Middle School Miniature

Chapter 20, Ramen

The trip down to the kitchen wasn't as bad as I expected. 

He, Max, was surprisingly gentle and slow. He pulled me closer to his chest as we descended the stairs and I held onto his thumb to steady myself from each jolting step. I stumbled a little as he set his hand down on the table. I got up and stepped off, trying to recover from my vertigo.

"So what should we eat?" Max asked as I settled myself on the
table, "I can make mac and cheese or top Ramen." I laughed at his eagerness to make the easy pre-made food because you literally only have to add water and cook. "So what will it be your tinyness?" He asked once more.

"Are you seriously going to call me that?" I returned.

"Will you pick one?"

"Yes, giant, I will have the Ramen," I said rolling my eyes. (Not to be confused with amazing homemade Ramen, packaged isn't the same but it gets the job done)

"Okay, I will get started right away your tinyness." He said with a grin and mock half-bow, turning to go heat up water in the microwave.

"I'm not tiny!" I shouted after him, which was returned with another smirk and an eyebrow raise.

It was fun to watch him "cook". He followed each instruction on the package to the letter and had this hilarious face of grim determination. One eyebrow was just a little higher than the other creating a tiny crease between the two. Ugg, you can stop staring like an idiot, I silently remind myself. The finished Ramen bowl was produced 10 and a half minutes later. It smelled delicious.

"Soo... how are you going to eat this?" Max asked me.

"How should I know?" I asked, my mouth watering in anticipation.

"Because you're the small one." He said with a gesture to my smaller stature. I glared.

"Thank you Captain Obvious, but how does that make me an expert in serving oversized food?"

"Because you eat oversized food?" He said with a shrug.

"I don't know, maybe you could grab a spoon or something then?"

"Sure." He said with a soft laugh and went over to a drawer, fishing out a spoon. Carefully filling the spoon with noodles and liquid, Max set it down in front of me. I sat criss-cross by the spoon and struggled to lift the metal utensil. I couldn't lift one end of the spoon without it spilling and I couldn't lift the entire, solid, metal spoon filled with soup.

"Hey, Max..." I started but choked on my words as I saw the boy stuffing his face full of food. I watched in horror as he piled in forkfuls, no, truckloads of food into his mouth. I exhaled sharply "Uhg!" I exclaimed softly, hand over mouth. He noticed I was staring at him and froze mid-mouthful. Face turning red, he finished the bite and slurped.

"What? I'm hungry!!" I winced at the volume of his voice.

"Umm.. It's just..."

"Just what?" He asked a little defensively.

"I can't really pick up the entire spoon," I said a little embarrassed.

"Oh. Ok. Could I get you a plastic one?" Max asked with a concerned half smile.

"Yeah," I shrugged, "if you don't mind getting me one." He got up, thundered around, and came back to the table with another spoon.

"Can you carry this?" He asked without filling it. I grabbed the plastic spoon from his hand and lifted it up like I was bench-pressing it.

"Yeah, that works," I said. He prepared the second spoon like the first one and carefully gave it back to me. "Finally," I muttered as I took a sip of the soup, enjoying the smell and delicious taste. apart from a larger strand of ramen, the ramen was really just broth, but I was so hungry, that the complaints couldn't make it past the broth entering my mouth. As I continued to devour my food I heard a loud doorbell sound.

"Stay here, and hide behind this box if anyone else comes in," Max said, pointing to an empty noodle package. I just nodded and continued to eat my food without protest. Max got up and went to the door...

~◆~

I pressed the front door intercom button by the door, unwilling to open the door to strangers without any other people there, other than Amelia.

"Can I help you?"

"Why yes, I was wondering if you have heard or seen anything about Amelia Adair?" A kindly old woman asked.

"Umm, no. Sorry." I lied swiftly. Thinking only about protecting the vulnerable girl.

"Are you sure you haven't seen anything at all? Strange or unusual things?" She persisted.

"No mam. Uhh. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Well at least take this flyer in case you see something." She slid a black and white piece of paper into the mail slot on my door.

"Excuse me mam, but who are you? Are you her family or something?"

The lady hesitated for a moment. "Oh yes of course. I miss my granddaughter Amelia so very very much.. and have been doing all I can to help find her. Please, if you hear anything, let me know." She said in a sweet tone before starting to walk to the next house.

"Uh, yeah, will do," I said and released the intercom. That conversation was quite alarming and didn't sit right with me. I shrugged it off for now and turned back around. 

Ema~