Vera had been more concerned about falling asleep and Isaac not being able to get back inside without waking up the entire neighborhood. Isaac had assured her that was not a concern but it had taken her literally falling asleep on the couch waiting for him to prove it to her. Tonight though, Vera hadn’t even given Isaac’s leaving a second thought. Strange how even just a month could make something already begin to feel ‘normal’.
He had business at the base. She had chores to do around the house. While cooking still seemed to be a problem for her after the sea-salt pasta round, Isaac had showed her how to work the washer and dryer. Until she could figure out something to provide him with a true thank you for helping her, Vera could at least try and keep his house neat. So as she sat on the couch, TV on some strange movie called Ever After and laundry being folded around her, Vera did not expect her host to be home anytime soon.
As guessed by the microwave going off to say her popcorn was done.
~~~
No more than fifteen minutes after she hit play Isaac pulled his car into the garage and closed the door behind him before disarming the alarm and walking inside. The house was dark save for the flickering glow across the hardwood floor from the television in the living room.
“Unbelievable. She ignores the manor, blames us for her debt… and still pretends to have money to burn. Don’t you dare laugh. I’m coming out. … The shoes are too big.”
“Nobody will be looking at your feet.” Isaac spoke in tandem with Gustav when Danielle revealed the outfit she had just put on. “I guess I should have called and told you I was close.” He smirked noticing she had already polished off about three quarters of the popcorn. “Sorry I’m late, did everything go okay today?”
~~~
The sound of his voice made Vera jump slightly, causing the bowl of popcorn to tilt. A few pieces fell out on the pile of clothes but she only ignored them for now as she grabbed for the bowl.
“Oh. I guess I have the volume up too high. I didn't hear the door.” Vera offered, looking for the remote now as she put the bowl on the ground. Finding it under one of the pillows, she hit pause over muting it. Only a few minutes into it and she already was hooked. “Sorry about that.” From across the room she heard Isaac chuckle.
As the remote came to rest on the armrest, Vera pulled herself off the couch. “Today went pretty well. Managed to finish off the laundry and some of the basic chores. Didn't turn anything pink this time either.” the last part was added with an embarrassed laugh remembering one load being nearly ruined.
“How was work? I didn't expect you home for a few more hours. Finish early?”
~~~
“Kind of.” Isaac hung his keys on the hook above the hallway lightswitch before taking off his shoes. “Someone interrupted our training so my superior officer made the call to cut today short and pick up where we left off on Thursday.” If only he had managed to take the weakling terrorists starseed or drain her of what energy she had then maybe he could have met his quota and had the rest of the week off but naturally plans rarely ever turn out the way you hope them to.
Although, he did have to wonder while driving home, if push came to shove could he have raised a hand against that kid? Even now he didn’t have an answer.
Stepping into the kitchen he opened the fridge door. Cold air rushed past his face as he took note of what leftovers and miscellaneous ingredients there were since he hadn’t gone grocery shopping for the week yet. “Have you already eaten dinner?” Isaac asked while trying to think of what he could throw together with some vegetables that were nearing their expiration date.
~~~
At the question, Vera looked down at the bowl of popcorn before tilting her head to the side with a half “Not really” response back over her shoulder. Bending over to grab the bowl, she cleaned up the few fallen kernels and crossed her way through the room and over to the kitchen. “I don’t think popcorn counts as a dinner. Though I didn’t realize I had almost finished the bowl…”
Dropping the discarded kernels into the trash, Vera placed the bowl on the edge of the counter and looked at the outline of the man head first in the fridge. He had that look about him as he tried to put a puzzle together. A puzzle she was zero help on.
“Hopefully whoever interrupted you had a good reason and wasn’t just someone looking for the bathroom.” She added, leaning herself against the edge of the counter as she tried to stay out of his way. “But it does free up your evening so that’s good. I was going to watch that movie but I’ll change it if you rather something more….actiony?”
~~~
“No it's fine. You can keep watching it while I make something to eat.” Isaac reached into the back of the fridge to grab a few bottles of blackish looking stuff with words written in another language.
“What are your thoughts on stir-fry?” He asked while pulling out a thawed chicken and van assortment if vegetable that needed to be eaten which included half of an onion, bell pepper, some leftover steamed broccoli from the other day and baby carrots.
