Chapter five

(Preparations)

Someone said that patience is the virtue of success. Patiently waiting for someone or something inevitably leads to a garden full of sweet results. Regardless of what patience might bring, I was having a hard time following it.

I had woken up Sunday morning with a hint of excitement and giddiness. Perry or Peter as he had asked me to call him, was due to arrive in the evening and I simply couldn't wait. I hopped out of my bed and brushed and showered taking all the time in the world, not at all in a hurry, maybe for the first time. I took extra care in deciding what to wear. After messing up my cupboard for presumably the hundredth time, I went with the off white halter top and jean shorts. I hurried downstairs where mom was collecting the ingredients for the cheesecake.

"Now are you sure you don't want me to make the cheesecake ?" she asked in the most motherly way possible.

"No, ma, I will manage. I want to make it myself." I replied as I gathered up the fresh blueberries she had plucked from our garden into a basket for a wash.

"Your aunt Madonyl will be so happy to see you cooking." Ma chuckled good naturedly. "she always wanted you to become a chef when you grow up."

"You can tell that her niece is a disappointment." I said wryly.

"Oh come on! Talk nice. She is your favourite aunt after all."

I rolled my eyes. "She definitely is, compared to aunty Itching Ingrid and Sweaty Susan.

"That's not fair kid. They are you aunts. They are family. Show some respect." Ma countered.

"Well, I do show respect. They give me good money every holiday season."

" Ha ha! That's so funny. So basically, money is the way to win your affection." She said sarcastically.

"No, basically, money is the way to win all my aunt's affection." I replied whilst looking for an apron.

"Ma do you know where the apron is?"

"Yes I do. I lent it to Alice yesterday." She said in a matter of way.

My mouth dropped open. "You mean Perry's momma? 'The boy for whom I am making the cheesecake' Perry's mom?"

She looked at me blankly for a second and then nodded her head. "Yes."

I stared at her holding the same strong gaze, unable to find suitable words to say to her, when my mind was already downloading several cuss words which would have earned me a slap if I had spoken them out loud.

"There is absolutely no use staring at me that way. Go and fetch them yourself. It will only take a few minutes." She smirked at me.

I desperately tried to find a way out; for some unexplained reason, I was not ready to see Perr-Peter yet, given that I had spoken to him only yesterday. So when I said, "Can you please get it for me?" I knew that I had failed.

She scoffed. "I am going to take a bath. Try not to burn anything in the kitchen." With that, she strutted off to the bedroom, and I was left standing there with a cube of cheese.

I considered my pros and cons as I walked up the Millers' house up the gravel door. Pro : Peter could be out, the Millers' could have gone out, they could have left the village. Cons: Peter can open the door, the Millers' are home, Peter sees me even though he doesn't open the door. The problem was, all my pros were based on 'could'. As soon as I reached their front door, I disregarded the small list of my stupid pros and cons and knocked. After a few minutes; to me, a few hours, James Miller opened the door, his face full of shaving cream.

"Hey kiddo! Long time no see huh!"

"Hello to you too Mr.Miller. Looking good." I grin.

"I know. The early retirement has definitely done me good. Ironically, I am feeling so much younger." He ended up laughing.

" I am assuming you want Perry." He spoke through the foam.

"No...no Mr.Mill—" I yelled squeakily but in vain.

"Perry my boy! Perry! Look who's come to visit you!"

"Actually Mr.Miller," I raised my voice a few decibels. He stopped his shouting momentarily and blinked, looking at me. "You are looking for Perry aren't you?"

I shook my head and pursed my lips. "I just came here to take the apron Mrs.Miller had borrowed from mom yesterday."

He lipped an 'oh' and said, "Alice is not at home right now. She has gone to visit her sister just nearby, but I am sure Perry can return your apron."

Speaking of the devil, Perry showed up just at that moment and widened his eyes when he saw me at his doorway.

"What are you doing here?" He asked me. "weren't we supposed to meet later in the evening?"

"Yes, yes. I just came to take the apron mom had lent your mom yesterday. By any chance, do y-you know where it is?" I stuttered.

"I am going to go. This foam is dripping on the carpet. Alice will have a fit if she saw this mess. Perry, clean it up will you? Thanks." With that, Mr.Miller left, leaving me and Perry alone in the hallway.

"Wait here. I'll look for it in the kitchen." He said and he too, left, whilst I stood there awkwardly, pretending to take a keen interest on the furniture in the living room.

He returned a few minutes later with the red and green striped apron. "It was there in the kitchen. Here you go." His long fingers grazed mine, almost as lightly as a feather as he strode forward and placed it on my outstretched hand. Like all cliched romantic movies, my heart skipped a beat at the faint touch. "Thanks." I murmured. "So, see you in a few hours?" I asked.

"Sure." He shrugged.

"You are not going to bail on me are you?" I asked suspiciously, sensing that something was off about him at that moment.

"Why? Do I look like the kind of person that would bail on plans?" His light laugh sounded musical somehow.

I blushed. "No. Of course I didn't mean that. I'm.......I'm just making sure I guess." I managed to answer.

He smirked. "Well, see you then."

"Yeah. You too." Saying that, I waved embarrassingly and left the place as fast as my feet could go. Upon returning home, I called Cadence and Sarnai to let them know the whole plan and started making the damned cheesecake, wearing the damned apron.

"Oh good! You got the apron back." Mom came in and stood beside me.

I snorted. "Yes I did."

"Listen, why don't you call Cadence and Sarnai too tonight? You can introduce Perry to them both. It will be like killing two birds with one stone." She recommends the prospect suddenly.

"Absolutely not. Tonight, its just me who gets to know him. They can meet him later." I shoot back straightforwardly at her. She raises her eyebrows at that. "Its just you who gets to know him? Don't you know him already? Prey tell me, what else there is left to know?"

I shrugged. "You know, the basics. His likes, his dislikes, what did he do in LA, etc."

"He led a life, his teenage years in LA I suppose!" Mom answered incredulously. "Good God! You cannot ask such a stupid question. The answer is a bit obvious, isn't it?"

"Well, not exactly the response I was looking for, but oh well." I said scratching my head with my little finger.

Mom furrowed her brows. "You have gotten weird since the day you turned seventeen."

I laughed. "Oh definitely! Now go and leave me alone. I want to make this cake perfectly."

She put a hand to her hips. " So I am annoying you."

I smile and push her out of the kitchen. "Yes. Goodbye."

"Alright, alright! When you will have children you will understand exactly how I felt at this moment!"

"I wont have any!"

"You will! I am not leaving this world without seeing my grandchildren! So you better be prepared to cajole Perry tonight!"

"MOM!"

"I was just joking and I am leaving."

"Thank you." I closed the kitchen door, my face brighter than the tomatoes in the basket beside me.