Just A Taste
Episode 11
DANIEL: Listen, my situation in this Academy was getting complicated now. What was really happening? First, how do I get out of these girls room without someone spotting me. It was almost 4am. And I could hear the girls chatter down the hall. Second, this Joyce is claiming Brenda is some kind of terminator. Third, am yet to confirm my real father’s death. Fourth, my uncle plans to my life is still a question mark. So tell me. Is this normal? Like put yourself in my shoes. I couldn’t think well. Nadia was busy conducting an interview that didn’t really solve any of my problems. The alarm was how to do I get to my Hall.
NADIA: “Trust no one. Not even your supervisor”
The mysterious old woman’s words reverberated in my head again.
“What happened Joyce?”
“She confronted me. Because we were chosen to represent the inter group competition.”
It didn’t make sense to me
“I don’t understand, but she picked us herself”
Daniel quickly butt in.
“Please ladies, don’t you think I need help here? Come on, you girls can talk about your whole fantasy later”
I ignored him.
“Unless she didn’t pick us on her own accord. Unless someone ordered her too”
Joyce suggested and picked herself up to pace.
“Then why would she attack you. Why not the person who ordered her. Joyce, we can’t cook remember? We are the ones learning”
Daniel had his eyes shut and raised to heaven
“Ahhhhh..women! I am here. Remember?”
He had to remind us I guess. I understood now that he was in big trouble.
“Take these. Wear them”
I handed him my clothes.
“Oh you must be kidding”
He laughed it off. But I knew he understood that there was no other option.
I made an attempt to withdrew my clothes
“Ok ok ok..lemme have them!”
We couldn’t help but giggle as we watched him fit into my bra.
And then as he added clothes to his ass and chest to really look the lady he feigned.
I had to take pictures for further blackmail. Just in case he decides to misbehave.
And then he was safely out.
“Change up, let’s go”
I drew Joyce out despite her reluctancy to go.
I wanted to get to the root of all these. Little did I know this was way bigger than my own imaginations.
“We have both banga stew and banga soup. Both are prepared the same way. But different ingredients.”
Brenda pursed when she noticed myself and Joyce.
She averted her eyes and went on with her normal lessons. I tried my possible best to try and interrogate her with my eyes. But still, she didn’t fall for it. She was free, no sign of fear or guilt. What was this all about?
Or she didn’t attack Joyce?
Why would Joyce lie about that? It didn’t make sense. She had to be the one
“Nadia, please. Enlighten us on how to prepare Banga stew.”
I was startled.
“What me?”
The eyes on me made me realize I was asking a very, very stupid question.
Prepare what? I didn’t even notice the Banga stew was ready.
“Emm..”
I didn’t want to fool myself again so I just had to stick with the truth.
“I don’t know how to.”
They all burst out laughing.
“And you are to represent us in the inter group competition. What a shame. I can tell you would disgrace us”
Her words sank into my head. But before I picked offense. I brainstormed to understand that she was trying to paint me an infidel before the whole school. That’s why she picked me to lead the team. So I would never be nominated for the real competition. She wants me to fail even before I start.
And guess what? The competition was tomorrow.
I brought my gang together and filled them in with the latest.
“We’ve got to work together and figure this out”
“But how?”
Jessy had to ask. Good question.
“None of can cook any of those dishes. There is no point deceiving ourselves”
Good point. But I was out to prove them wrong.
“I will, by tomorrow. Just follow my lead tomorrow”
I could see the doubt in their eyes. But from the fact that the leader had spoken, they just swallowed hard and nodded to my suggestion. I could tell they were already planning the best way to conserve the disgrace tomorrow.
That night, I went straight to mysterious old woman and explained my plight.
She smiled.
“It’s simple. What’s your best song?”
“Rara by tekno”.
I hurriedly replied. I was in a haste so her question didn’t really make sense at that moment.
” Good play it”
She handed me an earphone.
“Dance”
I obeyed. I loved the song, so it didn’t take me minutes to start swaying my waist to its rhythm.
“Pick that pot. Hum the ingredients with the song you are listening too”
I was dancing and cooking as she instructed. Slowly I began to understand, i was enjoying myself.
“Roll out your dough”
She threw a dough at me. I was quick to catch. So she filled her hands with flour and bathe me with it.
“I laughed and retaliated . As we waited for the Hawawshi to bake.
Next the Banga stew.
” think of your best food”
I was quick to suggest
“Toasted bread and egg. Oh I can kill for those ”
“Sssshhh.. Right now, your best food is Banga stew. And you wouldnt want to ruin your best food. Create that picture in your mind. See this Banga soup as you bread and egg”
I did. And went to work. Whistling and humming to the bass the earphone was emanating. Tapping my hands and squeezing the juice off the nuts at the same time.
In an hour. My dish was ready.
