She climbs the stairs to her apartment and uses her key to enter. She shakes off her coat containing the melting snow, hangs it on the coat rack, and does the same with her scarf. She throws her keys in the dish on the table by the door. Then, she goes through the process of sorting through the junk mail. Because basically, that's all it is, junk. Occasionally, there will be a utility bill or some other important notification for her, but for the most part, it's just something she throws in the trash can.
She walks to her answering machine and presses the big round play button. The machine comes to life with a generic greeting and tells her she has no new messages. Knowing she has an early morning tomorrow, she decides not to shower tonight. She strips down her panties, removes her bra, throws on a comfortable t-shirt, gets into the warm and inviting bed, and then pulls the comforter over her head. Within minutes, she is out like a light.
She's brought out of her dream by the sound of her annoying alarm clock going off at 4:30 in the morning. She silences the alarm and collapses onto the bed, knowing she needs five more minutes. The five more minutes pass like ten seconds, and she hears the alarm going off again. She drags herself out of bed, jumps in the shower, and starts her day. She forgoes her usual cup of coffee at home, knowing she can pick up a cup at the local Dunkin' Donuts on the corner.
She sees everything set up. The fishmongers know where to put their best selections so that people can see them easily. She peruses the sea bass, Blue Crabs, and lobsters.
"Good morning, Kate, how are you?" Frank asks as he sees her looking over his selection of live Maine lobsters.
"I'm doing good, Frank. How are you?"
"So far so good. The day looks to be shaping up to be a good one. So, can I interest you in some lobsters today?" He asks, hoping to make a sale.
Kate shows him one of the lobsters towards the back that couldn't weigh more than half a pound. Frank quickly sees that the one she selected from the box of ten differs from what she needs. He's been doing business with her for a while, and he tells her,
"Those are too small. You'll want these, and I'll give them to you at the same price. You always want to keep the customers happy at your place." Frank says as he points to a case of lobsters that must easily weigh two pounds each.
"Sold! Can you have them to the restaurant before 2:30?" She asks.
"Count on it." He replies, and then Kate walks off to sample some of the other fish the seaport has to offer.
"Kate, who's your best friend?" Bob asks as he sees her approaching his area.
"No, you didn't! Did you get them?" Kate asks, almost acting like a fifth grader on Christmas Day.
"Now, who would I be if I didn't keep my word?" Bob pulls the lid off a box of freshly caught fish on ice, and all Kate can do is stare at them.
"Golden tilefish."
"Oh my God, Bob. Do you know how hard these are to get?"
"I got these just for you. They are line caught, and they are beautiful!"
"You're right, they are beautiful," Kate tells him as she's already planning how to prepare them.
"Give me a kiss," Bob asks.
"Bob…" Kate leans in and kisses him on his cheek after he gives her a look.
Frank, who was talking to her less than a minute ago, says,
"Wait, why don't I get a kiss?"
Bob is quick to reply to Frank's comment.
"You didn't get a kiss because you didn't get the goods!"
"Oh yeah, what do you call these?" Frank says as he's shaking a live lobster in his right hand at Bob.
"Not something that she would buy!"
After another long day in the kitchen, she gets off early for once. Leah, who noticed she was a bit tired from going to the seaport early this morning, told her to go home early and that she would be taking care of the rest of the evening crowd and prepping for tomorrow's menu. Kate is grateful. She gets home and goes through her routine of checking the mail, throwing most of it away, and listening to her voicemails where there are none. She decides that a late dinner to herself will be an indulgence. While at the seaport earlier, she bought some fresh scallops, which she chose to have her dinner.
She sears them on an open sauté pan. And checks on her vegetable side that sits in a small pot to the left. When the phone rings, she's about to sear the other side of the scallops. She lowers the heat on the scallops and heads to the phone. She picks up the handset, notices the caller ID, and smiles, knowing who is calling her.
"Hello."
"Hey, it's me. I'm just checking in, and if traffic cooperates, we should be there by 9:00 tonight."
"Great. I'll make sure that I'm back by then."
"Okay, cool!"
Kate returns to the counter where the recipe for the scallops is and starts rereading her steps.
"So what are you doing? Reading a recipe, right?"
"Christine, don't be ridiculous. I do have Other interests."
"Of course you do. Name one."
Kate knows what her sister is trying to do. She's trying to get her to engage and refuses to, so she changes the subject.
"So, how is Zoe?" Kate asks.
"Adorable. Zoe's changed so much since you've seen her two Christmases ago. Haven't you, sweetheart?"
"I don't know," Zoe says as she places two peacock feathers over her eyes with each hand.
"So what do you guys want for dinner? I could make something that you would both love." Kate tells her sister.
