It's Our Time to Shine
Preparation And Speculation.
I looked over at Mrs. McCracken, feeling her warm and gentle hand on my shoulder while meeting her smile.
“Yes, of course. You’re absolutely right.”
“You seem like such a nice girl, Lina, and I’m glad I’m getting to know you at least a little bit better. You’ve made such an impact on Robert and the boys from what I’ve heard during these past couple of monthts. It’s nice to know they are in good hands while they are off touring in that bus around the world. To be honest, it frightens me. But knowing that you’re there with them to keep them grounded, really is a relief.”
I blushed by her comment. I hadn’t expected to hear that at all, which made it even more pleasant.
“Very well, dear, let us start with the dinner. Would you please take out the cod fish from the refrigerator? It’s wrapped inside the aluminum foil at the bottom shelf.”
And so it went on; I helped Mrs. McCracken prepare the dinner by handing her the necessary ingredients while she was in charge of cooking the dinner itself.
“Would you care to make the gravy, sweetheart?”
“Can I? I mean – do you trust me managing to do that?”, I asked, almost stunned by the fact that she’s asked me to make the gravy.
“Yes, of course I trust you. Why shouldn’t I? I believe you are an exceptional gravy maker”, she giggled, giving me a warming smile.
“Okay, then. I’ll do my best.”
“You can use all the spices you wish. I recommend the brown bag by the kitchen counter, the one that says ‘Drake’s Meat Rubs’. It’s blackened fish seasoning – a wonderful spice!”
“Sure, mom”, I replied just before I realized what I had just said.
My heart stopped beating, I felt the anxiety that now slowly was spreading from top to toe and my eyes were now bulging out as I started to sweat.
“Did you just call me ‘mom’?”, Mrs. McCracken asked approaching me with an amazed look upon her face.
“Oh, hunny!”, she then said before wrapping her arms around me in a big welcoming hug.
“You can call me whatever you want!”
I smiled at her while trying to hide my embarrassment as I saw her heading into the living room to set the table.
It didn’t take long before the other guys came downstairs, all sitting down in the living room’s sofa.
“There, I’ve set the table now. You can go and clean yourself up if you want to”, Mrs. McCracken said as she came into the kitchen again, eyeing the gravy which I now considered done.
“Okay, will do.”
“Oh, and thank you so much for your help. The gravy looks, or, well, smells wonderful!”
I met her smile before leaving the kitchen and heading towards the stairs.
“Hey, guys”, I smiled, seeing Jepha and Dan in the sofa.
“Hey, chef. How’s it goin´ in there?”
“Not so good.. I burned down the kitchen and now the whole house is on fire.”
Jepha grinned at my slightly attempt of being funny and Dan was clearly considering my reply being funny as he now was giggling girly while looking at me with a smile.
“No, really – it went good. Dinner’s almost done now”, I assured.
“Awesome! I’m starving”, Dan added.
“Me too. Can’t wait for the fish”, Jepha agreed.
“Where’s Bert, by the way? Is he upstairs or something?”, I asked, trying to figure out where he could be.
“He’s up packing. Or at least I think so. That’s where I saw him last time.”
Before Jepha could say anything more, Mrs. McCracken came and announced that dinner was ready.
“Oh, I need to go and wake Quinn up”, I said, before heading up the stairs.
“Sweetie, would you mind telling Robert that dinner is ready too?”, she asked.
“No, of course not”, I answered with a smile as I went upstairs.
I walked down the hallway to Bert’s room before I gently knocked on the door twice.
“Yeah?”, he said from the inside, making me open the door and peek inside.
“Hey, dinner’s ready now. We’re having baked fish. Your mother and I made it.”
“Nah, I’m not that hungry”, Bert answered, sitting down on his bed and putting clothes in his bag as I entered the bedroom.
“Oh, come on. You haven’t eaten since breakfast and neither have I. It’s gonna be good. Please – do it for me?”
“Okay, fine. I’ll do it.”
“Great!”
“What sort of fish are we havin´?”
“Cod fish”, I replied.
“Oh, sounds good. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”
“Hey, is something wrong?”, I asked him, noticing that he was somehow absent-minded.
“No, nothing particularly.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yep”, Bert answered, putting the last piece of clothing in his bag without even looking at me.
