Everyone knew who she was.  She was the grump—and an English professor.  Most of them couldn’t recall of what specialty.

But she was first and foremost the grump.

At every faculty party, she reigned as the food critic who held nothing back except compliments.  She was worse than the worst food critic, in fact, for she lacked the capability of a good review or a few stars to distribute.

With her, the food was always either “too salty” or “too sweet.”  She was never satisfied, at least not until she had shared her opinions.  Perhaps her tongue had over the years acquired the acerbic quality so commonly attributed to the English professor’s editing pen.  Many of her acquaintances attributed her blunt grumpy nature—bless her heart—to her being a Northerner, a common explanation in these circles for anyone who lacks the expected warmth of Southern culture.

Then came her last day at the university and the retirement party the department was throwing for her.  Were people sad to see her go?  Or happy, or indifferent?  Or merely worried that their food would receive cutting comments like at the last holiday party—her last parting shot?

Who knows? But what I do know is that no one expected what did happen.

An eyewitness reported that he saw her, beaming like no one had ever seen her smile, doing a full-blown tap dance routine in the hallway.  Few had ever seen her face light up in a smile, and no one had a clue she could tap dance.  But I guess she was excited about her retirement party after all—an enthusiasm buried as deep beneath her crusty surface as her hidden tapdancing talents.

Now that’s what I’d call a curmudgeon surprise.  Sounds like a dish, doesn’t it?  If it were, then I’d give it five stars.

Critic’s Review: Curmudgeon Surprise

“This dish is crusty on the outside and a bit tart for the first few bites.  However, you’ll find a sweet surprise once you dig into the center.  It’ll jump out when you least expect it and leave you with a pleasant aftertaste, ready for another bite!  You may even find yourself looking in hole-in-the-wall establishments more often as you search for more surprises like this one.”