PART 11 (Dallen)

Lunch Box

It’s been two years I living here. This year I finally go to my formal school at International Junior School. Not so far from Veronica house but Julian willing to drop me off almost everyday.

First, I get my nerve. Cause there is so many kids at my age. I don’t know how to make a friends with them.

Also, I don’t know why I feel under pressure while face to face with the seniors students. Maybe cause I'm shorter than them or maybe because I know nothing about school culture.

“Dallen! Don’t forget to bring your Bento.” She running at me in the entrace.

“Nah, here you go. You should eat properly when you study. See you later.” See smile and let me off.

She named lunch box as a bento. If it’s was me one month ago, I must confused what’s that even mean.

Actually, my school give their students meal everydays. But, it’s just a bread and milk. When the student want to get proper meal, then they must go to the cafetaria and waiting in line.

So, she thought that it’s better for me to just bring a bento from house with a proper meal instead just eat a bread and milk.

I accept it cause I also bit awkward for waiting in line. Surprisingly, some of my friends also bring their own bento. So, I didn’t lunch alone.

“Dallen, what you bring today?” Gerald. My classmate who has blonde hair. He is my seatmate.

“I also get curious too! Are you made sushi again?” Yuki sit in front of me. She said she come from Japan.

“You maniac sushi, Yuki. Just sit down and eat your meal.” Freda order Yuki to calm down.

I open my bento and my friends start freaking out.

“Wuoa! So cute!” Gerald.

“The onigiri smile!” Yuki get more excited.

I thought that so. The onigiri made into a perfect triangle. Seaweed covers the underside and the front. Then the smiling face made of piece of seaweed.

There were egg rolls, broccoli, sausage and a few slices of tomato too. The smell is so delicious as well.

“Wow, that’s hard work you know. Who made it for you? Your mom?” Freda the only one who is chill. She is not really friendly like others but she is the smartes kid in my class.

“No. Not my mother.”

“Then, who? Your older sister?” Freda looking at me sharply.

“Not my sister.”

“Is it your father?!” Gerald screaming so loud. He is the one who always excited.

Silence.

I didn’t answer his question and start to eat my meal. I eat the egg first.

“Uh? Not your father too? Then who?” Gerald made his confused face.

“Is it you??” Yuki made her guess.

“Just eat guys. The break time is almost over you know.” Freda order her friends once again.

For me, that’s question is the harder one I ever get. To explain about who I’am and who is I living with. Who is the one that always made me delicious bento everydays? I don’t know. It’s just her.

Anyways that’s how I made friends. Because I bring bento, I get along with Gerald, Yuki and Freda. Eveydays we will eat together at the break time.

Someday, Yuki and Gerald didn’t bring their bento and choose to go to the cafetaria. Left me and Freda eat only of us.

“Today you bring your beautiful meal again huh?” Freda expression is cool as always.

“You also bring your home cooking today.”

“Of course. I’m the one who made it.”

“You know how to cook?”

“I did.”

I don’t know what to respons. It’s just too awkward with her.

“You know, made a meal is not easy. You should wake up in early morning and prepare so many things. You need a skill too. That’s mean you should try and error many times until you mastered at it.”

“My parents working at theirs own restaurant. They will wake up in early morning to display the menu. You can’t forgot to check the groceries everyday too. So as you see, they didn’t have much times for their own childern.”

“I have twin younger sister and brother. They still at 3grade. There is no one who can take care of them except me. So, i do almost everything include cooking. That’s why I always bring my home made meal.” She talking while eating.

I get stunned for a moment. I know she bit different from others kids around my age but I just know that she is in another level. She is really mature at all cost.

“Ah, I told you this not to make you feel sorry to me. I told you this to remaind you, that you should say thanks to whoever made you that delicious food. Need much effort to made it.” Freda stop put food in her mouth and looking at me.

“You should feel grateful that you have somebody who is really care about you. Even they busy, they still made you their priority.” Freda give me her sincere smile.

She is smiling, but I can see that she is hold her tears.

“Thanks for your advice.” Me and Freda continue our lunch with silence after that.

***

Three days later me and Veronica take breakfast together as usual. Veronica will busy reading some paper while eating. She said it’s kind of efficiency.

“What’s time you wake up everyday?”

“Hu? Not too long before you.” She is laying.

I wake up earlier than usual today and watching her at my room all the time. Then I know everythings Freda said back then is right.

She usually go to work at 8 AM. But this morning I know that she wake up three hours earlier than that. All this time, I thought she woke up just little bit faster than me.

“What’s happen to your finger?” I see her index finger covered by plaster medical.

“Oh, I accidentally cut my finger while cooking. It’s fine.” She smile while winking.

Hear that, I think - thankyou - it’s not used anymore. She didnt need a magic word like sorry or thankyou. It doesn't help her at all.

Somebody wake up earlier for making me good meal everyday. Then she also get hurt because of it. Like Freda said, I should be grateful when I become someone priority.

“Teach me how to cook.” I look at her.

She look at me with confuse expression.

“Well, it’s good for you if you can cook your own meal but-” She touch her finger.

“Why?” I look her on the eyes.

“It's just, it maybe bit dangerous for you.” Then she hide her finger by clench her fist.

I stunned there.

“Know cooking is good but you should know that cooking can be dangerous. So you should be careful.”

“I will be careful, I promised.”

What happend to her made me more motivated to learn how to cooking.

“Alright. Let’s start the lesson tomorrow morning. You should wake up earlier than usual. You ok?”

“I know. It’s ok.”

Since then, I woke up in earlier morning to help her cooking.

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