Revolve

The rest of the school day passed uneventfully. During music class, Kim was already thinking about the ingredients she would need for the sandwiches. Maybe Eve would go shopping with her. After transferring to the academy, Kim had hardly cooked for herself anymore.

Was there even a decent store nearby? Perhaps she could finally use her bicycle, which had been gathering dust for a while, now that the weather actually felt like spring.

Eve didn't have time after school, but she explained where to find the nearest store. It was a branch of a local chain that had recently been taken over by a larger company. A good selection of fresh ingredients was important to Kim, and there they would meet her requirements. At least Eve said so.

Fortunately, West Green, as the home of many boarding schools and universities, was also easy to navigate by bicycle. Quite unlike anything east of Trinity Falls.

The store was well frequented, probably not least because it was the only one in the area to offer organic foods. A big advantage given the well-off clientele in the neighborhood.

Kim already had very specific ideas and grabbed what she needed. One of the few more exotic fast food shops in her small hometown had been a Vietnamese restaurant. So, of course, she knew all about the qualities of a good bánh mì. Even if she wasn't really a sandwich girl.

French sandwich rolls, some pork belly, mayo, shallots, garlic, cilantro, cucumber, carrots, Korean radish, jalapeno, black pepper, fish sauce and apple cider vinegar. She should find sugar and salt in the dorm kitchen.

After a moment's thought, Kim put the mayonnaise back and grabbed eggs, mustard, and a lemon instead. It would pay off to do it herself like with the pickled vegetables. She pondered the garlic a little longer. But if they both ate it, it would probably be fine.

The return trip was quickly completed, and Kim stowed most of the groceries in the kitchen. The carrots, radish, cucumbers, jalapeno and vinegar were left out for the next step, and eggs put aside. She could prepare some of the grand design in advance.

Salt and sugar were easily found, and hoping that no one would miss it, Kimberly also grabbed a huge jar from one of the wall cabinets. Only one knife didn’t seem too dull. It would have to do.

She sliced the vegetables into matchsticks, filled the jar with equal parts vinegar and water, added a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar and the sliced veggies.

The work seemed almost meditative. It was the first time Kim had ever prepared food for someone outside her family. Even though it was just a sandwich, the thought of Robert's reaction to her creation filled Kim with anticipation.

The glass went into the refrigerator, the pork belly, black pepper, ginger, garlic, shallots and fish sauce were placed on the counter. She cut the pork into bite sized pieces, minced the garlic and ginger, put all together and added some freshly ground black pepper.

Some old pot was placed on the stove, filled with water and some sugar, and heated up. When the mixture had caramelized, Kim added the pork with the aromatics and stirred. Then a little more water and fish sauce were added.

It would take some time for the pork to cook tender. The star chef in the making returned to her room and took everything she would need for her English homework plus one of the two food storage containers she owned back to the kitchen.

Kimberly spent just under an hour studying, stirring and avoiding the curious glances of passing students. Fortunately, the other girls had more than enough to do and left her alone. Presumably, her familiar aloof behavior and the learning material also contributed to the distance that was maintained.

She let everything cool down, put the meat and sauce in her food storage container, placed it in the refrigerator next to the vegetables and took out the mustard and a lemon. The vinegar would be also needed again and a half-full bottle of rapeseed oil was also found.

But the biggest surprise and relief was the small food processor that stood on the counter. Her wrists would appreciate it someday. The eggs, which she had wisely not refrigerated so that they remained at room temperature, were separated and the yolks ended up in the appliance, along with a little mustard.

After blending the two ingredients for 20 seconds, Kim slowly drizzled in some oil. The mixture began to thicken and emulsify with the thin, steady stream. Soon, the mayo had the desired consistency. Some salt, sugar and black pepper were added, another whirl, and the vinegar and some more oil joined the mix.

Kim squeezed the lemon into the bowl, processed everything for an extra ten seconds and it was done.

After storing away the mayonnaise and leftover ingredients it was time to clean up. An arduous process and the real reason why Kim didn't cook herself.

She was tired, and her grand promises meant an even earlier start to the next day. But for the time being she would have to study some more and then work on her latest song.

Everything went smoothly. Homework was quickly done, and Kim also managed to finish the ninth song for her album.

After a brief interlude with Eve, which mainly consisted of teasing about the meeting with Robert, she snuggled into her warm bed. Kimberly realized that it was actually a little too warm. Winter was truly over, so she got rid of her wool blanket and limited herself to one layer of protection.

Dawn couldn't come quickly enough. Kim's alarm clock rudely woke her from her first proper sleep in several days. Earlier than usual. The lingering feelings from her dream were warm and cozy, but soon forgotten.

She dragged herself into the kitchen and grabbed the meat, veggies, mayo, cilantro and sandwich rolls from the fridge. Four rolls were quickly split and toasted in a pan. Kim spread the mayo on the buns and added a layer of pork belly. Some of the pickled vegetables followed and to top it of some finely chopped cilantro.

Some aluminum foil was quickly found and the sandwiches were well wrapped. This time, cleaning up was much quicker, and Kim was ready for another day at school.

Her yearning slowed down the passage of time. Both the four subject-blocks and break turned out to be a battle between Kimberly’s wants, needs and what she had to do. Yet somehow, the girl fought her way through.

Eve was already annoyed by Kim’s constant preoccupation with herself and knew about her intentions for lunch. The absent-minded high schooler headed to the cafeteria alone. However, Robert was nowhere to be found at the spot where he had been waiting the day before. First shock, then a little heart-felt pain tightened her chest.

A delay. He would come. Her gaze darted back and forth, back and forth. The bench! There he was! That other feeling was back again. In full force. It pushed everything else aside. Her chest felt so full it was about to burst.

Kim took a deep breath, walked over, and sat down next to him. He turned to her with a slightly sleepy look and gave her a broad smile.

“Hey. Cute hairstyle. Love it.”

He loved it? Just cute. Just the hair. He loved it.

“Ah, sometimes a ponytail comes in handy.”

There was a feeling or desire hidden in his eyes. Just hunger? Something more?

“Hungry?”

He nodded. She had brought the shopping bag from the previous day with her and took out two of the sandwiches and handed him one.

“Appreciated.”

“There's more where that came from.”

They unwrapped the fragrant delicacy. Robert carefully, Kim rather roughly.

“Wow. That's a lot of meat.”

“Bad?”

“Good. Excellent! And it’s smelling delicious.”

She smiled nervously and watched him take his first bite. He chewed and chewed and chewed, then looked at her and swallowed.

“Don't you want to eat yourself? You can still stare at me afterwards.”

His smile was now somewhat mischievous and made Kim blush.

“I put a lot of effort into it. Do you like it? Is the spice too much?”

“Hmm…”

“Don't be mean.”

Robert laughed. A deep, hearty laugh she started to adore.

“It’s as delicious as it looks and smells. Delicious!”

“Not too spicy?”

“I can deal with that amount. It’s perfect.”

He took another bite.

“I love it.” said Robert with his mouth full.

He loved it.