My 2 Second Shelf Life

Tales From the Slava Table...

Sveti Nikola was last night, our Slava.

Mama bought Tetka Ljuba a flowering plant one year about a decade ago, and for some reason, this plant's pink blossoms flower and open every year around Sveti Nikola.

It's a sign.
A miracle.
A wonder.

Every year at the table, Uja talks about the plant and how it blooms for Slava every year.

Tetka Ljuba cut her finger a few days before the dinner, and was freaking out.
However, Teta Mara helped her out this year by doing all the cooking...Tetka Ljuba doing the directing.
"She baas me!" Teta Mara declared over the table last night.
Mama didn't come because she wasn't feeling well. I spoke to her this morning and she's better now. This is good...I thought I was in trouble for a moment.
This year was like every year...loud singing in Serbian, drinking, eating, fighting off food, cognac and wine.

Quotes from the table:

"Ya, yu gadda go to Cuba before Castro kick da baket. Ven he die, the prizes..." he whistles, and puts his thumb in the air.

I noticed that Uja had a little mark on his nose.
"Uja, what happened to your nose?"
His eyebrows went up in resignation, "Tetka Ljuba punch me"

This little exchange is hilarious, if you know Tetka Ljuba.

Cika Nikola proclaimed the soup delicious and boomed to Tetka Ljuba that "Now yu ken get marry!"...to which Tetka Ljuba replied "Eeesss too late!!!"

Everytime someone tried to fill Teta Mara's snifter with cognac, she would look to the ceiling and twist her hand like she was screwing in a lightbulb, and say "Yu try to keel me" and then she'd cross herself and laugh.

Yeah...it's the beginning of the holidays.