Project LOKI ③

Chapter 42: Hail to the Chief I (Return)

A/N: I know that it might be late, but Happy Halloween! Here's my treat (without a trick) for the first day of November.

[Art by chiire_dumo]

LORELEI

SEEING LOKI seated at the dining table of our apartment unit was an unusual sight in the morning. Seeing him awake at six in the morning was a rare occasion. I thought he only wanted to change his daily routine, but when my head panned to the direction of the gas stove, I realized what caused the dramatic change.

"Tita Frig?" Namulagat ang mga mata ko nang makilala ang likod ng nakatayong babae. What really gave it away was the crown braid on her head. She turned around to face me, her mouth grinning from ear to ear.

"Good morning, Lorelei! I hope you had a good night sleep!" she greeted me as she placed a platter of eggs on the table. She was probably the second person to have prepared breakfast in our unit. The first one was Jamie. Remember when she slept over in Loki's room?

Kinukusot ko pa ang aking mga mata habang papalapit sa mesa. Nang magawi ang tingin ko kay Loki, he yawned and did not care to cover his mouth. He looked usually bored. What else was new with him?

Frankly, I didn't expect to see his mother anytime soon. That's why it came as a surprise to me to see the Mendez matriarch wearing a pink apron and battling the flames of our stove.

"I hope you don't mind if I fried the eggs in the fridge," Tita Frigette placed the platter of fried rice next on the table. "Let me guess: My son has never touched any of the kitchen utensils here. He'd rather order his food from fast food chains than cook his own. Oh, don't be amazed. I saw a number of meal packs in the trash can."

She's quite right. Unlike Luthor who has displayed his interest and talent in cooking, Loki never bothered with any cooking chores. He told me a few weeks ago that if other people can do it for him—cooking, for instance—why would he exert effort on it?

In normal days, si Tita Martha ang nagluluto ng mga pagkain namin. I sometimes cook my own food. Yes, my own. Loki has no trust in my cooking skills. He thought that the food that I prepare would only upset his stomach.