If you ever ask I will tell you my favorite Bob Marley song is “Waiting in Vain“.
When I listen to this song I am suddenly hit by a bout of nostalgia. It never fails; I remember why this song is one of my very favorites as it takes me back to my teenage years. I was 15 to be exact – Back when puppy love was a serious situation, worthy of hours upon hours of heavy discussion with your friends and the object of much daydreaming.
I had a wicked crazy crush on a boy named Miguel something-or-other. In High School one doesn’t bother with last names unless the boy is in your class, and this boy clearly wasn’t. He was in a class a few doors down from my own. I don’t remember which period, I do remember it was after lunch. Good lawd – The first time I blessed my eyes on him, my teenage heart said to follow through.
He was tall, slim, curly haired, and had the complexion of a cinnamon stick. He was quiet. I would stand outside my classroom door until the bell rang, pretending to listen to chick babble all the while stealing furtive glances his direction, hoping to catch his eye. I never did. I was way too shy to approach him and only learned of his name about 6 months after he took center stage as my fantasy boyfriend. In my head I used to call him “X”. or Raphael. He looked like a Raphael.
I spent many a daydream on that boy. I would picture our paths crossing, him asking me to be his girlfriend, living the happily ever after afforded to a teenage mind. Every love song that played during that time was about that boy, a boy I had yet to formally meet, but the waiting feel was fine, and thus Bob Marley’s Waiting in Vain fit my feelings perfectly.
He never even knew I was alive.
*Sigh*…
It would be almost 2 years until our paths officially crossed at a party. By then I was taking other classes and had temporarily forgotten about him; as is customary of any fickle teenager.
I was dancing when I spotted him. My heart dropped to my knees as my brain exclaimed; “Holy s***, it HIM!” Oh, I was instantly transported to my sophomore year of high school, except this time it was for real – He was RIGHT THERE! NEAR ME!
AAAAHHHHH!!
After a while he asked me to dance and I inwardly shrieked. I remember it was a salsa song, perhaps Tito Rojas who was hot that year. I couldn’t dance salsa back then and I am pretty sure he was laughing at me, not with me. One dance led to another, which led to proper introductions, which led to some words.
Next thing you know I was making out with my renewed crush by the stairs that led to the roof.
What?
I kept it PG, so don’t judge me.
We mostly talked about nothing and made out some more; And though he was a great kisser “Fantasy Miguel” was soooo much better than “Real Miguel”. It’s always like that, isn’t it? I was obviously “some chick” he kissed at a party, which was a crushing let down. I spent like 8 months daydreaming about this boy – And there was no declarations of love, he never admitted to daydreaming about about me, there was no mutual crush action.
In fact, he didn’t even know we went to the same school! Ugh! There just was a lot of soft kissing, and a lot of silence in between. We had NOTHING in common other than a couple of friends, I think.
He eventually went to the roof to pee, which I found most distasteful. Yes, I was making out with a boy steps from a building roof, but dammit – I was a lady – I was sitting on a piece of cardboard!
I wouldn’t let him touch me afterwards because he had just touched his teenage man parts and I was not clear on his penal hygiene situation.
Anywhoo…
He got my number and never ever called. I remember not caring too much past a week. He was such a let down. It bees that way sometimes. A few months later there was another boy to fantasize about and the waiting feel was fine.
This molten chocolate cake was one I spent my waking hours daydreaming about. Sometime last year bon appétit posted a molten dulce de leche cake recipe that made my knees weak. I never made it for fear that it would be too sweet, but the idea of dulce de leche in a melty state stuck.
I thought a bittersweet chocolate with an added spoonful of dulce de leche would be a harmonious combination, and obviously much less sweet. The dulce de leche sinks to the bottom immediately and bakes fluid. I didn’t purchase ready-made dulce-de-leche; instead I made it from a can of condensed milk.
The cake bakes just like any other molten chocolate cake, with a nicely risen cracked top. You dip your spoon into the center, eager to get to the gooey chocolate. Further to that, at the very bottom is a spoonful of melted dulce de leche. When those two come together it’s a perfect synergy of flavor. That jammy explodes in your mouth, and releases something in your brain that craves for more.
Which is exactly why I used these mini mason jars. Much like teenage puppy love this must be eaten in small doses, and since this makes 6 to a batch there’s no waiting in vain for your love…
The waiting feel is fine…
