The days have been flying by with constant upgrades and finishing touches to the ship. Knowing that our time on this rock; humanities homeland is becoming limited I can't help but smile as I walk around. Luna has fit into her new office well and is working quickly on charting a course for us.
A fierce buzzing over the intercom sounding through the building got me off my feet rather quickly.
"Umm hello! Excuse me! Does this thing work?"
I walked out into the hallway the hum of white noise echoing through the empty rotting home.
"Since when does the intercom work?" I asked Gabe and he just shrugged and walked towards the front of the house. I open the front door to find Mia already standing at the gate talking with one of the tallest men I've ever seen.
Walking down I heard the man pleading with her over something. Listen buddy, getting her to change her mind is like moving a semi truck up a hill without wheels.
"Hey what's going on?" I didn't sense any hostility so I tried to be as friendly as possible.
"He wants to steal our food." Mia spoke as calm and cold as ever.
"No I don't, I've been told you actually have a kitchen and ingredients I'm begging to come in to cook for you."
I don't know why but it honestly feels like he's telling the truth.
"Why do you want to cook for us exactly?"
"Look around you?" He swept his arms around all the decay and damage of the earth.
"Without delicious food the world crumbles around and I'm nothing but a humble servant to people's stomachs."
"So you're a cook?"
"Yes exactly! I hear you're planning to head up after our lost brothers and sisters in space as well! You'll need someone to cook for you, no?" The man waves his arms around very theatrically as he talks. It's kind of funny.
"I'm not sure if.."
"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Mia cut me off again.
"If my chef's hat doesn't convince you I can perhaps cook you a meal!" The man bowed his head revealing the smallest chefs hat I've ever seen on top of the largest Afro I've ever seen. I glanced over and even Mia had a smirk that quickly vanished after a moment though.
"Okay it's a deal but if your food is bad I'll end you right away and you'll become fertilizer." Mia gave him her perfect cold gaze. I'm not sure he even realized he jumped into the air pumping his fist.
"Don't worry my lady, no one's ever mistrusted me after trying my food."
"Then why are you alone now?" I spoke the words before I even had a chance to think about them.
"Alas, those who have a kitchen do not often have things to cook with them. The ones with the incidents don't have a way to cook them. So rarely you find both!"
"Well I'm pretty hungry so come make something great!" Gabe finally added to the conversation.
Walking back up the driveway with our new friend I make sure to keep a cautious eye on him. While watching him though I only see excitement in his eyes grow.
"Livestock, planted vegetables? I was not aware such a paradise still existed!" His eyes were wandering all over the property.
"If you think this is paradise you wouldn't have believed your eyes with the way our ancestors lived." How could anyone think this disgusting place is paradise?
"I do not deal with cards, I have not been dealt with. I only know what I know. So I'm thankful for all that I am and see!" He offered me a wide smile.
"Sorry I may be a bit bitter at the way they left us here, excuse me if I'm upset about it…" I'm starting to get pissed off thinking about it.
"Just wait until you've tried my food, you'll know paradise soon too."
"If you say so." Food isn't going to make a place less shitty I'm sure of that.
"Well the kitchen is right through there, let's see what you got."
"Please please please, take a seat and watch me be as I say!" Gesturing for us to sit at the chairs lining a bar before the stove top.
Me, Gabe, and Mia sat at the bar watching him closely.
"Oh my, aren't you a beautiful lady!" He began rubbing the side of the stove. Okay that's not weird at all. He started by filling a small pot with rice. Mixing in water with it from the well and draining it again and again until the water that flowed out was crystal clear.
He added a dab of hemp oil that was sitting around. Began grounding salt and pepper into the rice bowl. He put a lid on it, turned the stove on and walked over to the small fridge we run using solar power.
"Oh my real fresh eggs! By the stars and above this will be great!" He was twirling in circles holding the eggs.
"He's going to break them." Gabe mumbled under his breath.
He poured more oil into a pan and swirled it around the pan. Once it was fully layering the pan he turned the other switch on the stove. It responded with a small blue lit flame underneath. He held an egg in each hand and cracked each one on the counter and dropped the insides into the pan, the sizzle the splashing of the eggs had made my eyes squint a bit.
With a pair of chopsticks I watched him swirl the eggs in the pan mixing the egg whites and yolk together to create a solid yellow mixture. He cracked more salt and pepper into it and diced a tomato and onion on the chopping board while dancing to a rhythm only he heard.
After he finished he used the chopsticks to enclose all of the ingredients inside the eggs, forming a new fragile shell out of them. He pulled out a few plates, walked over to the pot of rice now skyrocketing steam out of it, and scooped it out one for each plate.
Then he repeated the egg process three more times and placed each of the sacks of egg on top of the rice.
I've never smelt something quite like this in my life. Saliva was trying to pour out of my mouth like a herd of cows!
"Where's the other person with you?"
"Other person?" How did he know Luna hasn't shown up here yet?
"The amount of dishes in your sink are too many for just you three." He nodded towards the dirty dishes in the sink piled up high. He's like a kitchen savant.
"Um, I'm here!" A small quiet voice chimed in from the back.
"I knew the smells would drive you in here sooner or later girl!" He had the widest grin I've ever seen.
Luna came in and sat to the right of me.
"So do you have a name mr?"
"That I shall reveal if you enjoy my cooking." He smiled at her and began placing the plate in front of each of us.
I watched as he took out a small red jar from his pocket and squeezed a small red line across the eggs and rice. Then he pulled out a knife and I turned to the others who were all also captured by the smells it was all making. He cut down the middle of each omelet and split each one open revealing a colorful inside from the veggies used. As the omelets opened up, steam filled with the most wonderful smell hit each of our noses. I couldn't think of anywhere else in this world I'd rather be.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Omurice. Bon appetit!" The chef then took a bow and we each dug in.
In that moment of pure bliss for the first time eating wasn't surviving, it was enjoyment. I lost each of my other senses. I'm only able to taste these right now. My sight, my hearing, even feeling is all gone, to just taste this meal.
"This is fucking amazing!" Gabe screamed out.
"You can stay." Mia said, taking a napkin to her perfect looking composure.
"It's really good." Luna said softly.
"She's right we'd be happy to have you." Who would've thought food is the quickest way to our heart.
"I'm glad to hear it, in that case nice to meet you! I'm Baptist but my friends call me skillet for obvious reasons." He took another bow and held his still absurdly small chef's hat in his hand.