The Life of KitCat

Trying to Cook

Catherine's P.O.V.

It's 4:00 o'clock so I go downstairs to start cooking.  My mom is right, neither her nor my sister can cook, so the responsibility for a good meal typically falls on to my shoulders.  I pull an apron from the closet and pull it over my outfit, a black tee-shirt tucked into a pale pink, slightly puffy, skirt that just reaches the top of my knee caps.  I'm currently barefoot and the cold tile floor relaxes me as I begin to locate various ingredients that the cook book says I need.  Once I get into the rhythmic chopping of various vegetables and things, my mind relaxes and I begin to sing along with the radio that I turned on when I started.  I sway my hips as I walce to the hot pan, carefully laying in it the slabs of meat.  They quickly begin to brown as I dump a huge pile of brussel sprouts into another pan, coating them lightly in a layer of rice vinegar and sugar.  I'm singing and shaking my hips, and enjoying the smell of the meal cooking when I hear  a cough behind me.  My face goes red as I whip around and see a tall boy standing near the door, smiling, and a taller man behind him, scowling.  My mom introduces me to her boyfriend and then to her boyfriend's son, Jc.  I cover up my laugh when I realize that the person who may be my new stepbrother is none other than the boy who shadowed me.

"You really have a good voice," he says, raising his eyebrows and smiling.  Andrea comes down the stairs and starts talking with Jc, immediately relieving me from the awkward situation so that I can continue cooking.  I flip the meat and stir the vegetables, only looking up when I feel a set of eyes penetrating the side of my head.  I turn my head, still facing the various pans, to see Jc standing at he corner of the island that puts him closest to the door.  I feel better now that I know that he is there an that I haven't been making a fool of myself, singing and dancing. 

"Do you need help with anything?" he asks, and I can tell that he is trying to be helpful, but I have nothing for him to do, Andrea already having set the table.  

"I really don't need help with anything," I say, trying to look sorry.

"Oh, okay," he says, still leaning over the counter, watching me.  I begin to bring dishes to the table and I can finally give Jc something to do.  We all enjoy dinner, but I begin to feel uncomfortable when we are all eating and no one is talking.  I begin to feel hot and I can tell that I am blushing.  I stand up and grab a drink of water.  When I come back, Andrea giggles and points at my feet.  When I look down, I realize that I'm barefoot.  Before anyone else looks up, I duck back into my seat to avoid getting stared at. 

At the end of the meal, when everyone had clearly finished eating, I stand up and begin to clear the dishes.  I go back out into the hallway, wiping my hands on a dish rag, having cleaned the entire kitchen, and I see that everyone is sitting in the living room talking.  I really really don't want to go in there, but then I hear Andrea,

"CAT," she shouts.  I slowly make my way into the living room to see Andrea flopped on the sofa with Jc sitting on a twirley chair, spinning in circles.

"Cat, Jc is a youtuber too!" she says smiling.

"Great," is say, dragging out the word.  "I'm gonna go work on dessert," I say, turning back toward the kitchen.  I take a few steps away from the conversation when I hear footsteps behind me.  I stop and I hear snickering behind me. 

"Jc? What do you want?" I say in a voice that clearly shows that I don't mean anything. 

"I want to help you with dessert," he says, matching the tone that I used on him.  "And I won't take no for an answer,"

I shake my head and lead him in to the kitchen.  Together, we make a chocolate pudding.   We make bowls for everyone and everyone praises us on how good it is.  We all sit around afterward, chatting.  When I look at the clock it's already 11 and suddenly the clock chimes.  Joseph, Jc's dad, stands up and starts a new conversation with my mother.  When they finish, they turn to us,

"Jc, would you mid spending the night here with the girls, while I bring their mother to our place?" his father asks.  Jc shakes his head, insisting that he wouldn't mind, and the three of us head upstairs as my mother and his father leave.