~~~
Looking at him eye the bottles, Vera didn’t say anything until she watched the chicken and vegetables be pulled out. If those were the main ingredients then it couldn’t be too bad. “Worth a shot. I mean everything I see you pulling out of the fridge looks good. I’m just curious as to what are those?” A finger pointed over to the glass bottles he was holding.
Without thinking, Vera crossed the cold kitchen floor and reached across Isaac to grab one of the bottles. Looking at it 360, she seemed even more confused than she had been. “Am I supposed to be able to read this?” The confusion was clear on her face but it didn’t stop her from twisting open the lid and smelling the contents.
Her head jerked back and her eyes went wide with a flutter. “Whoa. Salty.” Her hands went to putting the lid back on without tasting. Something told her it would be better to try it with everything instead of alone. “What is this?”
~~~
“That,” He plucked the bottle from her hands and set it on the counter. “Is sesame oil and this,” Isaac handed her the other bottle. “This is stir fry sauce.I picked them up at the asian market a few weeks back. I figured it would be something easy for you to make if, for some reason, I’m not coming home for a day or two.”
He had meant to teach her how to make it last weekend but some family things came up and those plans got postponed. “Why don’t you go ahead and keep watching the movie while I cook dinner. If you like it, I’ll show you how to make it. It’s pretty easy.” Really though it was mostly knowing when to put what into the wok so all the vegetables were done at about the same time then sauce to taste.
Honestly though, he just really didn’t want her eating unhealthy foods all the time. Popcorn on occasion was fine but having too many instant microwaveable dinners wasn’t really an eating habit he approved of.
~~~
Blinking as one bottle magically disappeared from her hand and another appeared, Vera repeated nearly the same process of smelling the liquid inside. This one seemed thicker and sweeter than the last. Still, she wasn’t sure she was going to be diving for a soup full of it anytime soon. “It’s strong.” She mumbled, handing him the bottle back as he kept working.
At the mention of her returning to the movie, Vera though had to give a small pout. Memories or not, she hated being not included in things. It was a very strange habit that had come about since her wrist had gotten better. Vera wanted to do things to show how grateful she was to Isaac. Wasn’t her fault that cooking was clearly not her strong point.
Okay, maybe it was her fault. … Stupid Oven.
“You know, I could try and help….” But when she eyed the knives once more, Vera finally had to shake her head. “Nevermind. Just let me do the dishes afterwards. Okay?” Smiling softly at him as she turned, leaving the popcorn bowl where it stood, Vera slipped back into the living room. It was a weird internal battle going on inside of her. Part of her wanted to help, to be in the kitchen with him. But the part that grabbed the remote and hit the play button also wanted to stay out of his way. A month had gone by and she had already made him change everything in his life for her.
At least now she was up and moving. Traveling outside of the neighborhood was still spotty, at least alone. Now if she could just figure out the bus system.
~~~
“Don’t get discouraged.” Isaac plugged the electric wok in and turned the heat up to a medium-high. “Cooking isn’t necessarily for everyone, but if it is something your interested in or want to try to get better at I will help you.” Who knows, perhaps a certain meal might trigger a memory of who she was before he had found her.
“I’m no culinary master but I can teach you the basics.” Something he should have done at the start, in truth it didn’t even dawn on him that she probably didn’t know how to properly use a knife. For him it was like second nature, something he didn’t need to even think about when he had lost his own memory after waking up from a coma. “Tomorrow, while I’m out, why don’t you look though some of the cook books. I can even download a few recipe apps for you on your phone. But I want you to pick out a few recipes you think you might enjoy.”
Over the last few weeks the two of them had tried several different ethnic dishes, some of them she liked but he didn’t and vice versa. Definitely a hit and miss but progress was progress.
~~~
“I’d like to at least learn how to cook an egg.” Vera answered back as she had to let herself smile. “Something that doesn’t require using the microwave or a sandwich. Only so long you can live on bread and turkey.”
For a few minutes, Vera didn’t say anything. She just sat back and listened to him work in the kitchen against the sound of the movie playing. It was peaceful and something she was glad for. When he wasn’t there, when there wasn’t the sound of something else going on, her mind would fall down one dangerous hole after another. Nothing in those holes made sense but they were places she didn’t want to be.
“I don’t understand how someone could be so cruel to a family member...blood or not.” Vera finally said as she watched the stepmother yet again degrade Danielle.
