Hi guys! This is just another chapter about Luna meeting a few people so enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 8
Luna laid in bed after a long day at the academy it was finally the weekend. Her green eyes glanced at the photo of her, her mother and grandmother.
'I miss you guys...I wonder how the truck is doing? If Angel is doing okay running it? I hope my mom and grandmother don't drive him crazy.' Luna thought her stomach growled. 'It's almost lunchtime, isn't it? I need to go out to buy a few ingredients to restock...but what should I buy to eat?'
Luna took a quick shower and got dressed picking out a floral smock dress with black flats and a black hat. When she opened her door she saw her neighbor and her kid. The woman saw her child run towards Luna. Luna smiled they were the first to welcome her to the building when she first moved in.
"Luna-chan!" The boy said smiling at Luna.
"Hey, Akira-kun, Hi Nishi-san."Luna said ruffling the kid's hair. "Going out with your mom?" her green eyes glanced at the older woman her long honey blonde hair reached her shoulders and dark blue eyes wearing a soft pink work suit.
Akira nodded his head. "We're going to get more cloth bags." He said
"A few of our bags broke so we're going to get some more. We're going to the farmers market tomorrow." She explained
"You guys are going to a farmers market?" Luna asked
"Yes, we usually go in the morning since it gets so full." Nishi said
"I love going to those markets, The supermarket and convenience stores are good though I do miss those markets." Luna said
"Mom! Can Luna-chan come with us?" Akira asked
"Do you want to come with us?" Nishi asked
"I'd love to!" Luna asked
The next morning…..
'So far it's been going okay…'Luna thought smiling softly, she wore a denim dress with some black flats along with a black hat. She grabbed the small bag and went to the farmers market.
Luna loves going to the farmers market, ever since she found out there was near her area on the weekend she would visit it usually by herself other times it's with her neighbor. After the first month, she liked talking to the vendors. She loves seeing the produce that was hard to find back home, her haggling skills in getting the product at a good price never seemed to fail her in Japan. Was it because of her accent? Or her charm? It didn't matter because she loved places like this.
Luna smiled looking at the Tomatoes, different shapes, and sizes.
"Maybe some tomato soup for lunch?" She said to herself. She carefully picked up a tomato examining it checking how firm it was.
After buying the tomatoes she walked around buying a few other ingredients. Adding in her cloth bag some cucumbers, bell peppers and a small bunch of herbs.
"I think I'll need to stock up on some limes and Lemons.." Luna muttered, "If they have those if not maybe in the market near Totsuki..."
She went to the small fruit stand. There she saw a familiar face.
"Hey! It's you! " Luna said running towards the person. "The guy with the cool knife skills!"
He turned his head Seeing Luna at his side.
"Remember me?" Luna asked
"The transfer student." He said, "I saw your Shokugeki."
"You can call me Luna." Luna said with a friendly smile. "What's your name? "
"Isami Aldini." He said
"Wow! You're from Italy?!" Luna exclaimed, "So is the scenery the same as those in the travel magazines?"
Luna and Isami were casually talking while finding some ingredients together. After they were done with their shopping. They took a seat on a bench to chat some more.
"Yeah, in the summer there's a lot of tourists. Almost all of them stop by my family's restaurant." He said "What about you?"
"My mom and I run a food truck with my best friend." Luna explained "Our food is Latin cuisine. One bite and you'll feel like we're welcoming you to our home. I learned everything I know about Latin food by my mom, my Abuelita and my father.."
Luna's eyes shifted to one of the bags of vegetables that she bought. "I do remember him teaching me about the herbs and vegetables…" she muttered, "It was also around that time I made a friend and he became a friend of his too..…"
"Luna, I promise you that I'll be home very soon. I'll even bring you a present from Japan. "
"No! No!"
"Luna, I have to go, it's for our future. We want to have a big family restaurant right? You have to work hard and study to achieve it. He said he studied somewhere in Japan. Totsuki I think that was. Maybe after I come back I'll tell you all about my food adventure with Saiba after all, I showed him a great time with our food and culture. Then well start practicing so that you'll grow up to go to Totsuki."
"Papi...no te vayas!" (Daddy don't go!)
