And so the rest of their day went. The air of the room had completely changed to a jovial one.
Julianne: Some more eggs, please.
Rose: Sure!
A giddy Rose went off to get some eggs from the cup board while Julianne continued to mix some things in a bowl, and on receiving said eggs, with a smile....
Julianne: Thanks, dear.
And Rose would nod with a smile on her face.
In life, such things tend to happen.
Had someone told Julianne Hunter that she would be cooking with Rose that very day, she never would have believed it.
In fact, up till less than an hour ago, she would never have believed it.
Rose wouldn't have believed it either, albeit a bit less so.
How did this happen? What exactly was going on? Such questions never ran through Julianne Hunter's mind. Not even for a moment.
She, instead, decided to cook with Rose, the very person she was initially very suspicious of. To top it all off, she was doing it without her guard up.
But also, there was just something about her that she found charming.
As Rose carefully cut the oranges and apples with a knife as Julianne watched her.
Julianne: Be careful now...
Rose: Ok....
She sheepishly started to cut the oranges.
Cutting fruit, like most things, was usually a psychically performed act. But in this case, it was like a child trying a knife for the first time.
Julianne: Gently now....
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Rose: Mm... hmm....
The room had become silent all of a sudden.
Julianne: No pressure...
Rose: Yes, ma'am.
She was halfway through, cutting it on her hands.
In most families, there lies something of a tradition.
One can think of it as passing a torch, or perhaps the opening of the childs mind to newer realities.
A good example would be riding a bike, or climbing a tree, or, in this case, using one of mankind's oldest tools. The knife.
Because of the danger involved and the fact that Rose had never used one before, Julianne, like any parent or adult or older figure would, looked over her.
And then.... the blade finally fully struck through, leaving behind two halves of an orange, resting on the palm of her hands.
Rose: (uncertainly) I did it?
She looked at her hand in disbelief. No blood came out. She was fine.
Rose: I did it!
She almost jumped and dangerously flailed the knife in the air before immediately stopping, realising that what she was about to do was dangerous.
Julianne: You sure did, Rose. You sure did.
She meant every word. After all, like all creatures. There was something beautiful about seeing an infant learn something. To see one mature.
A truly fascinating thing.
Rose put the knife down and then continued her congratulatory jumps as Julianne looked on, smiling.
Rose: I did it! I did it! I did it!
She jumped closer to Julianne, holding her hands as she celebrated, much to her amusement.
Julianne: Think you can do it again?
She playfully pointed to the other fruits on the table.
Rose turned to them and suddenly felt a bit intimidated, but took a short, quick breath before continuing...
Rose: Yes ma'am.
Julianne: Good.
Rose walked towards the fruit, and Julianne turned back to the meat she was seasoning.
Julianne: And Rose?
Rose: Yes, Mrs Hunter.
She turned back to Max's mother.
Julianne: Good job.
The statement made Rose blush. She had just genuinely commended her on her actions.
Rose: Th... thank you, Mrs Hunter.
And so the rest of the day went. Rose, as with riding a bike, made several mistakes that day.
For one... she did eventually cut herself.
Rose: Ouch....
Julianne had bandages on the ready and quickly got to work.
Julianne: It's ok. These things happen. Even I cut myself every once in a while.
Rose: Hmph.
But that didn't stop Rose from trying. And that didn't stop Julianne from helping.
And this went on for quite a while until they had cooked themselves and a then missing Max a meal fit for a king, that they soon after enjoyed together while watching TV and chatting.
Rose: ... and then Luke said, (imitating Luke) "I was in the rain for an hour, so it counts as a shower."
The pair laughed.
Rose: Luke is sooo funny!
And even Julianne opened up to her.
Rose: I could never be a movie star like you, Mrs Hunter.
Julianne: Oh, you get used to it.
Rose: Really?