“For this recipe we’re gonna use bacon grease rather than oil. So put your bacon on. While that’s frying, let’s season our meat with a little smoked paprika and cayenne pepper.”
“Oh, no! The only bacon I have is maple flavored. That isn’t gonna mix with cayenne and smoked paprika. Damn.” Alesandra closes the refrigerator door and turns the tutorial off. “Guess I’ll just fry this bird up the old fashioned way. Nothing fancy, just good ol’ crisp fried chicken.” Her cell phone rings and she adjusts the flame on the stove before running to her purse on the kitchen table to dig it out.
“Ugh, Tish.” The face on the display betrays the intended anonymity of the call. She pushes the green button and puts the phone up to her ear. “What do you want now?” She walks back over to try to decide what to cook with the chicken that’s already unthawed.
“Whatcha cookin’ for dinner? I know you about to eat somethin’.”
“I’m only having salad. I’m on a new diet.”
“As of what? 15 minutes ago? Girl, tell somebody else that lie.”
The voice on the other end is equally as irritating as her cynical quips. If momma hadn’t told her to look out for her sister before she died she would never take another of her phone calls.
“Anyway, you should be practicing cooking something since you’re the ‘aspiring’ chef. Ooo, if you haven’t started cookin’ yet, why don’t you make that bacon wrapped thing you did last month? And I’ll gladly volunteer as the official taste tester. I’ll be over there in about 20 minutes.”
“Yeah, and you just keep on comin’ over here eatin’ my food. I’ll fatten you up and you’ll be big as I am.” Alesandra goes back to the fridge and takes out the maple flavored bacon. “Lloyd won’t want you then after I put about 50 pounds on you.”
“Whatever. See you in a few.” Tish disconnects the call and Alesandra puts her phone on the kitchen counter. She catches her reflection in the mirror and pauses, studying her body. She and Tish are like night and day. Tish has always had people showering her with comments. She’s light-skinned and thin. She’s always had the cute clothes and the cute boys. That isn’t Alesandra’s story. Being darker complexioned and heavier, she’s always had to work a little harder to get noticed. Her personality has to make up for what most consider a less attractive physique.
She turns the stove off. To spite Tish, she decides to put the bacon and chicken back in the fridge and takes out the lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers. “Oh, yeah. Tish doesn’t like olives.” She grabs those too.
No comments:
Post a Comment