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1109 Words
Deep inside himself, he knew he was her protector and shield. Nothing could hurt her because he would be there for her.
At the same time, he also started to help out around the house more.
With a newborn, things became hectic as they both finished their move to a larger apartment and settled in with Aster as their new addition.
Matt was pretty sure his parents didn’t sleep for more than a few hours a night, given how much Aster howled. It was like she was a fox rather than a human with how her wails could pierce everyone’s eardrums. Being both high-pitched and loud wasn’t a fair combination for anyone around her.
That phase only lasted a few weeks, thankfully, but as Matt’s father went back to work the following month, things got a little harder.
Matt asked why they didn’t just use the money they had gotten from the lawsuit to live off as the stipend seemed like a lot, but his mother instantly shut that down, saying it was his money.
He tried to say they should use it as he didn’t need money, but his mother snapped at him that it wasn’t for him to decide.
He slunk away after being yelled at, to which she apologized for saying she was tired and didn’t mean to yell at him.
Wanting to help, he asked. “Why don’t you take a nap. I can watch Aster while you do. And she’s napping, so it’s not like it’s hard.”
“Are you sure, sweety?”
“Yeah mom. I have my homework to do, and she can sit on the table. If anything happens, I’ll wake you up, I promise.”
It seemed like a weight was lifted off her as she thanked him and then promptly fell asleep. Shutting the door, Matt went back out to the kitchen and did his homework until his father came home a few hours later.
His father looked surprised when Matt shushed him as he entered, but as his father looked around, Matt whispered, “Mom needed a nap, so I’m watching Aster. I even did my homework. See!”
Kissing Matt on the top of his head, he said, “Thanks, buddy. Your mom is working hard taking care of Aster.”
He leaned in and kissed Aster on the head as well as he picked her out of the carrier and sniffed her diaper.
“At least you didn’t make a stinky. What a good girl.”
Aster giggled at their father, and then as if right on cue, she laughed and let out a loud fart.
Matt laughed at their father’s surprised face, then ran away as the smell hit him.
“I swear there is an undead rift inside you sweetie. That is rank.”
When she was cleaned up and the smell gone, he returned to the living room, where his father was on the floor playing with Aster and a kids show played quietly on the screen behind them.
His father patted the ground next to Matt and asked, “What do you want to do for dinner, buddy? I figured we can do something fun to surprise your mother.”
Matt perked up. After he had recovered from the awful medicine he’d been given for his illness, he’d found himself appreciating cooking and the food he ate far more than before.
Something he had never given a second thought to had become a hobby of his.
“We should make stuffed peppers. That’s one of mom’s favorites. She always says it takes too much work to make, and there are tomatoes we can make for me and you. We can do it for her!”
Matt’s father laughed and said, “That’s a good idea. Can you get started, or do you need help?”
Matt jumped up and raced to the kitchen, not wanting to let his father do everything.
It took him a little bit, but he had the rice cooking and all the ingredients out when his father walked in with Aster in her standing toy thing.
“You ready for my help now, buddy?”
Matt nodded, and his father helped him cut the onion and other ingredients while browning the ground beef, while Aster watched from the table where she had been placed in the stand up bouncer.
They were finishing up putting the stuffed peppers in the oven when his mother came out and asked, “What happened here? Surely I’m dreaming if we’re eating stuffed peppers, and I didn’t make them.”
Matt stuck out his tongue at his mother and said, “Dad and I made stuffed tomatoes for ourselves.”
His mother ruffled his hair as she kissed his father and wrinkled her nose. “Someone didn’t shower when they got home. And while I appreciate you not waking me up, everyone now needs to get out of the kitchen, and some of you need to shower.”
With a pointed look at his father, his mother started to clean up the few dishes they hadn’t yet gotten to.
When Matt tried to help, he was shooed away. “You cooked, so I’ll clean up. Don’t look at me like that, Matthew.”
Matt pouted his way to the living room with his mother and Aster’s laughter following him out. From that day forward, he started to help with the cooking more and more as he grew older, and his parents slowly let him use more of the kitchen appliances and utensils without supervision.
It all came to a head, though, when he was thirteen, and his mother asked. “What’s our ETA on dinner, Matt?”
Matt shook his head. “I need to re-cut the onions. They were too uneven for the—”
He was interrupted as his mother cut in after looking at his cutting board. “Matt, I know all the chefs on the show stress that, but we are simple people who need simple food. The onions are good enough. We just want to eat some time before dark.”
Matt froze as her words seemed to strike a chord with him.
Seeing his expression, his mother apologized, “I’m sorry, Matt, that was harsh, but if you want to take over cooking, we need to eat at a normal time. If you need some help, I’m—”
Matt shook his head. “No, that’s not it. You are right. Home cooking is home cooking.”
What he didn’t say was he now had the beginnings of a plan stewing in his mind.
- Writer
