Finding home III
Meg and Dave’s house had three rooms upstairs and one bathroom. I initially thought I would have to share a bathroom and that made me very uncomfortable but Edward informed me that I had one to myself. I decided to take a quick shower and unpack. Usually, this would take me less than an hour but before I knew it, I had fallen asleep. A light tap on my door woke me up and I answered still sleepy.
“Come in,” I said yawning
Edward poked his head in.
“I guess you were pretty tired, you knocked out completely,” he said smiling. I had noticed that the Hunters seemed to smile a lot. It was infectious.
“It appears so, come in I don’t bite,” I giggled
“Actually I came to invite you out of your room, Dave said we shouldn’t choke you with “Hunterness” but Mum insisted I check on you and ask if you would like some food”
Almost on cue, my stomach sang an off-tune symphony that answered the question for the both of us. I got out of bed and padded downstairs with Edward. I felt oddly comfortable in this space, I don’t know if it was a result of Meg’s hospitality or just the reassurance of being miles away from my family, but I loved this feeling.
“Hi guys, sorry I vanished, sleep took me by surprise,” I said smiling shyly.
“Told you she was sleeping,” Dave said looking pointedly at Meg.
He then turned to me and muttered “sorry for waking you up,” while waving me towards the kitchen where he was standing over the stove.
“What are you making I asked,” noticing a ton of chopped up waterleaf and Ugwu.
“So,” he began, “I am trying to execute vegetable soup, like the ones they make in Nigeria. It seems easier than Okoho which I found out is your native soup. I was going to try dry okra but I burnt the okra so I am hoping you can teach me as time goes on”
I stood stunned
“Well done Dad, you`ve scared her” Edward quipped.
“It’s not that, I’m just surprised you did so much research. Okoho is a rare soup. It has not become mainstream like many other native soups. And I’d love to make Okra with you sometime soon, in the meantime do you need help with what you’re making now?” I asked, brimming with excitement
“You sound like a cook,” he said in a questioning tone
“Oh I love to cook” I replied quickly
“Well, that’s great. It’s nice to have a food enthusiast here.”
Cooking went smoothly with Dave and I working like sou chef and head chef at a competition, we may not have won Iron Chef but we did make a scrumptious dinner that I found a bit weird. It was vegetable soup, toast, and some pasta. Everyone had a bit of everything except me.
“Why aren’t you having any pasta?” Meg asked suspiciously
“I forgot to tell you that I have a gluten allergy,” I said bowing my head in embarrassment
“Oh snap! We literally only have one thing here for you to eat, Sorry” Edward said while looking around.
“No that’s fine. I eat like a baby so I am good really,” I smiled
“well we must go shopping tomorrow then. Would you like to come with me?” Meg asked me
“ I would love too!”
We spent the rest of that evening chatting idly about random things. I learnt about Edward’s childhood habits and why Dave liked to cook. Meg shared their stories like a seasoned narrator so that by the end of each one, everyone was doubled over in laughter. I noticed that Dave was intimate with Meg in a way I never saw reflected in my parents. A slight touch here, a heavy gaze there. It was beautiful to watch. Very soon I had put away all thoughts of my family back home. I let myself get lost in the moment.