((I wrote this for a contest on LiveJournal. It kinda sucks, but I like it. 8D))
“What is that smell?”
Slowly turning to face the owner of the slightly shrill voice, I shrugged. “Food.”
Kathy put her hands on her (scantily clothed) hips and raised her eyebrows at me. “Yeah, I got that. I’m no idiot. But what, specifically, is it.”
With a sigh, I turned back to the oven and continued fiddling with the dials, talking over my shoulder. “It’s a simple Herb Bread. Nothing special about it.”
“It smells heavenly,” Kathy exhaled dramatically and leaned against the counter. I could feel her watching me.
“Can I help you with anything else, Kathy?” I said, making it a point to make that simple statement drip with sarcasm and annoyance. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her smirk.
“I’m bored. And there’s no one else to talk to. So, you’re stuck with me!” she chirped, apparently happy to be exasperating. She stood up and walked over to me, bending over so she could see through the glass of the oven door. “When’s it going to be ready? I want to try some.”
“In an hour, Kathy.” Fine. If she wasn’t going to go away, I was going to be as short and monotonous as I could. I sidled away from the oven to busy myself, slamming cabinet doors and taking out ingredients.
Picking up several heads of cabbage, carrots, and spicy peppers, I selected one of the best of each and set it down. Taking a long, razor-sharp knife, I sliced, diced, and chopped them all into little squares. Juice from the peppers leaked out onto my cutting board as I picked up the slat and scraped the ingredients into Yolanda’s gray Aging Pot.
“What’s that?” Kathy piped in, appearing suddenly at my side and peering over my shoulder. Seeing me tense up, she quickly added, “Sorry.” A pause. Then, “Well, what is it?”
”Kimchi,” I said through clenched teeth. “It’s kimchi.”
Kathy was silent for a few minutes, and I worked without offering any conversation to her. In fact, I was trying to ignore her presence altogether. But, as I turned around to get a clean Pot, there she was. “Gaah…!” I gasped as I very nearly bumped foreheads with the blonde. She smiled, and didn’t make a move to back away. Not noticing, or ignoring, the fact that my face was turning five different shades of red, she said, “Hey, I’ve got a great idea!”
”Oh, yeah? What’s that?” I murmured, sidling past her and continuing to the front of the kitchen, ignoring the drumming of my heartbeat in my ears.
“OK, so, you’re making an Herb Bread, right? So, why not make a Cheese Fondue to go with it?” the blonde suggested, her sea green eyes waiting to gauge my response. Slowly, I played with the idea in my brain.
“That might actually work,” I admitted finally. She clapped her hands happily and crowed, “See? I can be a help!” I rolled my eyes and opened the refrigerator door, bending down to open the Cheese and Meats drawer. Kathy’s head popped in above mine.
“I want to help,” she declared, folding her arms. “I suggested it. I should get to help cook it. It’s only fair.”
I started to growl in protest, but she stamped the heel of her boot against the ground. “Really? Girls still stamp their feet?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at her. She pouted at me. Groaning, I gave in. “Fine. Just don’t mess it up,” I muttered, grabbing an extra apron off of the nearby coat hook and tossing it to her. She squealed happily and saluted me.
“Aye-aye, Cap’n!” she deadpanned in a deep voice.
“OK, we need Cheese, garlic, 2 tablespoons of flour, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, and just a splash of alcohol,” I dictated, moving around the kitchen to retrieve the ingredients. Kathy did the same.
“Um, how much constitutes a ‘pinch’ or ‘splash?’” She asked, holding up a bottle of alcohol in one hand and a container of salt in another. I rolled my eyes and held out my hands for her to give me the items. She frowned, but handed them over.
Getting a large mixing pot, I poured in the dry ingredients, like the salt, pepper, and flour. “There’s a cheese shredder in the—“ I began.
“Already got it,” Kathy announced, holding up the metal instrument like a trophy. I blinked, surprised.
“Er, okay. Now, take the Cheese and get about 8 ounces—“
”How much is that? I can’t eyeball it like you can, Chase.” Her voice had a note of irritation in it. In spite of herself, she was actually pretty amusing.
“About a cup.”
“That, I can do.”
We didn’t talk much as we worked, which I appreciated. I was used to working in silence and isolation. But…maybe that wasn’t the best policy, after all. Didn’t mothers bake or cook with their children? I wasn’t exactly a physcologist, but there was something magical about cooking with someone.
“Chase?”
Snapping out of my revelation, I looked up quickly, cracking my neck as I did so. “Ouch…I mean, what, Kathy?”
“I think we’re ready.” She pointed at the mass of ingredients on the countertop, nodding her head in satisfaction. I looked over the mess of food on the granite and agreed.
“OK, now, we have to put everything in the Pot,” I directed, pointing to the container on the stovetop. She grabbed the dry ingredients and cheese, and I took the alcohol and garlic, and together, we combined them in the Pot. Almost instantly, the cheese started to soften. Turning away, Kathy smiled.
“That’ll taste good with the Herb Bread,” she said softly, meeting my gaze. For a moment, she just stared at me. It was a little…unnerving, actually.
The sound of the timer going off startled me. I jumped up and opened the oven door, not bothering to put on mitts. The Herb Bread did smell, well, heavenly. Kathy inhaled deeply, pretending to stumble around deliriously.
“Well, I did promise you a fresh-out-of-the-oven piece,” I said, trying to sound begrudging. I took a knife out of the stand nearby and sliced off an end piece, handing it to her. She ate it quickly, and moaned her approval.
”Oh, my God. That is quite possibly the most amazing thing I have ever eaten in my entire life,” she praised, shutting her eyes and chewing slowly.
“Glad you like it,” I said, unable to conceal my pride. “It’ll taste even better when the Fondue is done.”
It didn’t take long for the cheese to melt and combine with the rest of the ingredients, and before long, I was scooping the concoction into a fondue pot. Grabbing two fondue skewers, I handed one to Kathy, and then quickly chopped the Herb Bread into squares.
“Bon appetit!” Kathy said, smacking her skewer against mine, before stabbing a piece of bread and dipping it into the fondue. I waited for her reaction before trying it for myself. She moaned again.
”OK, I take it back. This is the most amazing thing I have ever eaten in my life.”
Chuckling, I said, “Well, then. I guess I’d better try it, too.”
Before long, there were no more bread squares, and the fondue pot had been scraped dry. Kathy tossed me a napkin, and then wiped her own face off. “You’ve got a little…” I said, pointing to the corner of my lip. She mirrored my action and wiped her face off.
“Did I get it?” she asked, frowning.
Silent for a moment, I nodded. “Yeah. You got it.”
She smiled, and then cast a glance at the clock. “Oh. Well, it’s getting pretty late. I won’t bother you anymore.” She hesitated for a minute, and then shyly said, “I had fun today, Chase. Thanks for letting me cook with you.”
”Yeah, yeah,” I said, waving my hand dismissively. Her smile faded quickly.
“Yeah. Well. I’ll be going now,” she said, standing up. She waved half-heartedly, and then turned to leave.
“Kathy, wait.” She stopped in her tracks, and then turned back to face me. I sighed, and then stood up, brushing dirt off of my pants. “I’m making Stew tomorrow, and, well, I could use your help.”
She grinned at me, and my heart skipped a beat. “I’ll be there.”
) I'm happy