Eggplant PuzzleA Story by Shelley Warner A Story of Teamwork Eggplant Puzzle John and I start on a one-thousand piece puzzle. We’re
used to five hundred pieces. Over the last couple years, we’d built a Coca-Cola
puzzle, a glacier, and our latest�"a lovely round scene of birds, butterflies,
and flowers, given to me by my daughter. We stare at the thousand pieces. How
could we do this? “If I can get the border done, we’ll have a start,”
John says. “I’ll start sorting,” I suggested. I’m good at
sorting and John is good at fitting the pieces together. Soon I have a pile of white border edges and John
starts working while I sort more�"a yellow pile, a green pile, white with light
brown lines (those would build on the border on all four sides), a pink pile, an
orange pile. And there were pieces with tiny print identifying
varieties of eggplants. I thought all eggplants were purple, the kind I slice
and dip into flour, then egg, then Italian bread crumbs before frying in olive
oil. But no there’s an orange bell-shaped one. There’s a long green one.
There’s a cluster of yellow banana-shaped ones. John’s table could seat ten; it’s a long wooden
table that he built years ago. But now we barely have room to eat; it is
covered with our project. Little by little, we fit the border together, John on
one side and me on the other. I earn steps on my smart watch from getting up to
work on different sections. On my side, I see a hint of green inside the
border. I look through the green pile and find some shapes that work. “Look
John, I found some pieces of the long green eggplant,” I say. “Good for you,” he says, smiling. I glow inside. His
praise warms my heart, even when it’s just for fitting puzzle pieces together. He describes a shape he needs and my eyes light upon
a possibility. “Is this the one?” I ask, handing it to him. He fits it neatly
into its space. “Sure is,” he
smiles. “We make a good team,” I say. And we are a team. He thoughtfully and lovingly anticipates my needs, even setting out my spare pair of slippers when I come to visit. I like to cook meals that work with his dietary needs and eating preferences. He plans nice nature drives for Zach and me in his red ford truck. And we make each other laugh. On our most recent
drive, we stop at a viewpoint in Salkum, Washington to take pictures in front of a dam. I put my arms
around his neck, indicating that I want a kiss. “But there’s a truck and a car
parked here and people can see us,” he says as his lips touch mine. “They’re happy for us,” I murmur into the kiss. We
burst out laughing as we pull apart.  © 2023 Shelley WarnerReviews
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6 Reviews  Last Updated on February 25, 2023 Author
Shelley WarnerCamas, WAAboutI like to write about my life. Sounds a little narcissistic, right? But it's the challenges, the griefs, the joys, the faith struggles, and the enjoyment of nature that inspires me. I have published t.. more..Writing
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