~~~
“Jealousy is a powerful emotion. It can make someone think and act irrationally which oftentimes leaves someone hurt in the end.” In his own experience it left emotional scars on the person unwilling to deal with the situation but there were times that things got physical and ended with someone in the hospital.
Glad that Vera was more focused on the movie than him, Isaac smirked as he finished washing off the rice. What a time for thoughts of Daniel to pop into his head. Now that was a jealous little p***k if he had ever seen one; too bad it took being in a coma for him to run his mouth to the wrong person and get punched in the face because of it. What he would have done to see TJ knock the b*****d on his a**.
Since day one the guy had it out for Isaac for reasons not even he could explain. But instead of trying to push his own limits and improve himself the guy just bitched about everything. It was only a matter of time before someone had enough.
~~~
“I guess so. But to be jealous of a child? I mean I guess I could see that if one parent seemed to favor them. But still…it just...” Didn’t sit well with her. The notion seemed hard to Vera to digest even as she watched the movie play out in front of her. For a long moment, she didn’t press the matter but then she decided why not.
“Are you jealous of anyone Isaac?”
~~~
For a brief moment he paused, the freshly diced onion stung his eyes but he paid the sensation little mind. Instead he scooped up the handful of little white cubes and tossed them into the wok.
The loud hissing lasted for only a few seconds before settling into a more hushed summer. “Honestly, nobody really comes to mind. However, that doesn't mean I'm immune to the emotion.” Due to his own high moral standards and work ethic Isaac really didn't feel jealous of anyone. If there was something he wanted then he would work for it, it really was that simple.
~~~
“Emotions are a strange thing. They like to sneak up on you when you don’t expect it.” Vera shrugged, thinking of her own. That feeling of jealousy was something she had felt many times on their outings as she tried to force herself to remember even one face….a name even. The jealousy came and went though. As long as she didn’t dwell on it, Vera was fine. Mostly.
“But I have a feeling you are lucky in that. Call it a gut feeling but I have this nagging sensation I should be jealous of something. What...zero clue.”
~~~
“My handsome good looks and prowess in the kitchen?” Isaac teased.
With the last of the ingredients tossed into the wok he stirred the chunks of meat in with the vegetables then turned the heat down to keep it warm until the rice was done cooking. “I’m just teasing.”
The sweet aroma from the stirfry sauce carried from the kitchen all the way into the living room, masking the previous smell of buttery popcorn. “Honestly I wouldn’t give it anymore thought than you already have. It’s an emotion that will only bring you down and those kinds of thoughts won’t do you any good in the long run. I understand things have been rough the last few weeks but it is important to try to find positive things to focus on rather than negative. ”
~~~
The look of ‘you have to be kidding me’ passed over Vera’s face as she glanced back towards the kitchen. “No wonder you don’t have a girlfriend. Such a modest man.” Vera teased back, eye roll included. “Are you willing to put your money where your mouth is on that ‘prowess in the kitchen’ bit?”
Some days, it just felt normal to be there with him. Teasing back and forth as they do. It was a comfort to just...live.
“Or are you just going to stick to the basics and leave the real meals to the pros?”
~~~
Isaac raised an eyebrow in her direction. Eyeing the bowl he inserted a bit of a jab of his own. “Says the person who was eating a bowl of popcorn.”
“One of these days…” He took a seat next to her on the couch while he waited for the rice cooker to ding. “One of these days I’m going to have you try a MRE and then we’ll see what you think of my cooking.” Oh he knew that she had no idea what a MRE was and no he wasn’t about to tell her either. There was a reason it was his number one most hated food and sooner rather than later Vera will learn first hand why that’s the case.
~~~
“I never said the pro was me.” Vera shot back before he joined her on the couch. Grabbing the pillow she was leaning on, Vera brought it around and bopped him on the side. A short payback for the teasing though she knew he could get her back 10 fold. Still, as she moved the pillow away, Vera stuck her tongue out at him.
“If an MRE has anything to do with body parts, I want nothing to do with it. Because that sounds like something they were blaring over the intercom at the hospital.”
