Green-bean casserole
Meep, meep! "ugggh" Zack groaned as he rolled over in his twin bed too small for him to turn off the alarm. He sat up and looked over at the clock reading 8:30 am. The light ran across the room from a window. On the window was a flower pot full of pink flowers. It seemed out of place as the rest of the room looked like a generic teenage boy's room. Messy clothing everywhere and movie posters on the walls.
"Oh, no! I'm going to be late!" He jumped out of bed changing into the first shirt and pair of pants on the floor. It was a black Shinra academy shirt.
He ran out the door into the kitchen boarding the living room in his small 2-bedroom 1-bath apartment he shared with his best friend and fellow 2nd class soldier Kunsel. Filled up a water bottle and grabbed a pop-tart making a loud racket in the kitchen opening and closing drawers.
"What's with all the noise! Stop slamming the cabinets, I can't hear my show!" Kunsel yelled from where he was sitting on the couch. He was watching some mystery crime show he watched every weekend morning.
"Sorry," yelled Zack as he slammed another door by accident "But I am going to be late."
"For what? It is Saturday, no soldier duties today." Kunsel asked.
"I am supposed to meet Aerith at 9 today and its already 8:35, the trains are going to be packed." He replied going into the bathroom. No matter how late he might be he was never going to skip doing his hair. He opened the medicine cabinet scanning the selves looking for his hair gel. Then he remembered he had run out and was going to buy some yesterday but forgot.
"Kunsel! We have an emergency! Do you have any hair gel? I ran out!" Zack yelled out frantically searching under the sink for any extra.
"No, I always have to wear that helmet remember?" Kunsel yelled back, "Who cares, just go without it for one day."
"Are you crazy! Without my spikes I just look like Angeal with longer hair! No way am I going out in public looking like this," He said as he pointed at his flat black hair.
Kunsel shrugged, "Maybe Aerith has some?"
"I hope so," Zack walked to the door and put on his black boots and walked out the door. "Bye see ya later"
On the ride down to sector 6 Zack ate his pop-tart. I better tell her I am late he thought as he reached for his flip phone. A cold shiver of panic ran over his spine as he did not feel the familiar shape of his phone in his pocket. "Auuggg." He audibly sighed, in the rush out the door he forgot his phone. He hoped Aerith wasn't wondering where he was.
Zack walked up to Aerith's house twenty whole minutes late. Ding dong went the doorbell. The curtains in the window by the door moved, then the door opened revealing Aerith's mother's face.
"Hi Zack, Aerith left about 5 miniates ago. She tried to call you but you didn't answer." She said matter of factly.
"Uhh, yeah sorry about that in my rush to get out the door I forgot my phone. Where is Aerith anyway." Zack asked awkwardly
"She left to go to the grocery store down the street on the left."
"Alright I'm going to meet her there, see you soon!"
Zack left walking back to the main road past all the flowers surrounding Aerith's house. Something was special about that girl, anywhere she went and spent time seemed to grow flowers. Her home, the church, even Zack's apartment now had three flower pots full of yellow and pink flowers. Although to be fair the flower pots were all gifts from Aerith's flower bed.
He walked into the store to store to see Aerith right in the front of the store. She was wearing a very pretty pink and yellow Easter dress. Her hair was in its classic braid. She did not seem to notice Zack as she picked up a basket from the pile in the front of the store. He tried to walk stealthily behind her to surprise her.
"Hello, Zack nice of you to come," Aerith smiled turning to greet him.
"No matter how hard I try I can't seem surprise you," He smiled back "Why are we at the store, I thought you had all the ingredients for the potluck lunch we are making?" He asked.
"I thought we did, but as I was getting everything ready I realize we forgot to get a can of cream of mushroom soup. I tried to call you." She said.
"Yeah, sorry in my rush out the door I forgot My phone."
"I guess you forgot your hair spikes too." She giggled.
His cheeks got red "I ran out of hair gel, ok? Do you have any I can borrow please?"
She paused thinking "No, but we could get you some, I am sure they sell it in the health and beauty section."
"Thanks"
She looked at him. "What?" Zack asked
"Nothing, you just look like Angeal with long hair, that's all." She said
"I know, I know," He said covering his face.
After buying their 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup and 1 container of hair gel, they walked back to Aerith's house to make the 2 green bean casserole for the church potluck at 1.
"Mom, we are home!" Aerith yelled walking back into her house "We are going to start the casserole!"
"Ok dear, but you better hurry its already 11!" She yelled back from somewhere upstairs.
