Conrad gets in his car and takes a deep breath knowing that he’ll be missing working in Ultimo Coffee. He starts the car and leaves the parking space. He drives past Ultimo Coffee, looks at his mirror, and sees Ultimo getting smaller as he drives further.
A few moments later, Conrad arrives at his home and turns off the car. He sees his grandma sitting by the front door with a cup of tea in her hand. Conrad walks up to her and kisses her on the cheek.
“Everything okay grandma?” Conrad asked.
“Everything’s fine.” She replied. “Just breathing in some fresh air.” She added. “By the way, if you ever need a suggestion to cook for dinner, I’d suggest you cook something that your mother loves.” She suggested to Conrad.
“Thanks for the suggestion grandma.” He thanked her as he hugs her. “Do you want to help in the kitchen?” He asked as he opens the doors.
“No thanks.” She replied. “You do your thing and make sure to make it special for her.” She added.
Conrad goes inside the house and leaves her grandma outside. He goes up to his room to rest up a bit before he starts cooking. As soon as he goes inside, he immediately changes his clothes into something comfortable and freshens up. He lays down on his bed and thinks about what to cook for dinner later.
Looking up at the ceiling, he then reminisces every good time he had with his mother. While he remembers every moment, he then sees a memory at a famous restaurant where her mother falls in love with a particular dish. The only problem was he can’t remember the name although he remembers the look and taste of the meal. He recollects that it tastes sweet and savory and kind of looks like a roast. He gets his phone at his nightstand and unlocks it. He started searching for online recipes that are sweet and savory.
After a few minutes of searching, he stumbled upon a recipe that replicates the look of the dish. Realizing that this is the dish he was looking for, he stood up from his bed, gets a pen and a piece of paper from his study table, and writes down the recipe. By the time he finished writing down the recipe, he rushes downstairs to start cooking.
He arrives at the kitchen and checks every available ingredient to ensure that he has all the ingredients to create the dish. Gathering up all the needed ingredients for the meal, Conrad sighs out of relief knowing that everything he needed is in the kitchen.
He decides to start cooking so that by the time his mother arrives, everything is already prepared. He prepares everything and starts to chop up some garlic cloves. After chopping up the garlic cloves, he then takes a big glass bowl and puts in some vinegar, sugar, the chopped up garlic cloves, dried herbs, and onion powder. He mixes up the contents in the bowl until they are fully mixed. Once it was fully mixed, he slices up his chicken breast into halves to make the chicken more tender and flavorful. He puts the sliced up chicken in the marinade, covers it with plastic wrap, and lets the chicken rest in the refrigerator for a good forty-five minutes.
While the chicken is resting, he chops up some string beans, drizzles them up with some olive oil, and sprinkles it with some salt and pepper to taste. He steams them up in the steamer.
As he waits for the chicken to finish resting and for the beans to finish steaming, he cleans up the kitchen to reduce the mess he made. He washes the small bowls, measuring cups and spoons, and the knives he used.
A few minutes later after he finishes cleaning a bit, his phone rings indicating the forty-five-minute wait. He takes out the chicken from the fridge and puts it near the stove. He turns on the stove and preheats his skillet along with some oil over medium heat. He removes the chicken from the marinade and starts cooking them one by one.
While one of the chickens is coking, he turns off the steamer and checks on the string beans he steamed. Knowing that his strings beans are perfectly steamed, he leaves it there until he’s done cooking the chicken.
He finishes cooking up the chicken and sets it aside. He lowers the heat of the stove and puts the marinade in the same skillet to heat it. Once he’s done heating the marinade, he puts back the chicken and covers the chicken with the marinade one by one.
Minutes later, he hears his mother arrive as she was calling out his name.
“I’m in the kitchen mom!” He screamed to his mother.
“That smells great.” She said while heading to the kitchen.
“That’s good to hear.” Conrad said gratefully. “Can you call grandma?” He asked. “I’m almost done here.” He added.
“Sure, but can we talk first?” She asked unsurely as she enters the kitchen.
“Is there something wrong mom?” He asked as he turns off the stove. He turns to his mother and was surprised that a man around her age was standing beside her. “Uhm… I see we have a guest.” He said in shock.
“Conrad, I would like you to meet Mike, my boyfriend.” She said.
“Boyfriend…” He said as he looks at her mom with wide eyes. “Nice to meet you, Mike.” He said as they shake their hands.
“Nice to meet you too, Conrad.” Mike said. “Elizabeth here has told me all about you.” He added.
“Really… I’m flattered…” Conrad replied with an unsettling voice and a grin. “Mom, can we talk, privately in the kitchen?” He asked his mother.
“Sure, and I don’t know where this is going...” She answered unsurely. “Mike honey, can you wait in the living room.” She said to Mike sweetly.
“Okay.” He responded as he heads towards the living room.
Conrad pulls his mother near the door in the kitchen so that no one could hear them.
“Mom, are you sure about this?” Conrad asked worriedly.
“Sure about what?” She said confusingly.
“You, in a relationship.” He answered. “I know a year has passed since the incident, but I’m worried that you might get hurt again.” He added as he holds his mothers’ hands.
“Oh, Conrad…” She said in a heart-melting voice as she holds Conrad’s left cheek. “Well, I wasn’t sure at first also, until I met Mike about six months ago.” She added. “He’s the most charming person for me.” She said with a grin. “He’s funny, caring, and I know that he loves me so much that he will never leave my side.” She added.
