Perfect Purple Potatoes

While Teresa slept, Carolina unpacked her bags. It had been over a year since the last time she saw her Aunt and Uncle. There were stories to swap. Carolina could not wait to hear about her Cusco cousins, who were in Lima, working in Peru’s capital city. Likewise, Uncle Jorge could not wait to hear about his brothers, Arturo and Jose.
After she put away her clothes, she glanced around the room. She figured Aunt Paola must have cleaned the room before the girl’s arrival. Everything was perfect. Carolina inhaled deeply. “Almost everything,” she thought. The smell of soap and cleanser was still strong inside the room.
Carolina opened her bedroom window. Cool winds blew through the curtains until Carolina pushed them back. She had forgotten how much colder it was in the mountains. She went to the kitchen.
“Aunt Paola, do you have an extra poncho?”
“There should be some stored in the top of your closet.”
“Thanks! I must have missed them.”
Carolina returned to her closet. Sure enough, several colorful ponchos made of Alpaca wool were stacked in the top of the closet. Carolina pulled one down and pulled it over her head. Immediately, she felt warmer.
Aunt Paola remained at the kitchen sink. Colorful piles of vegetables were arranged on the cutting board: scallions, jalapenos and carrots. The vegetable piles reminded Carolina of an artist’s palette. Aunt Paola’s knife rocked back and forth on the board, mincing fresh parsley into tiny bits. She scrapped the knife along the board, picking up the parsley and placing in its own pile, next to the carrots. Aunt Paola pulled a flower pot from the window sill. She snapped several twigs of mint from the plant and ran the knife through it, too.
“Carolina dear, would you please do me a favor?”
“What is it?”
“I left a bushel of potatoes out near the stables. Would you fetch them?”
“Absolutely, my Auntie.” Carolina ran to the barn. Uncle Jorge had climbed down from the roof and was now working in the hayloft.
“!Buenas Tardes, mi Tio!” Carolina called out to her Uncle, wishing him a happy afternoon.
“Buenas Tardes, Carolina!” He used a pitchfork, turning the wet hay, so it would dry and not mold. He put down his pitchfork and motioned to Caroliina.
“While you’re down there, I need you to lend me a hand.”
“What can I do?”
“Hand me those wooden planks one at a time so I can finish fixing the roof.”
“Okay.” Carolina lifted the pieces of wood to Uncle Jorge. Hammered each plank into place on the roof. Soon, he had patched all of the holes. Now the Llamas and their hay could stay dry on rainy nights.
“Uncle?”
“Yes, Lina?” Carolina smiled. Her Uncle Jorge always used the nickname Lina, which Carolina preferred anyway.
“I was just wondering if I would be able to use the shearing razor this Summer.”
“I think you’re probably old enough to shear wool. Do you think you can hold a Llama?”
“Not by myself, but with my cousin’s help, I’m sure I could do it.”
“We will see.”
Just then, Aunt Paola came outside to see where her Potato-fetcher had gone.
“Lina, what’s taking so long?” she called out.
While she was helping her Uncle, Lina forgot why she had come outside in the first place. A small basket of blue and purple potatoes sat next to the feeding trough. Lina grabbed it and ran toward the house.
“I’m sorry, Auntie,” said Lina.
“That’s okay. I know you meant well. Come inside and help me in the kitchen.”
“I’d love to,” replied Carolina.
“Can you wash the potatoes for me?”
Without answering, Lina poured the potatoes into the kitchen sink and turned on the cold-water faucet. She held the potatoes under the running water, rubbing off the dirt with her hands. She grabbed a heavy brush and finished cleaned them, while Aunt Paola peeled them. Aunt Paola mixed the clean potatoeswith the other vegetables in a large kettle. She sprinkled cheese over the vegetables and moved the kettle to the fire.
“What now?” asked
“Rocoto Rellenos,” replied Aunt Paola.
“I haven’t had those since last year,” exclaimed Lina.
Aunt Paola filled her apron with hot peppers from the refrigerator and unloaded them onto the counter. Carolina cut them in half and placed them on the coutner. Meanwhile, Aunt Paola made the spicy beef stuffing, mixing in scallions and cayenne powder. She kneaded the beef on the counter then used a spoon to fill the pepper halves.