"Mi pequeña princesa I promise I'll be back." (My little princess)
Luna tightens her fist a bit. 'Since then you never came back...mom told me that he left to further his career. I still haven't forgotten what he said about Totsuki, since then I tried very hard to get here, I learned Japanese in elementary school by going to a Japanese restaurant a few blocks away the old man taught me everything about his language as well as a bit of the food, mom was angry that I learned Japanese by myself and then applying to Totsuki..at first she didn't want me to go but Abuelita managed to convince her. So far she supported me, I will be in the top to reach our dream to have a big restaurant.' She thought
"So...Isami you said you have a brother..do you live with any other relatives?" Luna asked changing the subject.
"No, I live in an apartment with my brother the rest of our family is back in Italy." Isami replied.
"Oh...it's hard being away from home but at least you have someone with you."Luna said softly. "I live alone, So it's just me here. I came today to buy a few things for dinner."
"Me too, it's my turn to cook tonight's dinner, on Sundays we take turns to cook a family dinner for the two of us."Isami said he glanced at Luna nodding her head.
"I used to do that too with my family." Luna said "My abuelita would make some rice and beans, I would make some braised pork. We would talk and have fun."
Luna remembered the last Sunday dinner she had with her mother and grandmother.
Three women sat at the table food was laid out some white rice, beans, braised pork and a salad. Smiling and talking enjoying a nice time.
"Abuelita I think we should go tomorrow to see Mr. Ramirez ." Luna said "He looked like he was interested in you."
"Huh? Why do you think that?" She asked
"Well...he gives us extra cilantro and avocados."Luna said with a playful smile."I guess my grandma still got it!"
She let out a hearty laugh. "He's a good friend." She said "We just talk and take a nice stroll together, he even asked me if I wanted to have coffee with him."
"I think he asked you on a date."Her mother said said
"Que?!" Her grandmother exclaimed Luna lightly giggled. (What?!)
"Whenever we have dinner it was always something new on the table." Luna said softly. "I always love the way my grandmother makes the beans. After a long day you'd want a nice meal with your family…" Luna trailed off a bit her voice slightly cracked and looked away.
Isami could tell that Luna felt a bit out of place living alone and being in an unfamiliar country isn't easy, looking at her it was the same way how he and his brother were too.
He felt a bit of sympathy for the girl and decided to do something to make her feel a little better. "Do you want to come and have dinner with me and my brother?"
"Huh? Oh no, I don't want to impose." Luna started
"You won't be imposing, come and have dinner with me and my brother." He insisted It took a full minute until Luna opened her mouth to answer.
"Okay...on one condition." Luna said with a soft smile. "I get to bring some of my home cooking to share with you and your brother as thanks."
"Deal." He said he reached in his pocket taking out a scrap of paper and pen, writing something down. He handed the scribbled note to Luna. "This is my address."
Luna read the address."No way! I pass by that building everyday! It's across the street from my apartment!"
"Great, so i'll see you tonight, dinner starts at seven." He said with a friendly smile.
Later that evening…..
Isami was busy preparing their meal he glanced over his shoulder seeing his older brother slightly irritated at his news that he was having someone over for dinner.
"Why would you invite a that girl over?" the blond asked
"Takumi, be nice." Isami said turning his attention to the food. "Wouldn't you have wanted someone to be welcoming us when we first got here and spent some of our first Sundays away from our parents and our Uncle?"
"Fine, whatever." Takumi muttered
"Besides she's nice." Isami said "She's even bringing something for us to eat too."
Takumi shrugged a bit, glancing at the window.
"I think she'll be here soon." Isami said "Just try to be nice."
"I wonder if they'll like it.." Luna said with a hint of worry holding a basket seeing the dishware inside lightly covered. "I do hope they like it.." Luna walked across the street seeing the apartment building that Isami and his brother live in. She found the room number and rang the bell, she nervously smoothed out the creases of her light purple casual dress with a two-tone color ribbon tied around her waist, her hair in a loose braid. She felt nervous being invited to someone's home, she wasn't sure what to do now or even what to say to them. Her heart pounded in her chest.
The door opened and She saw a blond guy with sharp blue eyes wearing a white long sleeve shirt and dark blue jeans.
"I...um….hi...is this where Isami lives?" Luna nervously asked she hoped she's at the right place.
"Yes, you're the girl that he invited to dinner."He said he gazed at Luna from head to toe then let her inside. "I'm Isami's older brother Takumi Aldini."
"Nice to meet you." Luna said with a smile. "You can call me Luna."
