𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.

Love And Family: Part Three.

(First Edit)

𝐉𝐚𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞

"I just put the cake in the refrigerator dear," Nonna announced.
"Thank you so much Nonna," I said appreciatively. "You can go sit down now, I'll take care of the rest."
"Are you sure? It's a lot of work for one person."

I smiled and waved her concerns off. "It's fine. I did a lot of cooking when I visited Colombia. This is nothing. Go ahead and rest, I know you must be tired."

"Well alright. Be sure to call me if you need any help." Relenting, Nonna kissed me on my cheek and left the kitchen while I resumed my task of deveining the shrimps for the shrimp piccata I was making for lunch. As it was Valentino's birthday I planned on making all his favorite meals.

He happened to love shrimp piccata so I thought of making it for him along with a couple other dishes. Nonna gave me her focaccia bread recipe as well as the one she used to make beef brachiole.

With the beef brachiole was in the oven and the dough rising on the counter I finished deveining the shrimps. There was a lot so it took me a while to get it done. Next I put the pasta on, using angel hair pasta instead of spaghetti.

While the pasta was boiling I cooked the shrimp with garlic, shallots, oregano and salt. For the sauce I combined chicken broth with white wine and cornstarch, stirring it in until it reached the consistency I wanted. After ten minutes the pasta was done so I added it to the skillet and put in lemon juice, parsley and capers.

I checked the time. One thirty. Half an hour to lunch. Setting the shrimp piccata aside I took the beef brachiole out of the oven and pulled the cloth off the dough. I never made focaccia bread but I watched Nonna prepare it the last time she was here. And since I used the same recipe it should taste the same.

After kneading the dough exactly the way I saw Nonna do it I placed it in a Pyrex dish and slid it in the oven to bake. Now all I had to do was make the caprese salad and garlic mushrooms which would be the side dishes.

While I worked I played music on my phone from my Spotify playlist which I used for cooking. It was a blend of classical, pop and oldies from the 50s, the 60s and the 70s, including Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Dean Martin, Brenda Lee, Johnny Rivers, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong and Diana Ross.

Back home I'd hear my Abuelo listening to these songs and so I grew to like them too. When I was younger I'd stand on his shoes while he danced around the living room, laughing as he held my hands to keep me from falling. The memory made me smile.

And... it also filled me with nostalgia.

As Love by Nat King Cole started playing I went into the living room and started dancing to the slow, dreamy song. The first time I heard it was in Parent Trap when Annie and Hallie's parents got married aboard the ship. I loved that movie, as did Andriana.

In fact, she once told me that she wished she and I were twins, that way we could trick our parents the same way Annie and Hallie tricked theirs. I laughed at this. She did too. It was one of the few moments we laughed and made jokes like sisters.

I didn't know it at the time but the laughter and happy times would soon come to an end. My sister would leave home — leave me behind — to marry a man who only wanted her as a way to get back at his enemy. To be used as a pawn for vengeance.

Exhaling shakily I forced the unwanted tears back. Honestly Jasmine. Why cry for a woman who clearly had no love for you in her heart? Why let thoughts of her occupy your mind and ruin your mood? It was silly and immature.

When the song ended I went back to the kitchen and finished making the caprese salad and garlic mushrooms. Placing the salad in the fridge I washed my hands and went upstairs to put my phone to charge. When I came back down I noticed Dad sitting on the couch with Damen.