“Let’s put these in the kettle, too.”
Aunt Paola carefully lifted the kettle lid and Lina placed the Rellenos on top of the Purple Potato Casserole. Aunt Paola returned the lid to its place and undid her apron. She slipped out of her sandals and laid on the couch for a rest. Still anxious, Lina looked for something to do. She found a piece of string and tied the ends together, making a giant loop.
Lina wove the string through her fingers, making different designs with the string. First, she made a broom, and then a crow. After that, she created a stirng-man, his hands and legs stretched between her hands.
“How did you do that?” asked Aunt Paola.
“It’s easy. Let me show you.” Lina moved closer to her Aunt. She slowly demonstrated her design, weaving her hands in and out of of the string loop.
“Let me try,” said Aunt Paola.
She moved her hands back and forth. When she pulled the last knot through the loop, she came out with a one-legged man.
“How did you do that?”
Lina showed her Aunt how to weave the design, but when Aunt Paola tried, she still came out with the same one-legged man.
“Let me try again.”
Aunt Paola weaved her hands again. This time, Lina stopped her Aunt at the place where she made her mistake. Aunt Paola attempted the stretching man again. Again, she weaved the string incorrectly, ending up with another one-legged man. She laughed at her mistake and then undid the design.
“I haven’t done this in such a long time. Let me show you a design I used to make when I was a girl.”
Aunt Paola made a figure-eight with the string, then wove it into her fingers. She bent down and grabbed a loose end and flipped it through the loop. She reached down and grabbed the loose end with her teeth and pulled.
“Ta-da!” she said with a muffled voice. Lina clapped wildly.
“What is it?” asked Lina.
“It’s a spider,” replied Aunt Paola.
“But it has a triangle-shaped head.”
“That’s because it’s a trnagle-headed spider,” said Aunt Paola with a grin.
“There’s no such thing, Auntie!”
“I am working with a string loop. I can’t make a perfect copy.”
“I guess you’re right,” replied Lina, “Do you know anything else?”
“The only other design I know is a triangle-head dog. Is that okay?”
“Of course it is,” chuckled Lina.
Aunt Paola quickly wrapped her fingers in the loop and made her design. Aunt Paola finished her dog and displayed it proudly. As she finished, Uncle Jorge entered the living room.
“What are you two up to?” he asked.
“Making string loop designs. do you know any?”
“I sure do!” said Uncle Jorge. He took the string and moved his arms wildly until he came up with a tangled mess of string. He proudly displayed it for Aunt Paola and Lina.
“What is it?” asked Lina.
“What does it look like?” asked Uncle Jorge.
“I’m not sure.”
“Me, neither, but if I was to call it something, it would be a rat’s nest.”
Lina nodded her head while Aunt Paola sighed, “Jorge, you really are a piece of work, my dear.”
“I try,” said Uncle Jorge as he handed the knotted loop to Lina. She immediately went to work, untangling her Uncle’s mess. Uncle Jorge took a shower. Aunt Paola slipped int her sandals. She lifted the kettle lid and stuck a fork into the potatoes and the stuffed peppers.
“They’re done. Go wake Teresa.”
:Lina fetched Teresa and got ready for dinner. When the girls returned to the dining room table, Uncle Jorge was in his chair, waiting for everyone to join him.
The girls chose seats on either side of their Uncle while Aunt Paola sat at the other end of the table. Teresa led everyone in a prayer before they started their dinner.
“What are we doing tonight?” asked Teresa.
“Resting,” answered Uncle Jorge.
Teresa frowned. “Resting? I’ve been resting all day.”
“I’ve been working all day. It will be another long day tomorrow, so you might as well get all the rest you can.”
“But I’m not tired,” replied Teresa.
“There’s really nothing left to do,” replied Uncle Jorge.
“Just relax, you’ve had a long day,” added Aunt Paola.
Teresa and Carolina sat in the living room, playing checkers until late in the night. Finally, Carolina decided it was time for bed. Teresa had no choice but to join her, giving up on the night.
They went to their separate rooms and laid down. For both girls, the solitude of have their own room was lonely, but it also provided just the right mood. Both girls were sound asleep within minutes.