It was a bright Sunday Morning. The sky was painted with hues of blue and white dots. The streets were alive with people walking, cars honking, and birds chirping happily. The promise of a beautiful day filled the air as families headed to church. I woke up that morning with a slight headache, I expected it. I had spent the whole night playing several games of chess, so I knew I would wake up with a tiny headache.
“Stay behind today, rest well. You'll go to church next week.” My mom said as she closed the doors behind her and zoomed off. As I basked in the warmth of my brown-leathered couch, an unexpected burst of excitement danced through my screen. It was a message from Zee, my crush, and the one whose presence alone could change my world- light up my world with ten thousand magical fireflies. It was a message from Zee, the love of my life.
The smile on my face was golden as I read the message aloud. “Hey, Favy, good morning, I'm on my way to your place. I spent the whole night learning how to prepare your favorite dish. I'm going to surprise you today.” the message read. Zee loves onions so much, she can't do without them. Ever since she told me that she couldn’t belive anyone in the world would not like onions, they became my favorite vegetables too. Even though I hated onions and would always pick them out of my food when my mom prepared dishes. But for Zee, onions are now my favorite. Zee is my best friend. She’s my favorite person and I want to always leave up to her expectations and not let her down. I always don’t want to disappoint her. “I bought lots of onions today. You're surely going to enjoy it” the last part of her message read.
I jumped up as if the headache had magically disappeared. I rushed to the bathroom to freshen up. I had to look new and fresh for my angel. After about ten minutes, Zee arrived with a big bag in her hand. Just as I was about to offer to carry the big black bag, she responded with a cute smile “don’t worry, baby, just head to the kitchen and prepare things.”
My favorite dish is Ogbono soup- an African dish. My mom has always been the one preparing it for me and I have never tasted it from anyone else. But for zee? I was ready to go extra miles. A huge smile lit up her face as she brought out the ingredients. “I bought this meat yesterday evening. Things are really expensive” she said, chopping them into small chunks. I didn't know how to respond to her, so I just stared at her, admiring her beauty.
“The first step is to soak your stock fish and cook your meat.” she said as she poured the weird-looking stock fish into boiling water. “Yes, my chef,” I replied. “ The woman on YouTube added crayfish, but since we don’t like crayfish, we wouldn't be needing it. I used to enjoy eating crayfish as a kid. But ever since I found out Zee hated it, I stopped eating it too.
“Now that the meat and stock fish are ready, the next step is to add enough water. And now, we’ll add salt, pepper, and the grinded Ogbono. After about 10 minutes, I'll add the vegetables. She said, “The food is almost ready, go sit at the dining table. I'll bring it to you and serve you like a king. “Yes, my queen” I replied and hurried off to the dining table.
Soon enough, Zee brought my favorite dish- ogbono soup on a stainless plate. My mom knew I hated stainless plates, the sound they make is just so annoying. “This looks yummy,” I said. “Come on, eat up and tell me what you think.” I wrapped a tiny chunk of morsel with the soup and gently placed it in my mouth. It tasted differently, not like the normal Ogbono mom always prepared. It tasted like two unfinished soup mixed together. “So, what do you think?” I swallowed another morsel to make my act seem so real. “This is really delicious, Zee. Are you sure you learnt it overnight? It seems you’ve been preparing for it for days.” I said, forcing myself to swallow another morsel.
After Zee left, I rushed off to the restroom and threw up. My stomach started a World War III with the rest of my body. After about 6 hours of struggling and trying to survive, I sent a message to Zee saying, "Thanks for the food, darling. I really enjoyed it. Love you.
This is my submission for APRIL INLEO prompt- day 10. The topic is: Recipe, Family, Dishes and Dinning out. Check the calendar out:
