I'll Make Dinner For You
She brushed her crimson hair behind her, inhaling the sweet aroma of the freshly cut celery on the stove mixed in with the tangy air of the orange chicken cooking inside the pot. Though she had a very small kitchen—if you could even call it that—to work with, Rita's cooking skills were certainly at an all-time high.
The red-head wiped her sweaty hands on her brown apron, fixing the black shirt placed securely underneath. She looked at the clock quickly, just flicking her green eyes in that direction. It was five-thirty. Nearly time for the dinner to be ready.
"Well," Rita sighed, placing her gloved hands on her hips and leaning onto one leg. "I guess Basil will want some food in her bowl, too."
Rite opened the cabinet above her kitchen and pulled out the special food she'd made for her dog. This special food—Splot, as Rita called it—was just a bunch of chicken and gravy and meat twixt together.
Rita picked up the Splot bucket and lugged it outside. The dull grey pale was very heavy, so Rita had to hold her elbows up to her shoulders and practically waddle outside. She groaned as she opened the door and set down the Splot.
"Basil! Splot time!" She called, holding a gloved hand to her mouth to amplify the sound. Rite was replied with a fierce bark, followed by a dangerous growl. Rita jumped slightly, turning to the left, toward the chicken coop, looking for the cause.
Rita nearly fell over laughing.
There was Rock, lying on the ground, his hands tucked neatly under his head. His right leg was crossed over his left one and was swinging back and forth in the air. He sighed.
"Alright, alright, Crusher, I'm getting up!" He groaned, pulling his legs up to his abdomen and springing into the air. Basil gripped his bell-bottom pants, shaking her head fiercely. Her floppy ears clanged against the sides of her head. "Hey, get off!" Rock still had no idea Rita was standing there.
Without thinking, Rita slapped her thumb and her index finger into her mouth and let out a loud, high pitched whistle, warning the dog to stand down.
"Basil! That's enough, if you please!" The dog stopped moving, staring at her master with perplexity. Rita smiled slyly, adding quickly, "I'll deal with the intruder."
Basil obeyed, letting go of the pant leg and backing up. She sat on her haunches next to Rita's leg, bristled and positioned to attack if needed.
Rock brushed off his outfit, sighing as he inspected for bite marks. Rita watched him, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.
This should be interesting…. She thoughy.
"Hello, there!" He waved to Rita. "What are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here!" Rita flushed, falling over metaphorically. She shook her head. "What are you doing here? Nakama Farm is mine."
"That it is!" Rock retaliated quickly, snapping his fingers coolly. "You wanna hear my death-defying story?"
"Well…." Rita glanced at her watch, then met eyes with Rock. Those blue, naive eyes which melted her inwardly. "Alright."
"I like to call it: Super Rock versus the Regular Ordinary Crusher." Rock began. Rita looked away, pursing her lips in a desperate attempt to not laugh. "It all started as I was walking up to the farm and…."
"So, this is the farm. I wonder how much it would sell for…." Rock pondered, scratching his chin. "Oh, well. When Rita sees the guy she likes took all this time to come and say hello she'll have to cook me dinner!"
Rita blushed, looking away. Was it that apparent she liked him? Apparently so. Rock continued.
"Hello there, doggie!" Rock bent over to scratch Basil behind her ears. "I wonder how much you'd sell for…."
Basil growled, snapping at Rock's fingers. Her tail stiffened and she bared her teeth protectively.
"Oh, so that's the way you want it, eh?" Rock asked, crossing his arms and glaring. "I have to get in here, you know. Are you going to let me in?"
Basil stopped growling and sent him a look that said "Sure, let me take your arm off of your body and I'll let you in."
"Alright, that's it! You and me, right here, right now. We're fighting for Rita!"
Rita put her face in her hand, her shoulders shaking as she tried to bite back the laughter. She bit her tongue so much she could almost taste blood, yet the chuckles insisted on spilling out. Basil barked disapprovingly.
"I can't help it!" She said between laughs. "He tells funny stories."
Rock smirked, raising an eyebrow and resting his elbow on the chicken coop exterior.
Rock and Basil lined up next to Chloe, the ever-reluctant brown cow that was chosen as referee. Tiffi the normal cow was isolated due to pregnancy, Wire the sheep tried to eat Rocks "rad" clothes, and Sergeant wasn't really on good terms with Basil. Chloe mooed loudly, acting as the start blast.
"MOO!" She said. Rock took off running, Basil closely behind him.
"And wouldn't you know it: I won three times in a row!" Rock finished. Rita burst out laughing, holding her stomach and shaking.
"Basil, you're kidding!" She cried. Basil went off in a huge barking fit.
"Oh, come now," Rock shook a finger at Basil. Basil tried to bite it. "No one likes a sore loser, Crusher."
"Right," Rita's voice wandered off somewhere. She changed the subject, sitting on the floor and propping her back up onto the sapling apple tree planted in the poorest soil Rita had ever worked with. "So, who is this guy I liked?"
Rock stared.
"Huh?" He asked bluntly, crossing his legs next to Rita. Basil curled up in Rita's lap protectively.
"You know, you said when the guy I liked came I wouldn't refuse him dinner." Rita looked at her watch again. Six fifty.
"Oh, yeah!" Rock threw a finger into the air, which Basil growled at.
"Go eat your Splot, Basil," Rita picked up her dog and turned her around, facing the Splot. She regarded Rock again. "So, what would this guy I like look like, exactly?"
"Exactly?"
"To the 'T'" Rita laid back heavily against the tree, crossing her arms and allowing her eyes to glaze over.
"Well, he has this fabulous blonde hair. Then he has these 'rad' hippie threads on. He has very blue eyes which love to look at cute girls." Rita smirked.
"Really?" She asked. "And…. What would this very handsome-sounding man like for dinner?"
"Oh, he really would eat anything. Whatever's on the stove, to be specific." Rock winked at Rita, who stood.
"I'm having orange chicken and celery. I hope you've got an appetite." Rita held out her hand. Rock took it, pulling himself up. His fingers linger a second longer than needed once up. Rita blushed and looked away.
"Hey! Basil!" Rita shouted. "Get out of the Splot! You're going to give yourself a stomach ache!" The dog jumped away from the pale, her whole muzzle turned the red color of the Splot. Rita sighed, grasping Rock's hand again.
"Come on. I'll make dinner for you."
The end!
Yeah, it was short and very fluffy. I'll probably make more, though. I know I'm going to make a sequel to this with More Friends of Mineral Town. It'll be called "I'll Make Dinner For You, Too." Please review, folks!