They walked into the kitchen. It was very bright and cheery, there was a huge window above the sink and all the countertops were clean.
"Where do you want this bag?" Zack asked showing her the grocery bag.
"Oh, just put it on the counter over there." She said.
"Well I am going to spike my hair up," He said making a finger gun and grabbing the hair gel out of the bag. As he was in the bathroom doing his hair, Aerith went to the closet to get out her apron.
"Alright, let's get cooking!" Zack said walking back into the kitchen "Where'd you go?" He did not see her in the kitchen.
"I am right here," She walked back in wearing a flowery apron and carrying another. "I got this for you." She said as she handed him the apron.
"I have to wear this?" He asked, "It looks like it belongs to some grandma?" It was a long blue checkered apron with embroidered flowers along the top.
"Yes" She said, "and be careful what you call grandmotherly, that apron is my mom's."
"Oh, sorry!" He said covering his mouth trying not to laugh. He slipped on the apron.
"Now we are ready" Aerith said holding a wooden spoon "Read me the recipe assistant Fair!"
Step one!" Zack said picking up the piece of paper, "Stir all the ingredients into the casserole dish."
"I'll get the dishes and soup, you get the rest." Aerith said pointing at the frozen green beans thawing in the sink.
She got out the two casserole dishes and the can opener on the counter. While she opened the can of soup, Zack poured the green beans, milk, soy sauce (straight from Wutai), and sprinkled in a liberal amount of black pepper.
"Ahh, choo!" He sneezed then continued to pour in more pepper.
"Bless you, but if your sneezing then I think that's enough pepper." Aerith said bringing over the open cans of soup.
"You can never have enough pepper," He said pouring the pepper. "Alright that's enough pepper" he said a second later putting the pepper shaker back on the windowsill.
"Alright assistant, pour in this soup," She said as she handed him the open soup cans.
"Aye, aye, captain!" He said saluting with his free hand. After mixing up all the ingredients they poured the mixture into the two casserole dishes.
"What's next?" Zack asked
"Bake at 350 for 25 minutes," She read out loud. They put the dishes into the oven and set the timer.
"Well, what should we do while we wait?" He asked
"I found this movie trivia game at the thrift store, you can be my first contestant," She offered
"Sounds good to me." He said. Aerith went to the closet to find the game while Zack cleaned off the kitchen table.
Aerith came back and set down a box on the table. They set up the board with all its pieces.
"Great, more instructions to read," Zack said picking up the instructions. They set the game up.
Aerith picked up a card "Here I'll read you the first question, What actress made her debut as the lead role in Loveless?"
Meep, Meep! The oven timer screamed at them.
"Oh, no our casserole is burning!" Zack shot out of his chair to turn off the timer.
"Call down Zack. I set the timer ahead a couple minutes." She spoke calmly.
Zack sighed. "oh good, I forgot about it in my crushing defeat at movie trivia."
"The oven mits are over there," she pointed "And stop being so dramatic you only lost 20 to 2."
"Only, ok got you only by 18 points." Zack said putting on his oven mits.
Aerith giggled
"What, what's so funny?" Zack said confused.
"Oh nothing, it's just that with the oven mits you really do look like someone's grandmama.
"Thank you, dearie," He said in a fake old lady voice.
"once you take it out we can sprinkle on these fried onions." She took out the bag of them from the Pantry. Once the two casserole dishes sat on the counter Aerith and Zack began to sprinkle the onions on. Zack took to grabbing a handful at a time while Aerith grabbed only two or three to lay on precisely and evenly. By the end you could tell whose was whose.
"Now we back them for 5 more minutes" Aerith said opening the oven back up.
"Aww, yours looks so much better than mine," Zack said sadly comparing his messy casserole to her neat one.
Aerith looked at them "Well yours looks…well I am sure they will both taste good."
They put the casseroles in the oven. While they were cooking Aerith cleaned up their board game and Zack did the dishes.
Five minutes later the timer went off and Zack retrieved them placing them on the counter.
"Scoot over," Aerith said pushing Zack away from the casseroles so she could cover them with tin foil. "We got to keep them warm on the walk over to the potluck."
"It's 12 thirty already? We better get going," Zack said putting on his shoes.
"let's go, I got my shoes on." Aerith said picking up one casserole. "I got mine, you grab yours."
Zack walked over and grabbed his casserole. After noticing Aerith was on her way to the door jogged over so he could open the door for her.
They walked to the potluck together carrying their green bean casseroles.