Beloved Stranger [antikvár]

In September, Mr and Mrs Butler discovered broccoli. Lily already had carrots in her bag. She hated carrots but they went with everything. 'What's that?' Dick peered at the green sprigs which had been arranged upright in a wooden box. The stout stems seemed full of sap, the mossy heads chaste and secretive. He thought it resembled a virgin forest. 'It's broccoli.' Lily had seen pictures of it in magazines. 'It's supposed to be good for you.' 'Would we try some?' He eased out a sprig. 'One piece each or two? Maybe it will be disappointing. Just the two?' They asked the girl at the counter how you cooked broccoli but she had never eaten it. She didn't like vegetables. On the way out Dick noticed that Lily was limping slightly. 'All right, love? Feet at you?' 'It's that toenail.' 'Take my arm.' 'Ruth's coming tomorrow.' She slipped her hand into his tweeded elbow. 'She'll know how to cook broccoli. We'll have the carrots today.' 'Ruth will make your head spin with ways to cook broccoli.'