Something Borrowed (Encore)

0:00Get more, nothing much happens with bonus episodes, extra long stories, and ad-free listening, all while supporting the show you love. Subscribe now. I've been thinking a lot about attention lately, and how easy it is to give it away without realizing you're doing that. That's something I appreciated in Cal Newport's class on Masterclass. He talks about reclaiming your focus and being more intentional about where your time goes, which for me is really about being more present for my actual life. Masterclass has more than 200 classes across 13 categories taught by some of the best in their fields, and you can learn on your own schedule, including in audio mode. Masterclass keeps adding new classes, so there's never been a better time to get in. Right now, as a listener of this show, you get at least 15% off any annual membership at masterclass.com slash nothing much.

1:07That's masterclass.com slash nothing much for at least 15% off any annual membership. Welcome to bedtime stories for everyone in which nothing much happens. You feel good, and then you fall asleep. I'm Catherine Nicolai. I write and read all the stories you hear on nothing much happens. Audio engineering is by Bob Witterschheim. We are bringing you an encore episode tonight, meaning that this story originally aired at some point in the past. It could have been recorded with different equipment in a different location.

2:12And since I'm a person, and not a computer, I sometimes sound just slightly different. But the stories are always soothing and family-friendly, and our wishes for you are always deep-brassed and sweet dreams. Busy minds need a placed rest, and that is what I have for you. A soft place to nestle into, where your mind will be occupied just enough to let you slip into an excellent night's sleep. I'll tell the story twice, and I'll go a little slower the second time through. If you wake again in the night, don't hesitate to turn a story right back on, or just to think through whatever you can remember of it. Even any pleasant memory.

3:13This will guide you right back to sleep. Our story tonight is called Something Barrowed, and it's the next installment in our series, leading up to a special day here in the village of nothing much. It's a story about early morning at the inn. It's also about pretty plates, brought out of the pantry cupboards, cardamom and cinnamon, and remembering that you don't have to do everything on your own. Water is one of those things. You really don't want to have to overthink. You want to turn on the tap, fill your glass, and feel confident about what you're drinking. And that's why I like Aqua True. Their countertop purifiers use a four-stage reverse osmosis system that's tested and certified

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5:20and pull your comforter up over your shoulder. Let your whole body drop heavy into your bed. Soften. Unclench. Let go. Maybe you've been sort of on all day. Okay, what that's over now. Now you can let go, unrest. I'll watch over till you wake. Take a deep breath in through your nose. Let it out your mouth. Nice, one more. Breathe in. End out. Good.

6:22Something borrowed. Sunrise at the end is a special time of day. I often stand at the end of the dock and watch the sky brightening. Bugs skate over the water and mist hides the far side of the lake. I'll take a few slow breaths. Watch the tree tops sway along the shore. And last night stars fade. Then turn and head back toward the end. Stopping at the herb and vegetable gardens along the way. To harvest a bit before I step down into the kitchen.

7:25As the resident chef, I'm always up early. And taking these quiet moments feels important. I love the bustle of a busy kitchen as well. If I didn't, I guess I'd have found a different profession. But that bit of mourning quiet. It's like a crisp, freshly ironed tablecloth to set a colorful spread of food onto. One needs the other. This morning, I took a basket from a stack by the garden shed and filled it with late summer raspberries, fresh mint, tiny tart tomatoes, and a few small cantaloupes that I'd been babying for weeks.

8:33We were near the end of the season. So the garden, like one or two of the corridors up on the third floor, was nearly empty. I didn't mind the small reprieve, even though I usually wanted the summer season to go on longer than it did. Because we were three days away from something big. Something we'd been planning for months. Something that, while we were all looking forward to it, was a big responsibility and a good deal of work. In just a few days, there would be a wedding here at the end. Our first in ages. And our small staff might have had more nerves about it

9:42than the happy couple did. Or maybe it was just me. The innkeeper seemed calm and ready. She had neat punch lists and timelines drawn up. She regularly assured me that we'd have enough champagne. That the flowers had been confirmed. And that she had it on good authority. It wouldn't rain. Hmm. Weddings were special. Even when the couple weren't friends as they were in this case, I always felt the weight of the day, the dreams that I wanted with the food I made to help come true.

10:48My thought of my to-do lists as I carried the basket of berries and melons down into my kitchen. I didn't usually wear my chef's coat at the inn's kitchens. That was just a bit formal for how I cooked here. So I tied on my apron and fumbled in the pocket for a marker. Any good chef has at least two sharpies on them at any moment. And I found one in the apron pocket and two more with their clips threaded onto the collar of my shirt. Even though I was fresh from the shower, I checked behind my ears as I frequently found them there as well.

