Chapter 5: Wary Children
Mrs. Ina's hand stopped a few inches from the spatula.
Her eyes shifted from the meat on the table to the phone holding my photos, then to Mrs. Summers and the other neighbor in the doorway. She knew one more move would only make her position worse.
"Cook whatever you want," she hissed. "When Mr. Reed gets angry later, don't cry."
She turned and left, slapping her sandals hard against the floor.
Mrs. Summers helped peel onions before going back to open her shop. The other neighbor excused herself after reminding me to keep all the photos. Once they left, the kitchen grew quieter.
But I knew Mrs. Ina had not surrendered.
I fried omelets, stir-fried a little beef with soy sauce, and cooked carrots and potatoes for Sophie. Warm rice sent steam from the cooker. The ordinary smell made the three children stand around the kitchen as if they were witnessing a feast.
"Can I help?" Ben asked.
"Yes. Take the spoons to the table."
He took four at once, then came back for two more after counting us in his head.
"Dad isn't home. That means five."
"One for Mrs. Ina, too."
Ben wrinkled his nose. "She can get her own."
"Set one down anyway."
I did not want the children to learn that justice meant answering hunger with hunger.
Ryan stood near the door, neither helping nor leaving. His eyes followed every ingredient that went into the pan. Sophie sat in a makeshift high chair propped with two cushions, both hands thumping softly on the table.
While I washed the knife, Mrs. Ina appeared in the hallway. She did not enter the kitchen. She bent near Ryan and whispered softly enough to sound like a secret, but loudly enough for me to catch every word.
"Don't trust too easily. Stepmothers are always nice before the ceremony. Once she becomes your father's wife, the three of you could be sent away to someone else's house."
Ryan's back stiffened.
"Mrs. Ina," I warned.
"I'm only reminding the children to be careful."
"By frightening them?"
"Reality is frightening. You might not last, caring for three children who aren't your blood."
I turned off the faucet. "If you want to talk about me, do it in front of me. Don't use children to fight adults."
Mrs. Ina smiled faintly, pleased to see Ryan's face close off again. "We'll see who is right."
She left again.
I did not follow her. The oil was hot and Sophie was growing restless. I finished cooking, cut the omelet into small pieces, and carried everything to the table.
Ben sat the fastest. His hand already held a spoon, but he looked at Ryan before touching his rice.
"Eat," I said.
Ryan remained standing.
"Ryan?" Ben called softly.
"Not yet."
"But I'm hungry."
"I said no."
I set a plate of rice, egg, and stir-fried beef in front of Ryan. "No one is forcing you. If you don't want it yet, leave it on the table."
He stared at the plate as if the food in front of him might bite.
Ben could not hold out any longer. He picked up a piece of egg from his plate and was about to put it in his mouth when Ryan's hand moved.
Smack.
The egg fell to the floor. Ben's plate slid, spilling some of the rice.
Sophie startled and began to cry. Ben looked at his brother with wet eyes.
"Why, Ryan? I'm hungry."
"Don't eat food from someone who just arrived." Ryan's voice shook, though he forced his face to stay cold. "You don't know what's in it."
There was real fear behind the sentence.
Not just a child poisoned by this morning's insinuation. This fear had lived in his body for a long time.
I picked Sophie up from the chair and calmed her first. Once her crying eased, I handed her to Ben, then took a broom to clean up the fallen rice.
No yelling. No demand for Ryan to apologize.
I scooped fresh rice from the cooker, added egg and beef from the same pan, and sat in Ben's chair.
"Watch," I said.
I ate the egg. Swallowed. Then rice, vegetables, and beef. I took three more bites without looking away from Ryan.
"I'm eating the same food. If there is anything in it, I'll be the first to get sick."
Ryan did not answer.
"I won't force you to trust me today. But Ben is hungry. Sophie needs to eat, too. If you want to protect them, look carefully. Don't keep them hungry."
His jaw worked. He looked at my hand, my mouth, then the pan in the kitchen.
I gave the new plate back to Ben. "Do you want to eat now?"
Ben looked at Ryan one more time.
After a long while, his brother finally sat down.
"I'll try first," Ryan said.
He took one small bite from his own plate. Chewed slowly. Waited.
Ben followed every movement.
After several seconds, Ryan took a second bite. Only then did Ben begin to eat. He shoveled food too quickly and choked, then drank half a glass of water at once.
"Slow down," I said. "The food won't run out. If you're still hungry, you can have more."
"I can have more?"
"Yes."
His face lit instantly.
Sophie accepted soft egg and mashed vegetables. Each spoonful went in without protest. Now and then she smiled, showing her tiny teeth.
Ryan still ate cautiously. But by the end of the meal, his plate was clean.
"Was it good?" Ben asked.
"It was normal."
Ben made a face. "If it was normal, why did you get seconds twice?"
Ryan's ears reddened. For the first time, I saw him look like a ten-year-old boy instead of a small guard who always had to stay alert.
After the meal, I stored the leftover tempeh and egg in a covered container. I deliberately placed it on a shelf the children could reach.
"If you're hungry, say so. You don't have to hide," I told them.
Ryan looked at the container, then at me. "Why?"
"Because food in this house is meant for you to eat."
"Why weren't you mad when I knocked the food down?"
I closed the cabinet door. "Because you did it to protect Ben, not to insult me."
His eyes widened slightly.
"But next time, ask first. We'll check the food together. Throwing away rice when your brother is hungry isn't how you protect him."
"What if it's dangerous?"
"I'll eat first. If that still isn't enough, you may choose not to eat. I won't force you."
He did not answer.
By afternoon, I carried Sophie to sleep. When I returned to the kitchen, whispers came from behind the door.
Ben sat on the floor with Ryan. In his hand was a piece of tempeh taken from the container. He split it in two, but the part he gave his brother was much larger.
"You eat, Ryan," he whispered. "I'm full already."
Only a few hours earlier, he had taken two extra servings of rice.
Ryan tried to refuse, but Ben pushed the tempeh into his hand and ran before his brother could give it back.
I quietly stepped away so they would not know I had seen.
The two boys had spent too long learning to divide scarcity, until even a warm plate of food was not enough to make them trust that tomorrow they would not be hungry again.
***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***
Updated 150 Episodes
Comments