“Okay, if you say so…”
I shut the door behind me as I left his room while having speculations.
I didn’t bother trying to analyze Bert’s head.
I’d been doing that before and failed with every attempt.
Instead, I focused on trying to remember where Quinn’s room was so that I could wake him up for dinner.
‘Second door to the right’, I said to myself.
Yeah, it had to be that one.
I walked down the hall from the second floor to the right.
I knew that knowing on Quinn’s door while trying to wake him up wouldn’t do the trick.
He was a heavy sleeper, something I knew all too well.
I entered the room, spotting him lying in his bed with the covers gently tucked around his body.
I closed the door behind me silently and approached the bed without making a sound.
“Hey, Quinn? Dinner is ready now. You asked if someone could wake you up when it was ready”, I whispered.
No response. Nothing but his cute, pig-like snoring being heard.
“Quinn!”
Still no response. Just a movement as he slowly turned to the other side of the bed while patting his lips.
I went over to the other side and gently shook his shoulder, once again repeating his name.
Finally, he woke up.
His puffy red eyes were hardly open and he was constantly patting his lips.
“Hi, Quinn. The dinner’s ready now. Remember you told us to wake you up when it was done?”, I asked in a gentle voice again, almost as if I was talking to an infant.
In a way, he kind of looked like one, lying there helpless in bed while being half asleep.
“Yeah, I remember…”, he replied, rubbing his eyes before stretching his body and sitting up in the bed.
“What’s the time?”
“It’s almost 7 pm, I think, so you’ve been asleep for almost two hours.”
“Oh. It doesn’t feel like that. What’re we havin´ for dinner, by the way?”
“Cod fish. Mrs. McCracken and I made it together.”
“Really? Man, then I gotta eat”, Quinn said enthusiastically, now getting up from bed.
“Hey, have you by any chance seen my pants and t-shirt?”
“Yeah, they’re under the end of the bed there”, I replied giggling.
He was always half naked.
I looked at Quinn with a smile as I shook my head, receiving his playful winking eye as I headed out of his room…
“Yes, of course. You’re absolutely right.”
“You seem like such a nice girl, Lina, and I’m glad I’m getting to know you at least a little bit better. You’ve made such an impact on Robert and the boys from what I’ve heard during these past couple of monthts. It’s nice to know they are in good hands while they are off touring in that bus around the world. To be honest, it frightens me. But knowing that you’re there with them to keep them grounded, really is a relief.”
I blushed by her comment. I hadn’t expected to hear that at all, which made it even more pleasant.
“Very well, dear, let us start with the dinner. Would you please take out the cod fish from the refrigerator? It’s wrapped inside the aluminum foil at the bottom shelf.”
And so it went on; I helped Mrs. McCracken prepare the dinner by handing her the necessary ingredients while she was in charge of cooking the dinner itself.
“Would you care to make the gravy, sweetheart?”
“Can I? I mean – do you trust me managing to do that?”, I asked, almost stunned by the fact that she’s asked me to make the gravy.
“Yes, of course I trust you. Why shouldn’t I? I believe you are an exceptional gravy maker”, she giggled, giving me a warming smile.
“Okay, then. I’ll do my best.”
“You can use all the spices you wish. I recommend the brown bag by the kitchen counter, the one that says ‘Drake’s Meat Rubs’. It’s blackened fish seasoning – a wonderful spice!”
“Sure, mom”, I replied just before I realized what I had just said.
My heart stopped beating, I felt the anxiety that now slowly was spreading from top to toe and my eyes were now bulging out as I started to sweat.
“Did you just call me ‘mom’?”, Mrs. McCracken asked approaching me with an amazed look upon her face.
“Oh, hunny!”, she then said before wrapping her arms around me in a big welcoming hug.
“You can call me whatever you want!”
I smiled at her while trying to hide my embarrassment as I saw her heading into the living room to set the table.
It didn’t take long before the other guys came downstairs, all sitting down in the living room’s sofa.
“There, I’ve set the table now. You can go and clean yourself up if you want to”, Mrs. McCracken said as she came into the kitchen again, eyeing the gravy which I now considered done.
“Okay, will do.”
