Guess who's coming to dinner*

* No not Sidney Poitier, who's like 94 these days Well it took sometime but Brandon finally showed up. It looked like it might not happen when he broke up a dog fight between two of his dogs. It sounds a lot like the issues we have with Athena and Misha, but it's worse. Neither dog is willing to give in and according to Brandon it is getting vicious and who knows where it's going. Trying to brake up their latest fight Brandon put his thumb where one of the dogs thought the other dog would be and Brandon went to the hospital and got stiches. Now to hear Nastia tell it he was going to come over on Friday, but not to eat. I figured they must have stitched his mouth shut by accident, it's happened, it really has I've seen it in the Enquirer. Well he came by Friday, maybe, I wasn't there and I really didn't want to be. As much as he didn't want to come over, I did'nt want to face the task of having to entertain someone. Nothing personal Brandon. I do know it has to happen and I am willing to let it, the sooner the better. I rather meet him now and get confortable with him and not wait until the wedding to meet him. I think Nastia was more nervous then Brandon. Maybe Brandon is more important to her then past relationships. Brandon seems to be more open, presant and emonationlly available then past relationships. I had lunch with Nastia today to talk about tonight. She wanted to make chicken parm and she was picking Brandon up right after work. Now I could see an over scheaduling from a mile away. So I told Nastia I'd cook. She insisted that she wants to cook. I enjoy cooking when there is time, I find it theraputic, relaxing.So I went home thinking I'd get things started. I opened the chicken and found it still frozen so I stuck it in some water and I took out a few eggs to make an egg wash. I left the eggs out to come to room temperature while I assembled all of the other ingredents. An old friend, Fred always said, "mess in place" meaning get everything you need out and make sure you have everything. At lunch with Nastia in my car at her job at Stop and Shop we watched a video aqbout cooking chicken parm. I haven't cooked much lately, so I wanted to check how to do it and Nastia said it wasn't make with a bread crumb coating. The chef on line had a few good ideas and one of them was to use Panco bread crumbs and to let the coated chicken sit for fifteen minutes to let the coating rest. I did both and when Teri sees the Panco she says "you don't use them, they give it a different taste." I was adventuresome at the wrong time. You don't mess with a tradational recipe. She made it for me when she told me, "s**t or get off the pot" one summer day when she began to wonder where our relationship was going. I wasn't going to do everything for Nastia. I wanted her to learn to cook, but once I got going I couldn't stop. it's therapy. I was relaxed and content, happy. She gets home about six-thirty and the only thing left to do is cut the cheese and put it on the chicken. I put the chicken in the oven, put the ziti in the water and a little after seven we sit to eat. Elena comes in about seven-

thirty, not hungry. Brandon and Nastia are looking at pictures and videos on the computer.They come across the pictures of Leonid and Anna from a nine years ago and there is Brandon in some of the pictures. After a few minutes I realize Elena has joined in and is looking at the pictures. It is a nice evening and it went well. We all talk for a while and about nine Nastia takes him home. As a thank you Nastia stays down stairs with Teri and I to watch some TV. I wish them both luck and patients in their relationship. /