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Jell-O
Max found her husband sitting on the living room sofa with a snack cup of Jell-O, a mug of tea, and an old episode of "Dr. Who" on the television.
"How are you feeling?"
Spencer swallowed a bite of his cherry Jell-O and smiled at her. "Better," he said.
"Your voice isn't as hoarse this morning."
"I agree," he said.
Max sat next to him and watched him devour his snack. "Looks like you're getting your appetite back."
"I think so. Cherry Jell-O tastes better than the crackers and Sprite I've been using to settle my stomach for the last day and a half."
"The doctor said you had a bad case of stomach flu, so I'm not surprised
Spencer reached over and touched her cheek. "I'm glad you and the kids didn't get it."
"Me too."
Max watched him finish the last of his Jell-O. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course."
"Why were JJ and Garcia teasing you about your love of Cherry Jell-O?"
Spencer went pink in the cheeks, then he sighed and began to play with a lock of her hair. "My mom used to make me Jell-O when I was sick. Years ago, I was in the hospital due to work injuries, and both times the nurses gave me Cherry Jell-O. The first time in the hospital, Morgan stole the cup before I was conscious and ate it."
Max giggled as Spencer frowned over his empty cup.
"It was not funny.
Max tried to school her face into severe lines but lost the battle with her laughter.
"It's a little funny, Spencer."
Spencer continued to frown until Max said. "I'm sorry."
"Just kidding," he said and jerked away when Max tried to smack his arm.
"Behave, or I will forget you're ill."
"You don't scare me."
"I should."
Max sat in silence with Spencer until he said. "Once, I tried to help my mom make a salad. I was six years old, and it was one of her good days."
"I take it your help didn't go well."
"It did, although my dad wasn't sure about it when she served the salad. It was one of the last times I remember us laughing together after he tried it and said. "I'm not sure this is ready for the Thanksgiving table, but I like it."
"What did you do," Max asked.
"I was obsessed with yellow at the time. It reminded me of sunshine and gold. I liked to play pirates after I did my homework. So, I liked cheddar cheese because it was yellow."
"Oh, you didn't."
"I did. I found some leftover grated cheese from my mom's attempt at tacos. I dumped it in the mixing bowl with cherry Jello and the whipped cream. My mom was mad, but then she decided not to waste it and let me scoop it into serving dishes and then garnish it with chopped pecans. After the salad chilled, it turned out surprisingly good."
"Hm… I'm not sure I'd like it, but you never know."
"Well," Spencer said. "I don't think my stomach is ready for whipped cream and cheese yet, so I'll stick with the snack cups.
CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM
Two weeks later, Max was making her famous bacon cheeseburgers for a Sunday afternoon barbecue. Spencer entered the kitchen and said. "You need help."
"Yes. Why don't you taste the salad I made?"
Spencer went to the large bowl on the counter and peered inside. "What is this?"
"A surprise."
"Max."
"Just taste it."
Max watched him pick up a clean spoon and scoop out a small bite of the mixture inside the bowl. He looked at her, and she nodded her head. "Go ahead. It won't kill you."
Spencer smirked at her and tasted the bite. "Max!"
"You like it."
"This is wonderful. How did you recreate it?"
Max grinned at his delighted eyes and the smile on his face. "I found it online. It looks like you're not the only one to create that salad. I even found one that has orange Jell-o with vanilla pudding, topped with whipped cream and grated cheese."
Spencer dropped the spoon and hurried over to kiss her. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. I hope I didn't bring up sad memories for you."
"No. I'm sad that it's been three years since she died, but you reminded me of a good memory."
"I'm glad. Why don't you portion out the salad into serving cups and put them in the fridge? "Everyone is going to be arriving soon, and it's almost time to start the burgers on the grill."
Spencer kissed her. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"I love you, Max."
"I love you, too," Max said.