SIERRA'S LEONE

KITCHEN

Jonas clapped in his hands, "let's cook."

Leone, in his high chair, mimicked his father by clapping too.

"I don't know what all this enthusiasm is about."

"Come on, Sierra, give us a smile as you know how."

The woman sighed, "really don't know what is so exciting about cooking. It's time-consuming, and the result is sometimes a factor of chance."

Jonas shook his head, "do you hear, that Leone?"

"Ba."

The man gave Sierra a-shame-on-you mocking eye and pursued, "my father used to cook the evening meals. He would ask my brothers and me to help him."

"How many brothers do you have again?"

"Three and two sisters," replied the man who wondered if Sierra ever listened to anything he said. Jonas hoped she did, as he paid attention to every one of Sierra's words.

"So you're five in all."

"Yes, cooking allowed my brothers to talk about anything with our father, from their grades to their crushes. Let's say it was the boys bonding moment."

Sierra noted the man did not reference himself, "how about you?"

"I was shy," Jonas said with a blush certifying the authenticity of his statement.

"What did your mother do during that time?"

"She would iron while watching the Simpsons."

"Gosh, your household must have been lively," Sierra said, remembering the note her father would leave Jacob explaining what he should make for dinner. During that time, Mr. Lennox did the night shift at the Shell gas station.

"You know what? We should put on some music to get us in the mood."

Jonas, "don't push it."

"Please, Sierra."

The man had found the perfect way to make the woman yield.

Sierra pointed an accusative finger at him, "and don't imitate Leone's baby face when you ask me something."

Sierra went to the living room and switched on the Soundsystem. The first song on which Sierra began her culinary apprenticeship was All Night. Beyoncé's voice filled the kitchen and their ears with her soulful voice.

"So what are we making?"

"Poulet creme fraiche et riz."

Sierra laughed, "why to say it in french?"

"Because it makes it sound chic, madame."

Jonas was no prankster, but he had his type of sense of humor that one quickly got used to with time.

"What can I do to help?"

"You can cut the onions. Let me demonstrate." Jonas began to peel the skin off before taking away two layers and chopping.

"Phew, I thought you'd throw me into the cooking arena like that."

"No, I'm not that cruel. So you need to start cutting this way; otherwise, you'll cry."

Jonas explained every step; he made things seem easy. And it almost was as Sierra went on to take care of the carrots while Jonas cut and cleaned the chicken.

"What are you doing now?"

"I'm taking off the few hairs and extracting the greasy parts."

Sierra watched him do, "you're really good with your hands."

Jonas's lips curved in an unwarranted corner smile, "you can't imagine."

The kinky tone employed did not escape Sierra, who rebounded with, "what else do you want me to do?"

"Can you pour three cups of rice in the cooker?"

"Cup, which cup?"

"Use a teacup."

"Don't you measure? I've got all these utensils for such occasions."

"Those are for beginners like you who get trapped in the home shopping Web."

Sierra shook her head and mimicked his words with a grimace. This type of remark always tapped on the woman's nerves. Leone placed a hand on his forehead and laughed at the scene. His toothache gave him a break, which the little boy the time to join in on the lively ambiance.

Sierra watched Jonas season the chicken and place the parts in a pot to cook. During that time, Sierra washed and chopped the cabbage.

Once the chicken boiled, they added the vegetables, and the cream was last.

A divine smell slalomed between them and invested their nostrils just in time for the next song, which happened to be Kid Cudi's kitchen.

Jonas was the first to follow Kid Cudi's hmm hmm vibes, which accompanied the song's verses while bopping his head.

"Do you know the song?" Sierra asked.

"Nope, but it's cool."

They finished cooking and found themselves waiting.

Sierra opened a bottle of white wine, and they sat down with Leone. Everything not only seemed right but natural. Jonas felt appeased, while Sierra's heart tightened, making the woman's lips flatten in a sad expression.

"What's wrong?" Jonas asked.

Sierra was unable to answer. She couldn't say what was on her mind, "don't you think it's cooked?"

"I put a timer. Are you sure this day at home won't impact your progress?"

"I'm supposed to be sick today, Jonas. Let's hope no one saw me in IKEA or Carrefour," Sierra said.

The next song on Sierra's playlist was Corps by Yseult.

Jonas saw Sierra's face become grave. The French songstress voice and hard lyrics appeared to affect Sierra.

Again Jonas asked her what was wrong.

"It makes me think of Cecile."

Cecile.

Silent but always there, even after a happy day like the one they spent, Cecile's spectrum remained to remind them who they were and boundaries not to cross.

A single tear ran down Sierra's cheeks as the timer rang. Leone looked up at Sierra and began to pat her leg.

Happiness followed by sorrow seemed to be the story of Jonas's life ever since Cecile walked into his existence. Beside Sierra, the man renewed with positive sentiments. Unfortunately, like Sierra, he was bound.

The man got up and went to tend the meal which he served. Yes, he should have consoled her, but Jonas feared going overboard with the empathetic reaction he would have in front of Sierra's teary eyes.

"A table."

Sierra came with Leone. Within a few minutes, the woman regained control of the situation as she complimented the meal.

"This is divine, Jonas."

"Don't forget we made this together."

Sierra managed a smile lip quirk that Jonas took for a smile.

Leone was hungry, but it was apparent the pain took a toll on him.

"I'll make him a bottle. At least he'll have something on his something."

The man always found solutions, never got angry. He had so many qualities, too many compared to the average. Sierra, who never envied Cecile or anyone else, was submerged by the devouring emotion.

Jonas was a diamond destined to wait to be discovered by someone else.

Vincent suddenly popped into mind. He, too, was a good man. Despite what happened, Sierra still saw him as her partner. She recognized she was the one to have shut him out.

Sierra managed to communicate and live with Jonas. Perhaps she could do the same with Vincent.