Watch, Wait, Take

Chapter 18. Party

Once it got to 2:30pm, I dragged myself off the bed and into the shower. After I finished getting ready for tonight, I decided tomorrow I would go to the hairdresser and change my hair. New cut, colour and style to go with the new me. I needed a cut that said Emma James.

I lay back on the bed in my favourite jeans, black ankle boots and a black evening top with silver thread running round the seem on the sleeves and round my waist, the sleeves stopped just over my shoulders. I researched apartments in the area until 4:30pm. After requesting a viewing at four apartments around the area I decided I should get going. I punched the address in that Lauren had given me and headed to my car with my new drivers licence. It was only a 15minute drive from here but I could always wait outside if I was too early.

I arrived at Lauren’s place at 4:45pm after a 5-minute detour when I got slightly lost. I went straight to the door after parking and knocked.

“It’s open” came Lauren’s voice from inside.

“It’s Emma” I called as I walked in.

“Hey Emma! I’m in the kitchen, come straight through, you’re the first one here” Lauren called back.

“Do you want me to take my shoes off?” I asked Lauren.

“No love, don’t worry” I headed to the kitchen, following the noise, to find Lauren.

“Hey, did you find it ok?” She asked over her shoulder and she chopped onions and threw them into a pan on the stove.

“Yeah, not too bad, I got lost a little. Only put an extra 5minuted on my drive here, so wasn’t too bad. Anything I can do to help?” 

“You could pour me a glass of wine from that open bottle there” She nodded her head over to the general direction of the open bottle of read wine. “Pour one for yourself, if you like. The glasses are in the cupboard to my right”

“No thanks, I don’t drink” I set the glass of wine I poured for her next to he stove where she was now crushing garlic and adding it to the pan with the onions.

“You don’t drink! Is there a reason?” She pried while she gave the pan a mix, the sizzle grew louder. She crossed to her wine rack and took out a bottle of white wine and opened it, pouring some of the wine into the pan the bottle gave a glug and the sizzling died down.

“No, I’m just not a fan of it really, I’d rather not. But it means I can always be your designated driver if ever you want a drink!” I smiled at here, this made her laugh.

“That’s true!” she giggled. Lauren gave the pan a mix then poured in some sort of tomato pure looking red liquid, from a blender, mixed again added salt, pepper and fresh basil gave a final mix and left it to simmer on the stove. She pulled a frying pan out of the cupboard, placed it on a different ring on the stove, added olive oil and turned the heat up. As the oil heated up she took a gulp of her wine. Lauren then got some ceramic pottery bowls out and placed them on the counter, she then poured in some salted cashew nuts into one, barbeque flavour chips into another, washed cherry tomatoes from her colander on the draining board in the third bowl and some cheese puffs in the last bowl she got out. She stepped back to the stove and added some pieces of raw bacon and cubed raw chicken with a sizzle, she then turned the heat down lower and stirred them over. It was therapeutic watching her cook, she moved with fluid movements around the kitchen, no rush or panic. Lauren was obviously very comfortable in the kitchen.

Once the chicken and bacon pieces had sealed and cooked she flicked them into the pot with the sauce and stirred it round.

“Sorry, I’m not being a very good host ignoring, you am I?” Lauren apologised. “I get in the zone when I’m cooking”

“That’s ok, no worries, it’s therapeutic watching you” I smiled at her. “It’s very relaxing”

Lauren Laughed “Want to help me with some orderves? I’m not doing a starter, just nibbles and orderves then the main and a small dessert.” She tidied bits left out in the kitchen and set up a clean chopping board and fished some toothpicks out of a cupboard, setting them on the side by the board. 

“Yes! I would love to help. That all sounds lovely!” I smiled at her and crossed to the sink to wash my hands.

Lauren then got more washed cherry tomatoes from a bowl, set them by the board. She fetched mini mozzarella balls and sliced Chorizo meat from the fridge, setting them down by the board she swooped to the other side of the kitchen and grabbed more fresh basil leaves off her basil plant, washed them under the tap and took them to the board.

“If you could just make some of these up for me, until you run out of ingredients. I’ll show you what to do” Lauren then opened the mini mozzarella balls, drained the water down the sink. Tipped them onto the chopping board and sliced one in half.

“So, it’s really simple. Take a cocktail stick, one tomato, one slice of chorizo” She tore open the chorizo packet with a loud rip. “Half a piece of mozzarella- cut in half- take the basil leaf and put the chorizo on top of the leaf, push the bottom of where the chorizo meets the basil through the stick. Then put half a mozzarella ball onto the stick. Push the tomato through the stick and pull the basil and chorizo up the side and onto the stick at the top, so that wraps around the tomato. Doe’s that make sense?”

“Yes, no problem” I smiled at her.

“Great, thank you. That’s a big help! I will get you a tray to put it on” She rattled in a cupboard and found a platter for me to put the dressed tomatoes onto. I started my chopping all the mozzarella balls in half. There was a knock at the door.

“Come in!” shouted Lauren stirring the pot on the stove. Joe entered the kitchen.

“Hey, Lauren, hey Emma, how goes it?” He smiled cheerfully at us.

“Hey Joe, good. How are you?” I replied, Lauren didn’t answer. “She’s in the zone” I told Joe “There is an open bottle of red wine there if you want some and there is glasses in the cupboard to Lauren’s right- I would get it for you but my hands are a little greasy from this” I smiled at Joe, who nodded and winked at me.