It was best she took no chances. She knew how it could all turn on the smallest thing. The tiniest omission could spell disaster. Wait, better not even say that word. Best not forget the salt. She did not want to let misfortune in.
She hurried to and fro, assembling, braiding, tossing, turning. Now, where was that garlic? Best peel a few more cloves.
Whatever bad things had potential to upset this, she was not going to allow them to. Not on her watch. Not in her house.
Not when her in-laws were coming to dinner for the first time.
For Rochelle’s Friday Fictioneers
Na'ama Yehuda 
Na’ama Y’karah,
She’d best rub her lucky rabbit’s foot (that did the rabbit no good) and hide all ladders. No black cats. 😉 I hope it goes well with her in-laws. You made me smile.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Yeah, I think she might’ve put the rabbit in the stew, but … yeah … and of course no walking under ladders, and banishing all black casts and …. 😉
We can just hope that her mother in law isn’t a witch … 😉
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Surprisingly, not all of them are witches. I was fortunate in that department. 😉
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Totally not all! I would like to think my sisters aren’t … and I know that for some of my sisters, theirs were not. So … yeah. Lotta Mommas-in-laws are lovely, loving, patient, accepting and mindful. Sort of like the way step mothers get a bad rep in stories, but many of them are lovely, loving, patient and mindful. xoxo
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Garlic for the in-laws. I’m not such that she will see them again
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Depends what she’s cooking … 😉 but … it might be good for next-day social distancing … 😉
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Even if it’s perfect,there may be no pleasing the in-laws! Hope it goes well! 🙂
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Ah, though perhaps she’s got the jitters but the in-laws will be nice? (salt behind the shoulder, because, one cannot be careful enough … ) 😉
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Nice one, Na’ama.
You’ve just made me realise. Three marriages. Three sets of in-laws. And not one of them ever paid a visit to our home. How odd.
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SUPER ODD!!!
You must’ve had a lot of garlic hanging around and a lot of salt circles … 😉
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🙂
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🙂
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I hope, for her sake, that it went well. Great take, Na’ama
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Thanks! I sure hope so, too! She definitely crossed her Ts and dotted her Is …. (and some salt behind her shoulder, perhaps, because one cannot be too careful … ) 😉
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She may have overdone the garlic, But, then again, that may have been the plan
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Ha! Who knows … perhaps … 😉
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Does garlic ward off in-laws?
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LOL! I don’t know if she mean to put it in the food or around the house … but I think she was hoping to woo them with just the right kind of food. Did she succeed? I don’t know …
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The last line felt like a twist, which makes me feel bad for considering in-laws a twist. I understand her resolve. Hope it turns out well for all.
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Yeah, I hope it went well, too! And, if the mama in law turns out to be a witch, then perhaps they can bond over potions … 😉
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LOL
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😀
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I can feel her anxiety but she seems determined. Great story!
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🙂 She sure seems so! Thank you! I hope she makes an excellent impression and finds out that the in-laws aren’t spooky … 😉
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Interesting tale of the prompt
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Thank you, Jude!
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My pleasure Na’ama
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I’ve had a few inlaws over the years and I always found them hard to please. Perhaps I should have gone heavier on the garlic!
Here’s mine!
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Perhaps, eh? If nothing else, they might find that no one else wants them around OTHER than their son and daughter in law … but, wait, that could backfire … 😉
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You describe a fascinating scene. Your main character seems to be pathologically superstitious. I hope she’s motivated by love for her husband rather than fear of him.
Very well written.
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Or … she was just cooking … 😉 and the anxiety may have been about her in-laws being super picky and judgemental … 😉 (and if so, perhaps that recipe needed a bit more garlic, though I sure hope she didn’t over do it … 😉 )
But, yeah, her hubby best be a buffer for her, for those are HIS parents he is bringing in … 😉
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Haha! The curse of the in-law is worse than any spell that could go wrong!
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Sometimes, eh? I still hope that they’ll prove to be not-needing-of-spell-preventions … (and that the food will be good … 😉 )
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Here’s hoping with you, Na’ama 🙂
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🙂
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Oh the dreadful in-laws 🤗 I wonder how they take their garlic 🧄 Great story.
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LOL. I never thought about the “how they take it” … 🙂 Now there are all those POSSIBILITIES … 😉
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Love this! I am positive I will, however, be a fabulous mother-in-law one day 😉
I was lucky with mine… None of them could cook so I was always a superstar! LOL!!
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Hey, perhaps she’ll cook up something lovely with those extra garlic cloves and then she’ll win them over and they’ll be eatin’ outta’ her hand (literally?) from then on … 😉
Not all in-laws are awful. I know some who are down right lovely (and I don’t only mean my sisters to their in-law kiddos, about whom I am obviously not totally objective … ;))
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Once she gets her nerves under control, she should be fine 😉
And no, they are mostly reserved for the fairy tales…
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Yep … (also, I think you’d make a marvelous MIL. No one ought to be worried. Just saying).
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I know I will 😉
And can I thank you (as I finish reading the rest of the FF stories) for NOT writing about bloody vampires? Has this group no imagination? Sheesh.
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🙂 How do you know I did NOT write about vampires …? (those extra garlic cloves … 😉 Just kidding, I did not, but … yeah, this sure went one way for many, didn’t it?). I like the path less traveled on such things, if you hadn’t noticed yet … 😉 (you do, too, which is way I so enjoy your writing!) xx
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Smarty Pants! Yeah…. 20 out of 43. Bloody hell.
Like you, I choose the path not (or less) travelled! And why I enjoy yours as well 😉
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😀 Me? Smarty pants???? 😉
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What was I thinking? My bad.. 😉😏
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LOL! (wink wink)
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😉
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She seemed so stressed. I was thinking one way and then the last line was a great twist for me. Poor dear. Hope her in-laws are surprisingly wonderful after all her effort. Nicely done!
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I hope so, too! She is certainly going all out to have them accept her. They better be nice…
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Let’s hope she gets it right and her nerve does not falter – you know too much salt here and the overpowering smell of garlic – some people’s taste is difficult to judge.
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“some people’s taste is difficult to judge” is the understatement that says it all … 🙂 Thanks James!
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Oh, so funny! You had us all prepped for vampires, and here it was only her in-laws. Well, maybe that was just as bad. Maybe worse?
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Who said anything about vampires … 😉 (yeah, t’was a bit of a trick, t’was…). I’m hoping it proved to be an exchange devoid of any kind of fangs … 😉
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After all the vampire stories, now for something truly terrifying. Fun story!
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LOL! Some families can be! 😉
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Let’s hope that all went well. She’s certainly working hard to ensure this.
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Amen to that, Sandra! Yes, she is certainly working hard to do everything on her end to ensure it. Hopefully the in-laws will appreciate it, and her.
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She needs all the spells and rituals to keep her in-laws at bay. Hope they come too often…
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Yeah, I hope they’ll end up being responsive to the spell and behave themselves … 😉
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