Hello everyone. It's been a while. I'm finally back.
Chapter Six: A Big Decision
"So, what's on the menu today?" Annabeth asked as they peeled out of the school carpark.
Percy thought for a moment as he turned the wheel.
"Last time it was chicken. How about fish this round?"
"Sounds good." Annabeth nodded. "What kind of fish?"
"I'm thinking salmon," Percy said. "Oven-baked with greens. How does that sound?"
"You sound like Jamie Oliver," Annabeth replied.
"I'll take that as a yes," Percy said with a laugh.
At the supermarket, Percy once again led her to the vegetable section, where he picked out French beans, runner beans and green beans. A bag of potatoes went into the basket as well, followed by a pack of frozen salmon.
"Why not get the fresh ones?" Annabeth asked, pointing to the chillers of impressive-looking fillets laid out on beds of ice.
"Fresh fish has to be bought first thing in the morning," Percy explained. "Those fillets have been out there for the whole day. They're stale by now and will taste fishy if you cook them. Also, some of those have bones."
"We'll stick to frozen, then." Annabeth said with a shudder.
Back in his kitchen, Percy submerged the vacuum-packed salmon in a tray of water to defrost them. He handed her a vegetable peeler.
"Have you peeled vegetables before?"
Annabeth shook her head. "Can't be that hard."
They got to work, washing and peeling the potatoes. Percy handed her a steak knife and instructed her to cut them into eighths while he washed the beans, then he pulled out a small paring knife and showed her how to cut the tips off the beans.
"Don't cut them all the way through, because there's this fibrous strand running down one side that's impossible to chew." He demonstrated, gripping the half-severed tip of the bean pod with two fingers and pulling it down the pod. The long fibrous strand came away like tape, then broke off halfway down the pod.
"You usually won't be able to peel the whole strand away in one go, so we can repeat the process with the other end of the pod. Sometimes it just won't come off no matter what you do. Can't be helped." He shrugged.
The potatoes went into a pot and simmered for about ten minutes while they peeled the rest of the beans, then when that was done Percy added the beans in as well. Annabeth pulled the pack of salmon from the water, shaking it off in the sink.
"Looks like the salmon's ready," she probed the softened fillets with a finger.
"Great," Percy pulled a chopping board onto the countertop. "Bring 'em over. Front and centre."
He drizzled one fillet with olive oil, then sprinkled it with salt, black pepper, dried basil and dill. Annabeth mirrored his actions with the second fillet. Then they dried their hands off and turned their attention to the pot on the stove.
"Here's the interesting part," Percy told her.
He drained the vegetables into a colander and emptied them into an oven tray, then rained olive oil, dried basil and dried dill onto them. He pulled a lemon from the fridge and grated zest into the tray, then cut the lemon open and squeezed the juice in. He put in several tablespoons of butter as well, then mixed them together like a salad.
"Make sure the vegetables are still warm when you do this. That way they'll absorb all these flavours."
He laid the salmon fillets skin-side up over the veggies and squeezed more lemon juice on them, then gestured for Annabeth to open the oven door.
"Ten to fifteen minutes at two hundred and thirty degrees, depending on the thickness of the fish fillet." He explained. "What you want is soft veggies and crispy salmon skin. You can pull it out to check if you're not sure."
They baked the salmon for twelve minutes, then Percy pulled the tray out and they sat down for dinner.
"So, once a month, huh?" Percy asked her.
"Yeah," Annabeth stabbed a piece of potato angrily. "I can't believe they're doing this to me."
Percy gestured to the two of them. "This is gonna be a regular thing then."
Annabeth nodded. "Can't see any other way."
There was silence for a moment as they both chewed.
"How'd the first dinner go?" Percy asked. "I keep forgetting to ask you."
"It was great." Annabeth swallowed a mouthful of salmon, nodding effusively. "They loved it. Thanks again, Percy."
"You're welcome," Percy smiled. "Glad I could be of help."
"I owe you big time for that." Annabeth said. "And this." She indicated the scraps of salmon and beans on her plate.
Percy shook his head. "The whole team owes you for today, myself included."
The mention of the team brought Percy's earlier request to her mind.
"It was a fluke," she shook her head. "You of all people know how close we came to losing."
"But we didn't." He emphasised.
She knew he was trying to steer the conversation back to coaching.
"I know, Percy, I know. I'll think about it, I promise."
Percy sensed he had pushed her as far as she would go, but he still looked disappointed as he nodded in acceptance.
