[Author's Note: I recently noticed this story had been reverted back to a draft. I have NO IDEA how that happened and I'm currently pretty upset with Blogger/Google for having no explanations. Not only did it revert to draft, it reverted to a super duper early draft of this story--not even close to my final draft. Everyone's comments are still here. What happened? If anyone knows how I can recapture my final--published--draft, please let me know! Until then, here is a super sloppy copy because I'm too sad to rewrite this story right now.]
When Amelia quit her job at the restaurant to go back to school she assumed she would finally get to eat dinner at dinner time and go to bed before bar close. Instead, she went to class all day, did homework all evening, and gazed out her window all night, waiting for the sun to rise so she could get up and do it again.
When Amelia quit her job at the restaurant to go back to school she assumed she would finally get to eat dinner at dinner time and go to bed before bar close. Instead, she went to class all day, did homework all evening, and gazed out her window all night, waiting for the sun to rise so she could get up and do it again.
Tonight was no different. She wanted to blame it on her neighbor's insistence that he vacuum in the early hours of the morning, but Amelia's insomnia was all her own fault. Besides, she actually liked knowing someone was being domestic nearby. It comforted her--just not enough to take her past the point of counting sheep. With an exaggerated sigh, Amelia sat up and pushed herself out of bed. There was no use fighting to keep her eyes closed.
She shuffled to the kitchen, flipping on lights as she went. Living alone had great benefits, especially for an insomniac with a midnight-vacuumer for a neighbor. In the kitchen, she pulled out pots and pans and knives and cutting boards, lining up tools and ingredients on the counter with no regard for noise.
She could see her small TV from where she stood, and she turned it on to late-night cooking shows. With the volume down, flashes of the chefs and their dishes in the works caught Amelia's eye, but she didn't lose focus on her own midnight meal.
Her mother always told her to finish eating by 8 pm, to let her food digest, and because a meal after dark meant double the calories, but Amelia never listened to her mother. It might kill her, but cooking after dark felt made her feel alive.
When she was done eating, she washed every dish and put it back in its place. No one could ever know what happened here, in her kitchen, in the wee hours of the morning.
---
---
---
---
Oh wow I loved this take....Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading!
DeleteSuch an engagingly cute take on the prompt-loved it:-)
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteThis sounds like so much of my bachelor days, except I can't cook much at all, so I settled for gourmet boxed dinners at midnight. Ha. As if anything gourmet could come from a box. I loved the melancholy, yet not, feel on this prompt.
ReplyDeleteMelancholy, yet not...that's a good way to describe how I felt while writing...glad it came through!
DeleteHa! Ineresting take on the prompts. I'm a cook, so I loved this theme. Your line about the neighbor who is a midnight vacuumer made me smile.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a cook, but I'm an eater! Thanks for reading!
DeleteI like the detail of the vacuuming neighbor. When I lived in apartments, I knew the routines of some of my neighbors. I had to smile at her wanting to hide the evidence of her late-night cooking. My late-night encounters with food are usually me hiding brownie crumbs so the kids don't ask about it (and want me to share :) )
ReplyDeleteHaha! Grown ups need brownies more than kids, though, right?
DeleteYes working with the chef sounds all right. Your story delights me.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it!
DeleteHow awful she has to sneak around her own house and hide all traces of a midnight snack. Nice take on the prompt.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!
Deletethis was a nice piece and a sweet take on the prompt. :)
ReplyDeleteNicely done
ReplyDeleteI like this story very much! So enjoyable the way you described her cooking along with Julia!
ReplyDeleteIt's always nice to have cooking company!
DeleteWhat a wonderful, creative take on the prompts! Great details and descriptions. And I love the idea of her cooking alongside Julia Child.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Julia rocks.
DeleteNice, mostly positive (though somewhat lonely) story. I love cooking, though I also love sleep, so I'm not sure if I would cook in the middle of the night. But I could totally see it. I like her "exaggerated sigh" as she gets up - that was perfectly vivid and rather familiar to me :)
ReplyDeleteIt always helps to be overly dramatic when you can't sleep. Positive & lonely, that about sums it up! I didn't set out to put a sad undertone in the story, but it definitely comes through...I guess I was in a weird mood this week. Thanks for reading!
Delete