11:54We had an old scrubbed kitchen table for staff meals in a corner. And I sat down with my notebook and marker and looked at the lists I had for each day until the big one. I heard footsteps coming down the long hall overhead and pausing in the butler's pantry upstairs. That was the innkeeper. She started the coffee each morning. And I imagined her filling the pots and portioning out the fresh grounds. I heard the footsteps moving out onto our dining porch or guests' eight breakfast. A new she was tidying up the tables,

12:58pushing the chairs into even rows and setting out sugar bowls and creamers and small bouquets and budvases that our gardener prepared. A minute or two later, the footsteps sounded from the kitchen steps. And she turned the corner with a full cup of coffee in her hands. She set it in front of me, took in my pages of lists and general anxious air and rested a hand on my shoulder. With her other hand, she flipped my notebook to today's tasks, blocking out those for tomorrow and the day after, saying, first this, then that, my friend.

14:02I nodded and let out a sigh and sipped at my coffee. And I've got good news, she added, pointing to the item on my list that was written in all caps and underlined three times. The one that said, wedding cake. I've called in reinforcements. I lifted an eyebrow and just then we heard the front door opening, the pleasant creek of the old wood floors in the entryway. And the innkeeper motioned me to follow her up. Bring your coffee, she said, over her shoulder.

15:05In the front office, where our guests checked in, her apron already on, and a giant crate of supplies in her hands. We found the woman who ran the excellent bakery downtown. She had a giant smile on her face and even this early in the morning was bubbling over with the excitement of baking. I'm creating something very special. As soon as I saw her, my shoulders dropped down from around my ears. I let out a huge sigh of relief.

16:05Thank goodness you're here, I said. Oh, you couldn't have kept me away, she laughed. I gave a grateful look to the innkeeper. I wasn't always the best at asking for help. I was something I was working on. And I took a tiny moment to feel the flood of solace in my body. And let that be a physiological sticky note reminder. But I didn't have to do everything on my own. That having helped actually felt good. I took the crate of supplies and noticed that on top of the extra whisks and beaters,

17:07were several bakery boxes tied up with string. There was still warmth rising up off of them. I brought cardamom buns, enough for your guest breakfast and ours. She said, as we made our way back down the long hall. That way you can skip doing breakfast service. And we can get right to the good stuff the baker said. I could kiss you, I said, as I turned the corner and led the way to the kitchen. One wedding at a time please, the innkeeper called from the pantry. In the kitchen we laid out the buns and chafing dishes,

18:15where they could stay warm as our guests rose and made their way to the porch. They smelled so delicately of cardamom and were sprinkled with pistachios. And crushed rose petals. We carried them up and found some pretty china dessert plates in the pantry to serve them on. The sun was an inch above the horizon and the porch smelled of a mix of fresh coffee and dewy grass. We filled our cups, took a bun each and went back to the table to plan everything out. As we sipped an eight, I sketched out the design I had in mind.

19:21She made a few suggestions. How best to stabilize the tears. Timing for when each layer would be crumb coated. And left to set up in the freezer. Well, she said, rolling the last sip of coffee around in the bottom of her cup. I understand the plan, but you haven't told me yet. What kind of cake is this? What flavor are we making? I smiled down at the table and propped my chin in my hand. You know, I thought about that for a long time. They said from the beginning that they trusted me to choose. And I have this recipe kind of careful about it.

20:25I don't give it out, you know. She raised her eyebrows from across the table. Your coffee cake recipe? It's famous. Yes. People even ask me for it, thinking I might know, but I've never been able to recreate it. That swirl of cinnamon crunch through the center and the crumb on it. It's fantastic. She spoke with reverence and a question in her voice. Knowing what it meant to share something that special. Well, they'll need something borrowed, won't they? I said, shrugging my shoulders as if it were casual. It wasn't.

21:26Just this once. I'll share it. She raised her cup in salute, then swallowed the last of her coffee. Your secret is safe with me, chef. I knew it was. We pushed away from the table and went to wash our hands. A day full of baking lay ahead of us. All my nerves were forgotten. Now that I had someone to share the work and my secret recipe with. It would be a wonderful day. Something borrowed. Sunrise at the end is a special time of day.

22:31I often stand at the end of the dock and watch the sky brightening. Bugs skate over the water and mist hides the far side of the lake. I'll take a few slow breaths, watch the tree tops sway along the shore. And last night stars fade. Then turn and head back toward the end. Stopping at the herb and vegetable gardens along the way. To harvest a bit before I step down into the kitchen.

23:32As the resident chef, I'm always up early. And taking these quiet moments feels important. I love the bustle of a busy kitchen as well. If I didn't, I guess I'd have found a different profession. But that bit of morning quiet. It's like a crisp, freshly ironed tablecloth. To set a colorful spread of food onto. One needs the other. This morning, I took a basket from a stack by the garden shed.

24:40And filled it with late summer raspberries. Fresh mint. Tiny tart tomatoes. And a few small cantaloupes that I'd been babying for weeks. We were near the end of the season. So the garden, like one or two of the corridors up on the third floor, was nearly empty. I didn't mind the small reprieve. Even though I usually wanted the summer season to go on longer than it did, because we were three days away from something big.

25:43Something we'd been planning for months. Something that, while we were all looking forward to it, was a big responsibility. And a good deal of work. And just a few days, there would be a wedding here at the end. Our first in ages. And our small staff might have had more nerves about it than the happy couple did. Or maybe it was just me. The innkeeper seemed calm and ready.

