Seasoned by Love

en I took the g

en the dean sai

ed my cap right off and it landed in

ending,

are like it was a symbol of my life:

to start. For some of them, it really was. Parents handing over keys to new cars. Aunties booking fl

e

essages. One fro

ila. Please check

landlord asking wh

to rea

the group chat, I was the one who always shared recipe hacks. The one who made birthday cakes from scratch.

a scholarship to Le cordon

didn't h

sn't always give

o that rooftop after-party tonight? There's going to

ile. "Nah. Got somet

the neighbors again, because she promised Mrs. Daniel grilled salmon with saffron rice b

dered what it w

el-plated kitchen with

, maybe. Or Mo

I invented. Not jus

't just stu

athed

és? I made th

? My personal he

ese thieboudienne? I co

nted a girl who couldn't

thing abo

n't alw

ust go

noise fade behind me. The click of heels. The

it felt

w cake on display: mango sponge with coconut buttercream. I smiled. That had been my dre

dn't af

cake, whipped cream he beat with a fork,

was b

e our financial status, but the only status that

hen I used to think he was being quiet because of my mom's constant taunt not knowing he was dep

s to fulfil his dream of b

t wal

ed at my robe again. I caught it before it could escape, gripping

buildings. Worn fences. Laundry lines an

, I paused. My fingers

e buzze

to fr

apron tied around her waist, holdin

eady. Come

hat she

h

ved it would b

For real

d open

like a hug. The kind of scent that clings to you

it always did-too small, slightl

he hallway and went st

tune Dad used to whistle when he cooked. A tiny, off-key

and beamed.

aid, sliding

e a wooden s

di

omfortin

hen it needs more

That's why yo

. It didn't feel like a joke or

because our dining t

er stories of

in the puddle. Then made a joke about wa

ashed up, I went i

aintly of cocoa bu

. I ran my fingers over the fabric. The pocket

nut

rl

a

g

rd

was his secret ingredien

and let the silen

ered. "I did i

no answer,

he silence did

ke he was there,

the floor. My eyes landed on the box of old recipe books tucked beneath his

the inside of a French

y girl will

my hand to

t wasn'

asn't a Mi

t, the sto

ves wer

hind the food we

like a magic trick-you don't k

t was e

r