The Story of Us (A MaiChard Adaptation)

Eight: Both of Us

"To love is nothing, to be loved is something, but to love and to be loved by the one you love, that is EVERYTHING..."

Afternoon crawled slowly as I watched Mom bake her delicious cheesecake with Maine. I was smiling from ear to ear the entire time, as I stood behind the pillar in the kitchen, eyeing them silently. Mom was in her teacher mode from the first time Maine stepped her foot in the kitchen, nagging on the recipe and repeatedly correcting her baking form.

I left them quietly before they notice me and drag me to join their cooking class. Baking was never my hidden skill.

I hid myself upstairs, playing with Charmaine, feeding her, changing her diapers, and rocked her to sleep. At four in the afternoon, I braced myself and went downstairs where the sweet aroma of newly baked cheesecake greeted me from the kitchen. Slowly, I walked to the kitchen and I saw Mom was admiring her creation. Two cakes decorated and drizzled with strawberries were placed on top of a rack. Simply mouthwatering.

"Looks good," I commented.

"Just wait until you taste it," she said excitedly. "It's delectable."

"I'm sure it is," I said as I looked around, finding the other pastry chef for the day. "Where's Maine?"

"Oh, she went upstairs, checking up on the baby." She grabbed a knife and sliced the cake. "You want some?"

"Maybe later. I will... find her first."

I ran up the stairs and skipped one or two steps before reaching the top floor. I knocked gently and when I didn't receive any response, I twisted the knob and stepped inside. I smiled as I saw Maine was lying on the bed, face down and her body sank down weakly.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked softly, kicking her legs to wake her up.

Maine grabbed a pillow and with her face still buried on the bed, she threw the pillow at me. Unfortunately, she missed.

"Wha-what?" I shrieked.

She sat up on the bed, her hair was messy and she was frowning.

"It's all your fault!" she yelled. "You're the one who told Mom to teach me how to bake a cake. You know how much I detest all feminine activities, including cooking, baking, and knitting. And yet, you shoved me right into the glory of baking."

Sighing, I sat next to her and whispered softly. "There's not much time until you quit being her daughter-in-law. Just bear with it. It will pass."

"Urgh," she groaned. "All I could hear was just, a tablespoon of baking powder, sieving the flour. You're doing it wrong, Maine. It should be clockwise, not counterclockwise," she mimicked Mom's orders dramatically and I couldn't stop myself from bursting a theatrical laugh.

She slumped back to the bed. "I'm completely exhausted. I'm not going to bake for my entire life."

"Hey, what about going somewhere with me?" I whined. "You've promised."

Groaning and shooting a glare at me, she moved to the bathroom, totally ignoring me and my little complains.

---

I glanced at Maine on the passenger's seat. Her face was expressionless, and her eyes fixed on the road. Sometimes, she let her gaze wander to the panoramic view through the window where a row of beautiful houses stood on the right and left sides of the road.