Mom's Stew

I ran all the way home tears streaming down my face.

Haru, why?

He's always treated me like that since he became a second stage citizen.

This isn't fair! I can't wait until I'm sixteen and don't have any time left to see him at the laundromat! If Hama was there she would've backed me up...

Where was Hama? She never gives her shifts to him, especially on weekends.

As I pondered this I opened my front door and saw the whole front room was still dark and quiet. "I guess papa is working late again." I popped myself onto the floor and just lay there for what felt like hours.

After awhile of clearing my head. I decided to walk around for a bit and clean up. I picked up the blanket that covered the broadcasting television and saw the stupid first stage programs on.

Let's just put this back then...

I moved on into my room and cleaned up all of my clothes from changing this morning, then swept for dust. There wasn't much so I just dumped it out of my window that only came four feet from the floor.

Then I moved onto my dad's room. Usually, I'm not allowed in there alone, but to clean it I think I should be fine.

I started to clean up all of his clothes from this morning, then moved into his closet to put them away. I grabbed the hangers I would need, then proceeded to hang them up, but I accidentally hung one over the rack. When I tried to pull it back down it latched onto a suitcase on the top shelf of the rack and fell to the floor just missing my foot. I jumped back at the sound and breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank god it didn't hit me...

At that point in the afternoon, I didn't feel like going back out to get ice for a swollen foot.

I bent down to pick up the suitcase only to see that it bent the floor board making the wood split up. "Dammit! Dad's gonna kill me!" I quickly put the suitcase back and went into my room to see if there were some spare boards by my windowsill.

Of course, there aren't any Azami...you used them all for the front porch last summer!

Great, just peachy.

I went back to my dad's room to at least pull up the splintered boards so no one stepped on them and cut open their foot. Upon pulling it up, I saw a brown box underneath the floor with a gold boarder around it.

"What the—?" I took the box out of the little hole in the floor. I turned it around to find a little lock attached to it. Out of curiosity, I looked back into the hole to see if the key was around, it wasn't.

Who would leave a key right next to a locked box?

I don't know! I was just checking...

Kind of defeats the purpose of the lock then.

Shut it inner voice!

After I was done arguing with myself like a crazy person, I cleaned up the rest of the broken pieces of wood and covered the hole with a pillow.

I stared at the box for awhile before deciding to take it into my room for safe keeping and just ask about it later. "Probably just a family heirloom he didn't want to be taken away."

After putting the box in a safe place, I went back through the house to continue cleaning until I heard the front door swing open. "Azami? Are you home?" I sprinted down the hallway straight into my papa's arm for the biggest hug I could ever ask for, "how was the laundromat today, did you see Hama?" I stopped for a moment.

He looked at me with curiosity so I told him the truth, "only Haru was there today. He said something about them taking Hama for the day, whatever that means." My dad froze for a moment, but when I touched his face he shook off his concern and smiled.

"I'm sure she'll be there tomorrow. Come on," he leaned down and picked up the basket he had with him. "I brought home some of your favorites for supper!" He walked down the hall but stopped short at his room, "Azami?" I stood in anticipation to see if he saw the broken board, "why are you wearing second stage clothes?" I breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank you all who is great, for him not noticing the board!

You just want your peaches...

Damn straight I want those peaches!

I walked up to Papa and with him to the kitchen. I began to vaguely explain what happened, "well ya see...there was this man that reported me for walking alone in the streets, so Haru gave me this dress so I could walk home without being punished." By the time I was done explaining what happened we were already in the small kitchen that we shared with our neighbors.

My dad smiled softly at me and whispered, "let's try to be quiet, I don't know if they're home or not." I shook my head in agreement knowing that they usually take naps around the time Papa and I make dinner.

I looked around for our rations, but couldn't find them. "Papa, did you pick up the rations when you came in?" He smiled at me and rummaged to the bottom of his basket and pulled out a small package and a larger one.

I grabbed them both and ripped them open to see if one of us had gotten meat today. "Azami, relax honey. I know you want to make your mother's old stew recipe but you have to be careful! What if they gave us eggs?" He laughed at me and lightly pulled his pack away from me and tore it open completely, "good news," he winked and tossed me the package.

I opened it wide enough to see mushrooms, beef, peppers, and bread. I couldn't wait much longer so I tore mine all the way to see carrots, lettuce, onions, and bread! "This is exactly enough ingredients to make something close to mom's stew! I got this papa, just go sit and watch the broadcasts! Tell me if there are any important messages I need to hear...I'll be in here."

Papa smiled at me, ruffled my hair then silently walked out of the room. I could hear him sit on the mat and turn up the broadcaster, a bubbly lady began to talk about the uprisings on the border of the country an how our dictator has shut them down by threatening to bomb the south end of the country with poison gas. Like always though, the fighting ceases and the accused are put to death. I again hear the actual program for first stage kids turn back on.

The programs I'm supposed to be watching are never turned off unless a special report needs to be shown to the whole country. The usual programs are about teaching what to and not to do in society as a first stage citizen. It's the same thing every week repeated, so I cover the broadcasts when they get annoying.

I grabbed a pot from under the sink and filled it halfway with water, then grabbed some milk from the fridge and poured it in. I began adding each piece of the recipe in one at a time, lost in the moment I didn't realize the broadcaster was turned down to a lower volume, "finally done! Now to just let it sit for a few minutes, then we can reminisce."

I set the pot aside and turned off the gas. I was about to cut up the bread in a fancy manner until papa called out to me, "Azami! What is this?!"

Well shit