"Next training is on Saturday. Could you let me know by Friday evening?"
"I'll let you know." She promised.
The silence stretched again. Both of them filled their mouths with roast potato.
"You think you can pull this off?" Percy asked when he'd finished chewing, gesturing to the remains of the dinner on his plate.
"I think so," Annabeth said. "I'll write everything down when we're done eating."
She stayed for another half-hour, meticulously recording everything into her notebook. Percy provided consultancy services all the way through the drive home, helping her clear her doubts as she typed more notes into her phone.
Once again, his mother had arrived home by the time he returned, emptying the dishwasher of the two sets of cookware.
"She came over again." His mother observed.
"More cooking lessons," Percy replied lightly. "Once every month now."
Sally nodded, smiling slightly.
"Good girls are hard to find, Percy. If you think she's all right, you'd better make a move."
"I know, Mom," Percy nodded, trying and failing to hide his smile. "I know."
Annabeth's Friday passed by in a blur. Percy and Jason's request stuck in her mind like an annoyingly catchy song, pushing out everything else. Hour after hour of lessons passed. She had no idea what her teachers were saying. The writing on the whiteboard was ancient Greek to her. Her surroundings faded away like a mirage. All she could think of was Percy's sea-green eyes and the four-four-two.
She jerked her head up, bewildered, as the final bell rang. The sights and sounds of her classroom came rushing back into full focus. All around her, students were packing their bags and heading for the door. She was incredulous. The school day was over and she hadn't absorbed a thing. She got up in a daze, joining the torrent of students flooding toward the main gate. She didn't even know if there was any homework.
"Annabeth! Hey, Annabeth!" A hand grabbed her elbow. She jerked around to see who it was.
"Where are you going?" Piper asked. "Aren't you coming to training?"
She'd been so wrapped up about the boys' training session the next day that she'd forgotten about her own training that very afternoon.
The sprints and drills took her mind off the four-four-two at last. Unlike the boys' team, Goode High's girls team was among the best in the division and regularly challenged for the title. They had been in flying form so far this season and currently held a two-point lead at the top of the table. Their thrice-weekly training sessions were fast-paced and intense, requiring strong focus and a lot of dexterity. Everything left Annabeth's mind once she stepped onto the pitch; for three hours she lived and breathed football until the session was over.
"So, are you gonna take the job?" Piper asked on the drive back.
"What job?" Annabeth asked, baffled.
"The coaching job, of course! For the boys' team."
Annabeth rolled her eyes.
"I'm still thinking about it."
"What's there to think about?" Piper asked. "It's your dream come true!"
"Maybe," Annabeth said evasively.
"Oh come on," Piper slowed to a stop at the red light. "The football, the tactics, the fit guys. Everything you could want, all in one place. And you're the boss!"
"Stop it," Annabeth faked a gag. "You're so obsessed with football boys. It's making me nauseous."
"I'm not obsessed with all of them," Piper giggled. "Just Jason Grace."
"Here we go again." Annabeth sighed.
"You can't seriously tell me you haven't been checking him out." Piper said. "He's like a blonde Superman."
"As a matter of fact, I have been checking him out." Annabeth agreed. "His hold-up play is among best in the team. He also has excellent vision and awareness, and a lethal right foot."
"Ugh, you party-pooper." Piper shook her head. "You know that's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?" Annabeth asked innocently.
Piper didn't reply. Her eyes were glued to the road, her face slowly turning red.
"What's the matter?" Annabeth asked teasingly. "I thought you were all ready to list down his amazing attributes."
"Stop it," Piper muttered. "I'm gonna crash the car."
"Hmph." Annabeth smirked. "Thought so."
The request occupied her mind for the rest of the evening. Annabeth usually got started on her homework first thing after loading the dishwasher, but long after the dishes had been cleared she was still lying on her bed staring at the ceiling, the offensive and defensive combinations of the four-four-two running through her mind. She recalled the way the boys' eyes had followed each arrow and circle on the tactics board, how they had hung onto her words. She closed her eyes, remembering the thrill of directing the team from the touchline, the ecstasy at each goal scored. It's your dream come true, Piper had said.
She picked up her phone. Scrolling through her contacts, she found Percy's with ease.
What time is training tomorrow? She typed out. She hesitated for several seconds before pressing send.
He replied almost instantly, even though he hadn't been online.
9-12 noon. U coming?
This time she had no hesitation.
Yes.
I can't believe 2021 is over. Happy New Year everybody!