"Kate, don't go to the trouble. We'll pick up a pizza or something." Christine looks in the rearview mirror and sees her daughter sticking her finger in her mouth, mimicking a gagging motion. She wants to tell her daughter to stop, but she's on the phone with her sister, who would cook anything for them if they asked.
"Nonsense, you will not have pizza! What does Zoe like to eat?" Kate asks
"She likes anything. She's like a vacuum cleaner."
"Mom!" Zoe says from the back seat.
Christine, who wants to concentrate on the road ahead of her, tells her sister that they will call back later when they get closer.
"Kate, I'm going to call you back later when we get a little closer to your apartment. Zoe say goodbye to Aunt Kate."
"Goodbye, Aunt Kate."
"Okay, Christine, I'll be expecting your call later. Please drive safely."
"I will."
The call ends, and Kate rushes back to her sauté pan with burning scallops on its surface. He turns off the flame on the stove and scrapes the scallops that are no longer edible into the trash. What a waste, she thinks to herself. Those scallops looked so good as she was preparing them. She needs to pick up supplies for her sister's visit and prepares to hit the supermarket. She puts on her coat and scarf, grabs her empty shopping bag, and leaves her apartment. Once she locks her door, she turns and heads down the staircase to the lobby. Then she hears the whistling. It's a dead giveaway as to who is coming up the stairs, and she turns back upstairs, not wanting to be confronted by Sean, her downstairs neighbor. But it's too late because he sees her as she tries to escape back up the stairs.
"Hey, Kate, just get in?" Sean asks
"No, I forgot something."
"Hey, are you working tonight? I know this great Thai place."
"I am only for a couple of hours. My sister is coming in with my niece, so I figured until they arrive, I can get some tasks out of the way I've been meaning to do at work."
"I don't give up that easily. One of these days, I will convince you to have dinner with me."
Sean turns to open the door to his apartment a few more steps and says,
"Look, Sean, I think you should know
I don't generally do that."
"What, have dinner?"
"Dinner dates," Kate tells him and sees him deflate just a little.
"How about breakfast?"
"You live in my building. and I don't generally go out with people who live in my building." The man doesn't quit. He could sell swampland to someone who lives in Florida. But she has to give him an 'A' for effort.
"You have a lot of rules," Sean says as Kate starts down the stairs once again. Once she gets to the landing where his door is, he asks her,
"Didn't you say you forgot something?"
Kate abruptly turns around to head back up the stairs and says,
"You're right. I did." And she heads back upstairs to her apartment.
Kate makes it up to her apartment, places the key in the door lock, and opens it. She closes it just as fast and stares at Sean's door to ensure he goes inside. She's quick to leave her apartment and makes it out without being seen by him.
"What's the problem with making rules?" Kate asks as she stands over her therapist, seated at his desk.
"It's not like I'm controlling or anything. I have a certain way of doing things; people should know that about me. I prefer things to end up exactly right. That's why I like doing things myself." Kate says as she fusses over the dressing for the three scallops she had just prepared.
"Do you know how hard it is to coordinate forty dishes and have everything perfect?" Kate asks as she finishes the garnish around the scallops and wipes the edge of the plate clean.
The therapist is waiting for her to finish with her perfection. What he smells makes his stomach growl. He is starving, just looking at what she prepared. She finally steps back and waits. The therapist raises a knife and fork and cuts into the tender scallop. As he puts the first bite into his mouth, his eyes close, and he is in heaven. This is the most delicious thing he's eaten in a long time.
"I thought we said you wouldn't cook for me anymore." The therapist tells Kate.
Kate takes a seat on the couch and says,
"I didn't cook it for you. I just had some ideas for this dish and decided to see how you like them."
The therapist continued eating the dish she had prepared for him. But now he has come to a crossroads. He must ask her specific personal questions that she will surely object to.
"All right, Kate, we will try something New this week. I will ask you a question, and you'll answer it honestly. Agreed?
Kate nods and turns away from him, facing the painting he has hanging on the wall over his fireplace.
"How long ago was your last relationship, Kate?"
"Isn't that a little personal?" She replies.
"Well, this is therapy. So how long?" He repeats.
"I don't know, three years ago, maybe four."
"Who ended it?"
"I did. He was getting way too demanding."
"How so?"
"Well, if you must know, he wanted me to move in with him after two years. Did you try the saffron sauce?" Kate asks.
"Mm, yes," the therapist says as he cuts another piece of scallop and dips it in the sauce.
"And tell me why moving in with him was such a bad idea?"
"He would have asked me to give up my apartment. Why would I want to do that? I'd move out, we'd get a place together, and he'd eventually leave; then where would I be?"
"My God. The sauce is so good."
"Thank you."
A/N: Thank you for all the reviews for chapter one. Next week when I post chapter 3, I will post the title of the movie. Some readers already got it, but I'll give you until this chapter for more guesses. Thanks for all the support!
P2P