He laid the dough flat onto my palm. As I stared down at it, he gave his instructions.
“Okay, take the spoon, and get a spoonful of the meat mixture I made, and spoon it onto the dough, but make it slightly off center,” he said as he motioned to the bowl of meat he had mixed while I was making the sauce.
I spread a spoonful of meat onto the little square dough. As I looked up, Cade began to laugh as if I had made a grave mistake.
“No, don’t spread it on the dough, just drop it onto it. Watch,” he chuckled as he lifted a little square of dough from the counter.
“Like this,” he said as he used his thumb to drop the meat from the spoon onto the dough.
“Take your free hand and dip your finger in the water, and wipe your finger around the edges. Then, fold it like this,” he said as he folded the dough in half.
“Pinch the edges, and set it down on the cutting board,” he said as he pinched the edges and held it for me to see.
I smiled and nodded my head as I attempted to scoop the meat into a pile in the center of my wonton. After dipping my finger in the water, I folded it, pressed the edges, and laid it onto the flour covered board beside Cade’s. I stared at the two wontons. Mine was flat and Cade’s was poofy. Obviously I needed more practice.
“Okay, make all of those,” he said as he tilted his head toward the pieces of dough, “I’m going to start the chicken. He just texted me, he’s on his way.”
“When you’re done, spoon the peanut sauce into that bowl, and I’ll explain cooking the wontons. You’re going to cook them, okay?” he said as he began poking wooden skewers through the pieces of chicken.
“Okay,” I shrugged.
Helping Cade cook had become much more than a pleasant surprise. As we proceeded, I began to feel useful, normal, and as if he really cared about having me help him. He certainly didn’t need my help, but the fact he wanted it was well received. As I continued to make the wontons and carefully lay them side by side on the board, I wondered just what I had done to deserve meeting two very unique and caring men. After washing his hands and drying them on a towel, Cade rested his chin on my shoulder again.
“Okay, listen carefully. Ready?” he breathed into my ear.
The feeling of his warm breath on my neck and ear caused me to shudder. As I tilted my head toward his face, he breathed into my neck again playfully.
“Ready...?” he breathed, drawing the word out for several seconds.
I wiggled my shoulders, freeing myself from him, and stomped my feet lightly on the floor, “Stop. That drives me nuts.”
“That’s good to know, I’ll use it to my advantage. Okay, no more playing, back to business,” he said as he flipped his head back, clearing the hair from in front of his eyes.
“The chicken is cooking. The timer will beep when it’s done. When it does, just take the tray from the oven, and set it aside. The rice is in the skillet, and needs nothing. Now, that big pot has boiling water in it. When you drop the wontons in, it’ll stop boiling. Let it come back to a boil, stirring it lightly, just to keep them from sticking, okay?”
Somewhat confused on why he was explaining about all of the food, I nodded my head, “Okay.”
“Then, when it comes back to a boil, pour that little cup of cold water into it,” he said as he pointed to the measuring cup of water beside the stove.
“Okay,” I said.
“Let it come back to a boil again, and do the same thing. After it boils again, remove them carefully with this spoon,” he said as he waved a spoon filled with holes in front on my face.
“Okay. Drop them in, back to boiling, cold water, back to boiling, and then cold water again?” I asked.
“You’ve got it, and back to boiling. Then remove ‘em, and split them three ways in the little bowls filled with cabbage.
“Okay,” I nodded.
“That’s him,” he said as I heard the sound of someone turning a key in the door lock.
He leaned into me and kissed my cheek. As I stood in slight shock and stared, he whispered quick instructions, “Three pieces of the chicken on each plate, rice beside the chicken, split the wontons evenly. You’ll be fine”
My eyes widened as Cade ran from the kitchen and flopped down onto the couch. As I heard Ethan walking inside, he began to complain to Cade.
“Dude, Rain wasn’t down on the bench. Did you see her today?” he asked as he walked into the house.
I smiled and stood silently as I made wontons.
After a few more footsteps, we were eye-to-eye, gazing at each other over the bar which separated us. Ethan’s eyes narrowed and his mouth formed a huge smile as I dropped the last wonton on the board.
“Sure did,” Cade said over his shoulder as he flipped through the channels on the television.
“What are you doing?” Ethan asked as he pulled off his jacket.
“She’s cooking our dinner, leave her alone,” Cade hollered.
“Cooking,” I responded, trying unsuccessfully to keep from smiling.
“What?” he asked.
“Uhhm, chicken, wontons, and fried rice. Oh, and peanut sauce,” I grinned as I lifted the board of wontons and turned toward the stove.
“No shit. Fuck, my favorite. Cade, you’re not helping her?” Ethan asked as he walked past me and toward his room.
I gazed at Cade, and waited for him to respond.
After Ethan passed, Cade looked over his shoulder and winked, “No. She said she doesn’t want help.”
I grinned as I gazed down at my dingy sneakers.
Okay, carefully put them in the water, and back to boiling.
Using the back of the spoon, I carefully flipped the wontons into the water. After they were all in, the water stopped boiling, just like Cade said. After a few minutes of stirring, it slowly came back to a boil.
Pour in the cup of cold water.
The water stopped boiling. As I continued to stir the wontons, the timer on the top of the oven beeped, startling me slightly. After a few seconds of searching, I grabbed the oven mitt and removed the tray of chicken from the oven and set it on the countertop. As I turned back toward the stove, the water was beginning to boil again. As if I was a seasoned cook in an Asian restaurant, I turned to the sink and filled the cup with cold water. Over my shoulder, I noticed Ethan quietly watching me from his seat at the bar. I turned from the sink, smiled, and poured the water into the pot. As I waited for the water to come to a boil for the last time, Ethan cleared his throat.
Okay, let the chicken sit, and put three pieces on each plate, with rice and split the wontons three ways…
“You look like you know what you’re doing,” he said.
I shrugged my shoulders and twisted my mouth to the side, “I don’t.”
As soon as the water came to a boil, I removed the pot from the stove and set it on the bar. After carefully lifting the wontons with the spoon and allowing the water to drip free, I placed them in the pre-prepared bowls of shredded cabbage Cade had placed on the counter. As soon as I was done, I laid three pieces of the skewered chicken on each plate, and removed the rice from the stove. As I spooned a healthy helping of rice on each plate, Cade walked into the kitchen.
“Looks wonderful, need any help?” he asked as he leaned over and kissed my cheek.
“You sure you’re not gay?” I whispered as I stared down at the plates.
“I heard that,” Ethan chuckled, “He’s not gay, he just acts like it.”
“Just stop it, Ethan. I was just seeing if she needed help,” Cade sighed.
“Here, let me put this sauce in a bowl,” Cade said as reached for the food processor.
Ethan walked past me, opened the refrigerator, and got a bottle of beer. After twisting off the lid and taking a sip, he walked up behind me and peered over my shoulder toward the plates.