“Oh, and thank you so much for your help. The gravy looks, or, well, smells wonderful!”
I met her smile before leaving the kitchen and heading towards the stairs.
“Hey, guys”, I smiled, seeing Jepha and Dan in the sofa.
“Hey, chef. How’s it goin´ in there?”
“Not so good.. I burned down the kitchen and now the whole house is on fire.”
Jepha grinned at my slightly attempt of being funny and Dan was clearly considering my reply being funny as he now was giggling girly while looking at me with a smile.
“No, really – it went good. Dinner’s almost done now”, I assured.
“Awesome! I’m starving”, Dan added.
“Me too. Can’t wait for the fish”, Jepha agreed.
“Where’s Bert, by the way? Is he upstairs or something?”, I asked, trying to figure out where he could be.
“He’s up packing. Or at least I think so. That’s where I saw him last time.”
Before Jepha could say anything more, Mrs. McCracken came and announced that dinner was ready.
“Oh, I need to go and wake Quinn up”, I said, before heading up the stairs.
“Sweetie, would you mind telling Robert that dinner is ready too?”, she asked.
“No, of course not”, I answered with a smile as I went upstairs.
I walked down the hallway to Bert’s room before I gently knocked on the door twice.
“Yeah?”, he said from the inside, making me open the door and peek inside.
“Hey, dinner’s ready now. We’re having baked fish. Your mother and I made it.”
“Nah, I’m not that hungry”, Bert answered, sitting down on his bed and putting clothes in his bag as I entered the bedroom.
“Oh, come on. You haven’t eaten since breakfast and neither have I. It’s gonna be good. Please – do it for me?”
“Okay, fine. I’ll do it.”
“Great!”
“What sort of fish are we havin´?”
“Cod fish”, I replied.
“Oh, sounds good. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”
“Hey, is something wrong?”, I asked him, noticing that he was somehow absent-minded.
“No, nothing particularly.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yep”, Bert answered, putting the last piece of clothing in his bag without even looking at me.
“Okay, if you say so…”
I shut the door behind me as I left his room while having speculations.
I didn’t bother trying to analyze Bert’s head.
I’d been doing that before and failed with every attempt.
Instead, I focused on trying to remember where Quinn’s room was so that I could wake him up for dinner.
‘Second door to the right’, I said to myself.
Yeah, it had to be that one.
I walked down the hall from the second floor to the right.
I knew that knowing on Quinn’s door while trying to wake him up wouldn’t do the trick.
He was a heavy sleeper, something I knew all too well.
I entered the room, spotting him lying in his bed with the covers gently tucked around his body.
I closed the door behind me silently and approached the bed without making a sound.
“Hey, Quinn? Dinner is ready now. You asked if someone could wake you up when it was ready”, I whispered.
No response. Nothing but his cute, pig-like snoring being heard.
“Quinn!”
Still no response. Just a movement as he slowly turned to the other side of the bed while patting his lips.
I went over to the other side and gently shook his shoulder, once again repeating his name.
Finally, he woke up.
His puffy red eyes were hardly open and he was constantly patting his lips.
“Hi, Quinn. The dinner’s ready now. Remember you told us to wake you up when it was done?”, I asked in a gentle voice again, almost as if I was talking to an infant.
In a way, he kind of looked like one, lying there helpless in bed while being half asleep.
“Yeah, I remember…”, he replied, rubbing his eyes before stretching his body and sitting up in the bed.
“What’s the time?”
“It’s almost 7 pm, I think, so you’ve been asleep for almost two hours.”
“Oh. It doesn’t feel like that. What’re we havin´ for dinner, by the way?”
“Cod fish. Mrs. McCracken and I made it together.”
“Really? Man, then I gotta eat”, Quinn said enthusiastically, now getting up from bed.
“Hey, have you by any chance seen my pants and t-shirt?”
“Yeah, they’re under the end of the bed there”, I replied giggling.
He was always half naked.
I looked at Quinn with a smile as I shook my head, receiving his playful winking eye as I headed out of his room…
♠ ♠ ♠
i like cooking. : Dcooking's fun.
but what's wrong with bert?
is he just being moody or is something really up?
and, no, guys; quinn's little wink at the end of this update was strictly just for fun. ;D
xo,
lina.