Page 11 of Throw Away the Key
Sadie’s eyes had glazed over as if she was lost in her own world. Joy placed a hand on her shoulder. “I think everyone should have that solo living experience at least once. You learn so much about yourself! And it's dope that you had the ability to live with your best friend–I lived with this one way back when.” She gave Sadie a squeeze.
“Yeah, it made life easy. My family’s on the other side of the country, so Z and her granny are my family here.” Emma picked up a jar of raw honey. “Anyway, I’m sure y’all have stuff to do. I, um, better get this honey and some seasonings, because I still need to go and buy a chicken for this dinner. But it was great to meet you both and, Sadie, I'm sure I'll see you around.”
Joy and Sheena nodded and waved.
“Yep, uh huh,” Sadie winced as Joy elbowed her. “See ya.”
Emma stopped by a local market before heading home for the last of her ingredients. As she reached the building, she felt around in her pockets. “Shit, I don't have my keys.”
She knocked and tried buzzing Sadie, but nobody answered. “Crap.” She set her bags down on one of the patio tables, plopping down on a chair in a huff, almost falling out of it when she heard a noise behind her.
“You good?” Sadie asked, carrying a reusable grocery bag on her arm, her expression unreadable.
“I sorta locked myself out… I must have forgotten my keys in my apartment.”
Sadie sighed and waved for Emma to follow her inside. “Is this a normal occurrence for you?”
“I never mean to, but sometimes I’m a little scatterbrained. I’m working on it,” Emma assured her.
“I guess that’s really all anyone can ask of you.”
That may be the nicest thing she’s ever said to me…
They walked up the stairs in silence, Sadie moving keys on her ring around until she had the right one for Emma’s door. “Do you always carry all of our keys on you?”
“Honestly, I do it for reasons like this. It just makes things easier for me.”
Emma nodded.
Sadie twisted the door knob and pushed the door open before stepping aside.
“Thanks, I really appreciate it.”
Sadie threw up a peace sign and made her way down the stairs. “Later!”
Emma watched her descend before closing the door, her mind running over the events of the day and meeting Sadie’s friends. The warmth Joy and Sheena both exuded had been a vibe, and she hoped to run into them again.Now how did those two become friends with Sadie?
CHAPTER SEVEN
“I'm really impressed.” Zora held a hand over her mouth as she chewed. “You really made this yourself? This isn't one of those situations like I dealt with where this is delivered food dressed up as homemade.”
“No, I'm not Lawrence,” Emma teased. “I actually made this. I went to the farmer's market today and a woman selling produce had this recipe for veggies and potatoes and chicken all on the same tray in the oven. And she just made it sound really simple. So, this is my attempt to follow her instructions.”
A ceramic baking dish sat on the counter, half of the chicken laid flat in the center surrounded by vegetables. Emma had watched a YouTube video to learn how to properly clean and spatchcock a chicken–that was the one instruction the recipe card didn’t include, but it had been far easier than the name suggested. Once the whole chicken laid flat, she’d seasoned butter and rubbed the skin with the mixture, stuffing some underneath for added flavor.
Surprisingly, so long as she followed the directions, everything made sense. She’d always watched Zora and Granny in the kitchen, so she understood the mechanics–she’d just never had a need to try before now. Emma watched them eatmore food, her smile growing as sounds of satisfaction filled the room.
“It's not an attempt,” Granny corrected. “This is a success! It's delicious.” She and Zora sat on the stools facing the kitchen island, while Emma stood on the other side facing them.
“Really?” Emma knew Granny wasn’t one to gas her up, but it still felt damn good to see them enjoy something she made.
“Yes. You did a great job–the chicken isn't overcooked and frankly, I'm more relieved that it's cooked all the way through,” Zora admitted. “Even if you only ever have one strong dish–this is the one, sis.”
Emma high-fived her best friend across the table.
“Today was so busy at the bookstore, we didn’t really get a chance to chat. How was your morning of exploration?” Granny poked at a roasted potato.
“It was good. The farmer's market was really nice. I ran into Sadie and a couple of her friends there.”
