t know was that he also spoiled them. When your uncle Claude was getting into a fight with the neighborhood kids and usually lose, he would run crying to my sister’s house, and she would give him a cookie and her husband would talk with him and give him some courage. 

But the secret that your Uncle Rone was holding from me was a big one. Rone loved sports, he was a good runner and was also a very good swimmer. The beach was too far for us to visit as often as when my husband was alive, but there was a swimming pool in the middle of the town, 2 bus stations from our house. Three times a week, after school, your uncle would go to his uncle and would get a little money to pay for the bus ride to the swimming pool. He would practice every day and he got better and better. One day he came home after school wearing a medal hanging on his neck.

“Look Mom! See what I got!” he said.

“What is it? A dog Tag?” I asked.

“No, Mom, it’s a medal, I am the team champion at the swimming Pool.”

“What? What swimming pool? What are you talking about?

“I have been practicing a lot at the town’s pool and now I won the championship”

“How come I never heard about it before? How are you getting there? Where did you get the money from? Wait until your brother comes home, he will teach you a lesson.”

When Eli, your Dad, came back from work I called Rone and put him in front of his older brother.

“Look what your brother did!” I said to Eli. The look on your father’s face was so confused, it confused me too.

“What do you want me to do about it?” should I Beat him? Punish him? For being a champion? Would you like him to mess around in the street instead? I am glad, and proud of him!”

“Aaaahhh! You kids! I really don’t know how I am going to keep on going like that with you.”

 

 

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Couscous Salad

Making couscous is a complicated, long process. We will be using a store-bought couscous. This is not the usual use of couscous. Usually it is served with soup, but this is a wonderful salad.

 

Ingredients:

1 Cup Couscous

2 Cups Water

½ tsp Garlic Powder

1 Onion

1 Stalk Celery

1 Clove Garlic

¼ Cup Dry Fruit

¼ Cup Pecans

½ Cup Parsley

1 Scallion

5 Olives

¼ Cup Sun Dried Tomatoes 

1 tsp Salt

2 TBSP Olive Oil

Preparation:

Chop the onion and celery, crushed the Garlic. Sauté the onion until it softens and turn color. Add the celery and garlic. When Everything soften put it aside.
Crush the nuts, chop the scallion, parsley, sun dried tomatoes and dry fruit. 
Boil water with the salt and garlic powder. Mix the water and olive oil with the couscous in a pot, cover and let sit until all the water is gone. Mix all the ingredients together and serve cold.

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