Chloe Mallory - Chapter 6

He then guided me out of the workshop by hand. The immediate wall of aroma hit our noses; the smell of slowly roasted potatoes and beef filled the air. We looked to each other and hurriedly rushed into the room across the building that mother had previously entered. The door opened, revealing a brick oven filled with firewood and different pots. The fire was lit to a low simmer, allowing the smell to fumigate the room. The wondrous smells filled my stomach on that alone; I could smell the ingredients wafting in the air. Luisa sat at the smaller wooden table closest to the wall as our mother stirred a pot over the fire. I walked over to Luisa as my father decided to look over my mother’s shoulder, which he got reprimanded for.

“What’s for dinner, Luisa?” I said, curious about the contents of the overly savory-smelling meal. She’d watch as father would mess with mother, trying his best to look inside the pot before she was finished. She repeatedly hit him with the ladle in the process. She let out a slight laugh before answering my question. “If I had to take a guess, it’d be ‘Beat Dad over the head with Ladle Roast.’”. The joke caused her and me to snicker at the name, as it seemed to have been truer than not in the moment.

“Go sit with your daughters! Wait until it’s done!”

“But honey! I never get to eat at your home-cooked meals, let me just get a little bite—”

“I said, sit down!”

“CLANK!”

The sound of the metal ladle hitting Father over the head, abruptly cutting off his progression. He quietly walked over to the table and sat, bearing a large red lump on his head from the hit. He pouted as he put his head down, sad that he’d been lashed by his wife. “I just wanted a taste…” he whimpered, much to me and Luisa’s laughs. It’d been so long since I’d had dinner with others. Sitting alone at home during busy work weeks, eating takeout or some ramen after a long shift had become commonplace. But, being surrounded by others, enjoying the time together. Had almost felt foreign. I can’t think too much about how things were, as it seemed a bit hazy to think about; it’d be better to just enjoy the moment, right?

Before we knew it, a large pot made its way to the center of our table, bringing along the smell of a delicious aroma. One so good, it could almost be considered magical. Drool seemed to seep from my lips without notice, as Luisa laughed. My stomach could barely handle the pastry from before. What other senses of wonder would this meal bring? I gulped as my mother began to place food within small wooden bowls, handing them to each of us. I looked upon the bowl with anticipation as she put it in front of me. Within it, different ingredients began to burst at the seams as the smell hit my nose. I could barely contain myself! Mother sat at the table beside father, as Luisa and I sat next to one another.

Before we began to eat, I reached for the spoon without much thought. My stomach had been growling ever since the pastry, and I was ready to dig in. But before I could begin, my mother stopped me. “Chloe, it’s rude to eat without giving thanks with the table.” Her words were stern; I knew better than to not listen to her over my urges. Or the ladle might come flying my way next. I put my hand away and held them together. It seemed that maybe they’d offer a prayer to their god, or gods? I’m not too versed on religion, but there’s no way I’d know a thing about it here in this world. Better to just close my eyes and follow suit. The table then held their heads down, holding their hands within one another. Luisa grabbed my wrapped hand suddenly, surprising me in the motion. She tilted her head, motioning for me to put my head down as my mother began to speak. I followed her order, unaware of what was to come next.

“Thank you to the soil that helped these seeds grow, to the farmers who watched over them diligently. Thank you to the nutrients that fed the animals we cared for, and what will now return to us. Thank you for filling our bellies when there was but an inch of rain through drought. A famine through lands and dust. Thank you for bringing us together to enjoy this wonderful meal, not only as people of this world. But as a family.”

Her words sat still in the midst, and everyone bowed their head once more before raising themselves to look at their food. Mother’s face turned to one of focus, to a relaxed smile. “Let’s dig in!” she yelled, as my urges were finally ready to be answered. I quickly picked up the spoon, following the others as they began to eat their fill. I inspected the food that sat in my spoon, noticing something peculiar.

As I focused harder, I felt a twinge in the back of my head, as if something had been working slowly in the background. Before I knew it, a small script began to show above the food.

“Chuck Roast”

“Carrots”

“Potatoes”

“Onions”
“Red Wine”

The list of ingredients continued, and I felt as if something had happened, something beyond my comprehension. Why would such a script show up, as I had overlooked the food? It was telling me everything the roast contained, from top to bottom, in perfect detail. What was going on, I suddenly shook my head, seeing the words fade away as my sight became normal again. Luisa looked over to me as I stared at my bowl, trying to figure out what was wrong.

“Chloe?” she whispered, as I had a small sweat buildup on my forehead. My head felt hot, but I didn’t want that to stop me from eating the meal in front of me. Especially after I waited so long to eat. I quickly began to scoop Spoonfuls of the broth, tasting the flavors fully, but at the expense of burning my tongue in the process. I coughed as I panted for water. Luisa quickly gave me a wooden cup, which I’d taken a large drink from, which helped with washing out the heat in one fell swoop. Her eyebrow raised watching me, as my mother reprimanded me afterward.

“Chloe Mallory, that’s no way to eat your meal! You can’t be burning yourself trying to eat quickly!” she yelled across the table. The sudden judgment caused me to bow my head in apology, as I’d tried to cover up the confusion from the weird script appearing by burning myself with the hot broth. “Sorry…” I whispered as I focused on my food once more. It’d be better to take it slow, so as not to draw too much attention to myself. I knew that my mother had a watchful eye over me. Who knows what she’d do, especially considering the trouble of her possibly locking me away in the bed to rest. That couldn’t happen! Especially since Father wanted to check out the store for me, I couldn’t let myself be locked away!

I slowly ate the food, savoring each bite of the meal. Before I knew it, my bowl was scraped of any semblance of food. My stomach was full, and my spirit felt happy as I leaned back in the chair. It’d been so long since I had a home-cooked meal, I was thankful to have something to fill my belly after so long. Luisa took my bowl and walked over to the waterspout, cleaning the utensils and bowls as my mother began to clean up. I walked over, hoping to be of use and maybe help with cleanup.