Cheap Red Wine

"Do you want to join me in glass of wine?" I ask M.
"What do we have?" The connoisseur asks.
"Well, there's this Californian Merlot," I reply. "Otherwise, I have a Canadian Chardonnay in the fridge."
"Red, please."
I uncork the bottle and reach for a wine glass.
"Let it breathe first!" Connoisseur M corrects me.
"Breathe first?" I reply. "It's a cheap red wine. Cheap red wines don't have to breathe first. They're drinking wines. You just pour them and enjoy!"
M looks at me skeptically as I pour first one glass and then the next.

I stopped having a glass of wine while I cooked a long time ago. The empty calories were finding their way to my hips. But now that my teeth have metal fences on them and my mouth hurts, it's a treat to enjoy a small pleasure that doesn't involve any chewing.

M and I clink glasses. I take a sip and put my wine glass on the counter next to the yams waiting to go into the oven. That's going to be my next little pleasure: bright orange yams, naturally sweet in taste and mashed nice and soft. It's a perfect pairing with red wine and a great accompaniment to a sore mouth.