~~~
“I’m pretty sure someone would get fired if they tried feeding patients a MRE. They’re more so given to soldiers because why not…? But they are also used for survival preparation like when Y2K happened. Granted hospital food tastes like s**t anyway so I’m sure nobody would notice” The food in their cafeteria was good some of the time but on certain days it tasted like seasoned cardboard. How it passed as edible was beyond him but who’s he to talk especially considering some of the weird s**t he’s eaten overseas. There were a number of times where he and his troupe had to rely on their translator to recommend something to eat and there were times, he learned, you just don’t ask what it is.
~~~
“Because soldiers don’t get treated the way they should.” Vera offered up as she glanced towards the man out of the corner of her eye. One didn’t need to have her complete memory to just be able to see that. Isaac had served in the war how many times? He had been hurt and nearly sent back. Vera couldn’t imagine what his mother felt. “For that matter neither do patients. I mean are they just trying to keep people there longer so they can charge more? Or maybe there is some secret organization out there wanting people to freely experiment on! What a better way to keep someone in the hospital than constant food poisoning!”
Sticking her tongue out, Vera made a gagging sound at the idea of eating that cardboard again. And she had only been there a day or two. “It’s sad some people’s dogs eat better than others.Still won’t forget that woman who ordered a dinner plate for her yorkie.”
~~~
Isaac raised a brow in her direction. “Her yorkie? I’m pretty sure animals are banned from entering the hospitals due to health reasons.” Certain areas area bit more flexible but there are a lot of hoops to jump through and most of those dogs that enter are therapy dogs specially trained and not personal pets. “I sure as hell hope they got kicked out.”
Vera could only shrug as he spoke because she hadn’t seen how things had played out. But that dog was clearly very spoiled.
Before he could comment on it further the rice cooker dinged indicating dinner was ready. “Want to pause the movie and fix yourself a plate?” A gentleman would have offered to put one together but he wasn’t sure exactly how hungry she was.
~~~
“Sounds good.” She grinned, looking forward to whatever he had made with those sauces. They had seemed rather different from the other condiments he had used so this was going to either be tasty or horrible. Hot sauce was only good in moderation after all.
Pausing the moving at which point it appeared Danielle was trying to carry the Prince back home on her shoulders, Vera had to do a second take before smiling and walking into the kitchen.
Having eaten most of a bag of popcorn, Vera went for a smaller bowl (eyeing the ‘sauce’) in the odd looking pan. “Okay, that isn’t a saute pan. What is that?”
~~~
Isaac shook his head and sighed, “Just try it. It won’t kill you I promise.”
~~~
“I didn’t mean the food!” Vera shot back, glaring at him with a child like annoyance. “I meant the thing you made it in. I’ve never seen you use that.”
Walking past him, she made a point to flick him against the arm before going to the strange pan and pulling out more than she had planned as if going ‘screw you’.
~~~
“It’s a wok,” He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his broad shoulder against the wall while Vera got what she wanted before helping himself. “It’s really only used for making this or other asian dishes like yakisoba; a japanese noodle dish.”
Isaac’s stomach growled in protest of him waiting but he paid it no mind; he’s gone longer than a few minutes without food before. But he had to admit, it did smell pretty good.
~~~
“See? Was that so hard?” Vera gave a huff as she sniffed the food. It really did smell tasty. But it was the sound of Isaac’s stomach that made her break into a grin.
Turning around to head for the rice, Vera just met his gaze. “You really got have gotten your plate first. I know I was teasing but I don’t want you to go hungry on my account you silly goose.”
~~~
“There’s a difference between being hungry and starving; I’m not quite to the latter point yet but I will be soon if you don’t hurry and try a bite. Making me slave away in the kitchen…” He shook his head in mock disapprovement.
~~~
“Oh dear...such a slave laborer.” Vera mocked, fishing out a fork and mixing the rice and ‘stir fry’ together. “In here all day over a hot stove…” Sticking her tongue out once more, she grinned and took a bite.
A second later she smile and gave him a nod of true approval. “Yum!”
~~~
Satisfied with her reaction Isaac grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and served himself a heaping spoonful of rice then topped it with a mound of stir fry and a dash of soy sauce.
“I cooked, you clean.” He smirked “But let's finish watching the movie first, it’ gets better I promise.”
~~~
“A promise is a promise.” Vera smiled, leading the way back into the living room. “But after the movie. I need to see how Danielle finally comes clean about her identity to Prince Charming. Then I’ll scrub everything until it sparkles!”
Sriene Naiads
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