story: Amber

content/amber.dj

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+title = "Amber"
+
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+
+It was time to end work for the day.
+We headed out of the office to the nearest train station.
+The plan: do groceries, cook dinner, head back home.
+
+We still didn't have any dinner plans for today, so it was time to settle on those.
+
+--- Hey, Amber? --- I asked.\
+--- Mm?\
+--- Any ideas for dinner today?
+
+Amber became lost in thought for a while.
+Her and I have never been the best ideators when it came to brainstorming food, but she looked as if she was putting her all into it.
+
+--- Considering all the quintessential dishes in our exquisite home-cooked meal menu...\
+--- Mm-hmm.\
+--- ...taking into account my desires and needs, hopes, and dreams...\
+--- Uh-huh.\
+--- I conclude...
+
+--- Meat.
+
+--- ...You realise you're not being very helpful, are you? --- I replied.\
+--- What? Whyyy...?
+
+I took a deep breath.
+
+--- Meat is present in a large amount of dishes from various cuisines around the world.
+Beginning with the basics, like whether it's fried, grilled, boiled, sous-vide, passing through the details, such as toppings used and side dishes...\
+--- So?\
+--- What I'm saying is that you're skedaddling around my question in the laziest way possible.
+You can't just have "meat" for dinner.\
+--- Ruuude!
+
+A brief moment of silence occurred between us.
+I thought a bit about what to eat.
+
+Vegetables, meat.\
+Vegetables.\
+Meat.
+
+Vegetables,
+
+Meat.
+Eat.
+{~Eat.{~
+Eat.~}~}
+
+--- I'm making fajitas.\
+--- Oh come on, you know I hate bell peppers!!\
+--- Too bad.
+
+Amber's face turned gloomy.
+
+--- I'll pick them out of your plate.\
+--- Promise?\
+--- Promise.
+
+The train arrived at the station.
+It was time to gro gocery shopping.
+Go shocerry shopping.
+Sho gocerry--
+
+`The doors are closing. Please stand back.`
+
+As the train started moving, I started thinking about the weather.
+
+The seasons were slowly changing, from winter, to spring.\
+It was the first clear day since last week, with a majestically blue sky, lit up by our beloved friend, the Sun.
+
+With the orange sunset arriving slowly at the horizon, I pondered at the skyscrapers, roads, rivers, and bridges, whizzing past the window.
+I appreciated how the plants in the parks were beginning to bloom.
+
+The sights outside filled me with a certain nostalgia.
+
+`Next station: Forestville`
+
+Time to get off.
+
+--- Hey, Vec.\
+--- Yeah?\
+--- Can I get a chocolate bar?\
+--- What for?\
+--- Because I want one?\
+--- But you didn't do anything.
+You haven't _earned_ it.\
+--- Come ooooon, I want a bar of chocolate!!\
+--- No.
+
+...
+
+--- ...Alright, I'll get you one if you eat the bell peppers today.\
+--- Okay!
+
+...
+
+--- Wait, what?
+
+But she realised it too late.
+I left her behind in front of the store, with the same old surprised look on her face.
+
+It's honestly surprising how often she falls for that one.
+You'd think her fox genetics would make her really swift and quick-witted, but it's the exact opposite.
+She's a bit of a dummy.
+
+With the groceries done, and Amber still bewildered by my trick, it was time to walk back home.
+Four streets down the road, a five minute walk later, was our little house.
+
+Shoes taken off at the entrance.
+My paws felt immediate relief after a whole day of wearing them.
+
+Three rooms.
+One mine, one Amber's, one shared.
+And a kitchen and a bathroom.
+
+I walked into the kitchen across the warm wooden floor panels.
+It was time to cook.\
+Well, almost time.
+
+--- Amber! Don't forget to clean your room!\
+--- Yeah, yeah!\
+--- Don't you "yeah, yeah" me!
+You're not getting any food until you throw all those beverage cans out the trash!
+
+_Now_, it was time to cook.
+
+An onion, peeled and chopped into tiny pieces.
+Three colourful bell peppers, one red, one yellow, one green, cut into strips.
+Meat cut into cubes, seasoned with salt, pepper, oregano, paprika, and a pinch of chilli flakes.
+
+Olive oil poured into a deep wok, heated up on the induction stove, together with a regular frying pan for the meat.
+I poured the onion and peppers onto the wok, letting out a fragrant smell.
+While the vegetables were sizzling out their water, I cooked the meat well done on the other pan.
+
+I mixed the meat into the vegetables, and let the ingredients soak in each other's aromas.
+
+Fajitas was ready.
+It was time to eat.
+
+Well, almost time.
+Again.
+
+--- Amber! Have you cleaned your room as requested?\
+--- Uhh, yeah!\
+--- Shall I come in and see?\
+--- Uhh, no!\
+--- So you haven't cleaned your room yet.\
+--- I don't have enough fuel!
+Let me eat first!\
+--- Try not to clean your room afterwards and I'm turning off the breakers.\
+--- Sure thing, _MOM_! --- she exclaimed as she sat down in front of the table.\
+--- Knock it off.
+
+She slid her hand across the table, almost as if to knock the cutlery off.\
+But instead, she picked it up, and exclaimed,\
+--- Let's dig in!\
+--- Let's dig in. --- I replied.
+
+And dig in, we did.
+
+--- What did you do to the peppers? --- Amber said while chewing on the food.\
+--- What do you mean?\
+--- They're surprisingly good.\
+--- I know, right.
+
+I swallowed the bite I was chewing on.
+
+--- But I didn't do anything special.
+Just followed the recipe.\
+--- So you're telling me bell peppers were always this good?\
+--- In essence? Yeah, though, these are better than usual.\
+--- You should make them more often.\
+--- Ha ha, we'll see.
+
+We finished our place, and I once again reminded her.
+
+--- Don't forget to clean your room.\
+--- Yes sir, Mr. Vector!\
+--- A surprising amount of enthusiasm, I hear.\
+--- Life's better when your fuel tank's full!
+
+I didn't question the fuel tank thing, so as not to walk straight into her japes, and instead went straight to my room.
+
+Tired and full, I laid down on my bed, and thought.
+
+"How long have we been roommates again?"
+
+I looked at the calendar on my phone.
+"...a couple months, huh."
+
+"Feels more like an eternity."
+
+And with that last thought, my eyes began to close.
+My mind slowly drifted away, and soon enough...
+
+It was time to dream.
+