Takumi nodded, he felt slightly irritated that his brother would invite someone to their Sunday dinner it's usually just them to relax and unwind. When he led her to the kitchen where she greeted Isami.
"I brought what I said, it's still hot since I just took it out of the oven." Luna said holding the basket. "Where do I put it?"
Takumi stared at Luna talking to his younger brother, it was different most of the time in school a lot of girls would come and bother him that it irritates him at a certain point. Especially when he's trying to spend quality time with his brother.
"Be careful it's still hot to handle," Luna warned seeing Isami holding the dishware with oven mitts. "I don't want you to get burned."
"It's fine, I handled hotter things than this." Isami reassured her placing the dishware on the table. "Take a seat Luna-chan."
Luna looked at the table that had three plates and the rest of the utensils. She didn't know where to sit, Takumi took his seat the left. Luna took her seat to the right and Isami in the middle. Bit by bit Takumi was slowly warming up to Luna seeing her talk to his younger brother. She smiled and complemented at the dish Isami made using the delicate angel hair pasta with Shrimp and a light butter sauce. A simple yet satisfying dish, she asked them questions about different types of pasta as well as finding out a few things they have in common for example their love of coffee.
"Um..I hope you guys like it." Luna said "My grandmother would make this almost every Sunday. " she opened the lid and both boys saw The top lightly covered in melted cheese.
"A lasagna?" Takumi said in a questionable tone.
"It's slightly similar to a lasagna, it's called Pastelon. Instead of lasagna pasta I used ripe yellow plantains lightly cooking it in the pan then layered it with homemade marinara sauce, picadillo meat and cheese. " she explained "It taste really good! Give it a try." She smiled slicing up a portion for the three of them.
"Pastelon?" Takumi muttered 'It looks similar to a lasagna. ' The twins simultaneously took a bite of the food. His blue eyes widen experiencing something he hasn't had before, The sweet plantain with the Savory meat. When he chewed he found another flavor pop in his mouth that's giving it some brine and sweetness but not being sickeningly sweet having a great balance of sweet and savory.
"Raisins? And olives?" Takumi said
"This is something we haven't had before."Isami replied "How do you make it?"
"I made the sauce from fresh tomatoes from the market." Luna said "The recipe I got it from my grandmother her tomato sauce is a hit with the customers. The filling is my own recipe, just a combination of ground pork and beef, salt , pepper, a bit of cayenne, garlic, olives and raisins. Then I mixed it with the homemade tomato sauce. I took the sweet plantains and lightly cooked it in the pan with some butter letting it caramelize. "
Luna looked at the twins faces, the two seemed to enjoy it. 'I'm glad they like it..I was worried for a minute.' Luna thought
'The way that she made it, from the sauce and the meat with the sweetness of the plantains. I'm interested in knowing more about this.' Isami thought
"Luna, is most of your style of food like this?" Isami asked
"Yeah, Latin cuisine is always these different fusions of other foods." Luna said "I think it is the same sauce, we use a bolognese sauce and add in our own flavors. "
'She made it by fusing Italian and her Latin cuisine, it feels like how we have our family dinner back home.' Takumi thought 'In a way its bewitching me to keep on eating it until it's gone.'
After dinner the three of them talked some more. Telling each other some stories, Luna would giggle seeing Takumi flustered while Isami laughed a bit and tried to tell Luna a few funny stories that happened between them. Luna realized that it was already late, she got up while the twins saw her off but before Luna left she smiled at them.
"It's already that late? I better go." Luna said softly her eyes shifted to the twins. She gave them a genuine and honest smile.
"Thank you for inviting me. I think you're a sweet guy." She said "It was nice meeting both of you, I hope that we'll see each other very soon."
"You're welcome, Luna." Isami said but stopped seeing Luna close to him, he stiffened a bit when she gave him a hug.
"Bye, Isami-kun, Takumi-kun!" Luna said waving goodbye walking back to her apartment across the street.
Isami turn to his older brother. "See? It wasn't so bad." Isami said looking out the window seeing Luna run home. "I told you that she's nice."
"You're right, she is nice."Takumi replied softly
Luna locked her door and smiled, it was a long while since she had a nice Sunday dinner.
"Isami and Takumi Aldini...they're nice guys." Luna said softly. "Inviting me to their home..it felt nice having people over for dinner."
A light ring rang through the room, she checked who was calling her and smiled.
"Hello mom..yes I had a nice dinner with a few friends...everything in school is going great." Luna said
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