26:46She had neat punch lists and timelines drawn up. She regularly assured me that we'd have enough champagne. But the flowers had been confirmed. And that she had it on good authority. It wouldn't rain. Weddings were special. Even when the couple weren't friends, as they were in this case, I always felt the weight of the day. The dreams that I wanted with the food I made to help come true. My thought of my to-do lists,

27:53as I carried the basket of berries and melons down into my kitchen. I didn't usually wear my chef's coat in the inn's kitchens. That was just a bit formal for how I cooked here. So I tied on my apron and fumbled in the pocket for a marker. Any good chef has at least two sharpies on them at any moment. And I found one in the apron pocket and two more with their clips threaded onto the collar of my shirt.

28:54Even though I was fresh from the shower, I checked behind my ears as I frequently found them there as well. We had an old scrubbed kitchen table for staff meals in a corner. And I sat down with my notebook and marker and looked at the lists I had for each day until the big one. I heard footsteps coming down the long hole overhead and pausing in the butler's pantry upstairs. That was the innkeeper. She started the coffee each morning. And I imagined her filling the pots and portioning out the fresh grounds.

30:04I heard the footsteps moving out onto our dining porch. Where guests ate breakfast. I knew she was tidying up the tables, pushing the chairs into even rows, and setting out sugar bowls and creamers and small bouquets in budvases that our gardener prepared. A minute or two later, the footsteps sounded from the kitchen steps. And she turned the corner with a full cup of coffee in her hands. She said it in front of me.

31:05Took in my pages of lists and general anxious air and rested a hand on my shoulder. With her other hand, she flipped my notebook to today's tasks, blocking out those for tomorrow. And the day after, saying, first this, then that, my friend. I nodded and let out a sigh and sipped at my coffee. And I've got good news she added, pointing to the item on my list. That was in all caps and underlined three times.

32:10The one that said, wedding cake. I've called in reinforcements. I lifted an eyebrow. And just then we heard the front door opening. The pleasant creek of the old wood floors in the entryway. And the innkeeper motioned me to follow her up. Bring your coffee, she said, over her shoulder. In the front office, where our guests checked in. Her apron already on on a giant crate of supplies in her hands. We found the woman who ran the excellent bakery downtown.

33:19She had a giant smile on her face. And even this early in the morning was bubbling over with the excitement of baking. And creating something very special. As soon as I saw her, my shoulders dropped down from my ears. I let out a huge sigh of relief. Oh, thank goodness you're here, I said. Oh, you couldn't have kept me away, she laughed. I gave a grateful look to the innkeeper. I wasn't always the best at asking for help.

34:24I was something I was working on. And I took a tiny moment to feel the flood of solace in my body. And let that be a physiological sticky note reminder that I didn't have to do everything on my own. That having helped actually felt good. I took the crate of supplies and noticed that on top of the extra whisks and beaters were several bakery boxes tied up with string. There was still warmth rising up off of them.

35:30I brought cardamom buns, enough for your guests breakfast and ours. She said as we made our way back down the long haul, that way you can skip doing breakfast service. And we can get right to the good stuff the baker said. I could kiss you, I said, as I turned the corner and led the way to the kitchen. One wedding at a time please, the innkeeper called from the pantry. In the kitchen we laid out the buns and chafing dishes where they could stay warm as our guests rose and made their way to the porch.

36:36They smelled so delicately of cardamom and were sprinkled with pistachios and crushed rose petals. We carried them up and found some pretty China dessert plates in the pantry to serve them on. The sun was an inch above the horizon now. The porch smelled of a mix of fresh coffee and dewy grass. We filled our cups, took a bun each and went back to the table to plan everything out. As we sift an eight, I sketched out the design I had in mind.

37:41She made a few suggestions how best to stabilize the tears. Timing for when each layer would be crumb coated and left to set up in the freezer. Well, she said, rolling the last sip of coffee around in the bottom of her cup. I understand the plan, but you haven't told me yet. What kind of cake is this? What flavor are we making? I smiled down at the table and propped my chin in my hand. You know, I thought about that for a long time.

38:43They said from the beginning that they trusted me to choose. And I have this recipe. I'm kind of careful about it. I don't give it out, you know. She raised her eyebrows from across the table. Your coffee cake recipe? It's famous. People even ask me for it, thinking I might know. But I've never been able to recreate it. That swirl of cinnamon crunch through the center. And the crumb on it. It's fantastic. She spoke with reverence and a question in her voice.

39:50Knowing what it meant to share something that special. Well, Belle need something borrowed. Monthly. I said shrugging my shoulders. As if it were casual. It wasn't. Just this once. I'll share it. She raised her cup in salute. Then swallowed the last of the coffee. Your secret is safe with me, chef. I knew it was. We pushed away from the table and went to wash our hands.

40:54A day full of baking lay ahead of us. All my nerves were forgotten. Now that I had someone to share the work and my secret recipe with. It would be a wonderful day. Sweet dreams.