From that day on, every Wednesday after school, I’d go to Ms. Allen’s house. I’d help her chop vegetables, stir soup, or season the chicken. She’d show me how to peel potatoes without wasting half of them, or how to tell if the pasta was cooked just right. Sometimes my friend Zara (Ms. Allen’s daughter) would stop by and laugh at how serious I looked with an apron tied around my waist. But overall, it was a comfortable routine, almost like a second home.
On the first Wednesday I showed up, I remember being so nervous that I almost didn’t ring the doorbell. But Ms. Allen opened the door before I could back away and said, “Welcome! You’re just in time. I’ve got the onions ready.” And that was that—there was no big fuss, no pity party. We just got to work.