“Taste it”
My eyes went wide when the taste sent my tongue drenched in salivation.
“Did I cook this?”
She laughed
“A cook, prepare her meals with her mind. Not her hands”
I hugged her and lifted her up with the last strength I had.
“What are the ingredients?”
Before I answered. She suggested
“Hum your song”
As I did the ingredients re- appeared fresh to my brain.
“So are you ready. Nadia Serena”
Without hesitation I answered with that taunting confidence.
“I am so ready!”
Just a taste
continues
Just A Taste
Episode 12
NADIA continues: I never imagined I would have interest in the kitchen. You know I had always seen cooking as a burden. Like it sucks! Women are trying. You men need to appreciate them, it’s not easy to cook at all. That’s for the men. Ladies out there, do you know you can enjoy cooking? Like enjoy doing it. That you just sit and different ideas begin to flood your mind. And you begin to think of new ways to prepare a dish?
You know that mysterious old woman who had still refused to tell me her name taught me something else.
“The difference between a cook and a house wife, is their mind. An house wife cooks her food the same way everyday. A cook, thinks of new ways to prepare that same food. An extra ordinary cook, invents his own dish”
She gave me a sample. She prepared a bowl of fruit salad.
“What’s this?”
Hahahahahaha come on now, even if I don’t remember any other dish. I can never forget the fruit salad I tried to boil with water.
“It’s fruit salad nah”
She laughed. And then, she added a tin of peak milk to it.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Tin peak milk inside a fruit salad?.
“Taste it?”
And viola! It tasted so good.
“Thats how you become a cook. Think of something crazy. And don’t just think. Try it out”
Ok, ok. Let’s digress from all these sweet private lessons. Back to the mysterious battle at hand.
The competition has arrived. And if you don’t know the meaning of fear, then I am here to explain.
Fear is when you begin to sweat inside your anus the moment you see the size of the competition you imagined would just be a small group competition.
To my greatest surprise. The president of the Academy was seated.
Oh my God. My legs were shaking.
DANIEL: Nadia would not stop threatening my life with the photos she took. Akin wouldn’t stop laughing either. At some point I actually laughed too. Like it was indeed funny. I had to even cat-walk o. So it wud look very convincing.
But then, what Joyce said was still a thought I couldn’t shake off.
I decided to investigate a little. But first, I need to watch Nadia disgrace our Ass. Or so I thought. Until she wowed us all.
The competition started exactly by 3pm when the president was seated.
Nadia and her crew were to prepare the Egyptian Hawawshi. God, although I didn’t really like her guts. I still prayed a little that she shouldn’t set the Hall on fire.
But then, I saw a different Nadia. One I was now picking genuine interest in.
NADIA: Ok put yourself together. You can do this. Brenda was seated in one of the seats provided for supervisors. Our seniors were seated too, according to their grades.
The uniform on grade 6 was spectacular. I just wondered though, the way they carried their eyes to heaven with pride… Twas like they can cook for Africa.
“Participants pick your ticket and prepare the dish you see on it. You have 30minutes. Make your group proud. Good luck”
The announcement came and we went to work.
“Jenny, the chopping board.”
I turned to Sharon
“Chop the carrots, green pepper. Just chop all the vegetables”
“Joyce cook the meat. I’ll mix the dough”
We were all secluded from the crowd. Each in a kitchen, with cameras filming to show the Audience live on a large teleprompter, just what we were preparing.
I began to hum my song. Tapping my finger on the table with a spoon. Laughing too.
“Is not like you are going crazy right?”
Sharon fired. Forgetting there was a sensitive mic in the room transmitting our conversations. The laughter we heard from the crowd gave us the hint.
“Sharon. They can hear us. Abeg sew up your mouth”
I warned.
“You can’t blame me nah. It’s not like we are allowed to dance of something”
Sharon continued. Laughter again.
“Sharon oh. Abeg hide our identity biko”
Jenny suggested. It was not helping matters. More laughter.
I thought of something. I removed the song I was listening too on my earphone. So they could all hear it.
Joyce was the first to start responding as she mixed the meat with the vegetables, she realised and quickly fell back to form.
“Wait o. Are we allowed to dance?”
Sharon was dancing already, while putting on the oven.
“My dear dance small eee..na only one life we get”
I said and listened as the crowd’s laughter roared and lingered for a long time.
“Enjoy what you do girls. Enjoy cooking. Enjoy this”
And by the time we were done. Even the judges were more eager to taste our dish. We served with warm coffee. I noticed they’ve been laughing with the Audience.
And we got an A!
Ahn ahn, what were you expecting before nah?.
Later that evening, Daniel stole out to meet me up.
“Remember I still have those photos…”
I said thinking he wanted to try something trickery.
But then, he decide the shock my liver.
“Joyce is not who she says she is. She is the president’s Daughter
Just A Taste continues..
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