“Well, I support you in your choice.” Conrad said with a smile. “But, I want to see it with my eyes that he is what you said he is.” He added. “Is it okay for you, mom?” He asked.
“Sure thing.” She answered.
“Just curious, since you met six months ago, when did you guys become official?” Conrad asked in confusion.
“Four to five months ago...” She answered in embarrassment.
“You guys have been together for five months, and yet you decided to tell me now right before I leave?!” Conrad exclaimed.
“Wait, you’re leaving already?” She asked surprisingly.
“Yeah, I’m leaving tomorrow morning.” He said sadly. “I’m sorry for telling you this now.” He added.
“I knew there was something about you cooking dinner tonight.” She said. “Every time if there’s good news or something to celebrate, you would always cook something for us.” She added. “Now I know why you wanted to cook dinner.” She said sadly as tears start to stream down his face. "Why haven’t you tell me this earlier or yesterday?” She asked as she was about to cry.
“Aunt Christy found me an apartment to stay in New York.” He answered. “She also paid for it and the catch is I have to be there by tomorrow or else they would give away my spot even if it was paid already.” He added. “I also didn’t want you to think about it while you’re working.”
“I’m sorry too.” She said as she hugs Conrad. “If only I made time for you earlier, you could have told me.” She said regretfully.
“What do you mean?” Conrad asked in confusion.
“Well, it’s not my boss who called me but it was Mike.” She said. “He actually has a surprise for me earlier and that’s why I was in a rush earlier.” She added.
Conrad's grandmother suddenly goes inside the kitchen with a surprised look on her face.
"Why is there a brown-haired nerd in the living room?" Conrad's grandmother asked surprisingly.
"Mother!" Elizabeth exclaimed to his grandmother. "He's not a nerd, he's my boyfriend." She said. "Yes, he wears glasses, but that doesn't mean that he's a nerd already." She added.
"That's kind of mean grandma, just saying." Conrad said to his grandmother.
"Well you know me, I prefer men that don't wear glasses." Conrad's grandmother said.
"How about you guys wait for me at the dining table while I plate our dinner." Conrad suggested. "Mike must be lonely waiting by himself." He added.
“That’s a great idea.” Elizabeth agreed. “Don’t want our food to get cold.” She added as she pushes her mother to the dining table. “Mike, come over here and grab a seat.” She called.
Conrad starts to plate their dinner as they left the kitchen. A few minutes later, he finishes plating their dinner and it looks perfect to him. The only thing left that he’s concerned, is the taste since this was the first time he made this dish.
He goes out of the kitchen along with the food and serves it to everyone. As he was about to take a seat, he notices that his mother was seating beside his grandmother. Since Mike was seating alone on one side, he decides to seat beside him. He tells everyone to eat up and they could ask for seconds if they wanted to. Everyone took a bite except Conrad since he wants to see everyone's reactions in taking their first bite. Everyone froze as they took their first bite.
“Is it good?” Conrad asked nervously.
“It’s not good.” Conrad’s grandmother said. “It’s great!” She added.
“Conrad, is this what I think it is?” Elizabeth asked in a surprised voice.
“Yeah, your favorite dish.” Conrad replied. “It’s the Sweet and Savory Balsamic Chicken.” He added.
“This tastes even better than the restaurant.” Elizabeth said. “Mike, do you have something to say to Conrad?” She asked as she sees Mike being amazed by Conrad’s cooking.
“This is beyond great.” Mike said. “Is this the taste of perfection?” He asked himself in an overwhelmed voice.
Hearing everyone's compliment and seeing them smile made Conrad’s heart melt and he smiles widely. He also starts to eat and realizes that this beyond than everyone’s compliments. In fact, it's perfection. The flavor is balanced, the chicken is rich in flavor and everything else about the dish is just executed properly. This made Conrad realize that his cooking is a talent and his passion. And he can't wait to start his culinary adventures.
After dinner, Conrad excuses himself to go to his bedroom since he will start packing for tomorrow. As Conrad went ahead, Elizabeth suggested that they should stay in the living room. They all agreed and went to the living room.Mike and Elizabeth sat down together on the couch while Elizabeth’s mother sat on her armchair.“Mother, would you like to introduce yourself to Mike, so that you two would get to know each other better?” Elizabeth suggested to her mother.“Where are my manners?” Elizabeth's mother said in realization. “I’m Betty Walter by the way.” She said to Mike. “I’m Elizabeth’s mother and Conrad’s grandmother.” She added.“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Walter.” Mike said.“You can call me Betty.” Betty suggested to Mike.“Sure thing, Betty.” Mike replied.“Let me ask you, why are you dating my
The next morning, Conrad woke up by the sound of his alarm. He turns off his alarm on his phone, stands up, and sighs as he sees his empty room. Sadness starts to fill him knowing that he’s not ready to leave yet. As he was about to change into his clothes for today, there was a sudden knock on the door.“Who is it?” Conrad shouted.“It’s your future stepdad,” Mike answered. “Is it okay for me to come inside?” He asked.“Yeah, you can,” Conrad replied.“Your mom wanted me to tell you that breakfast is ready,” Mike said as opens the door.“I’ll go down as soon as I finished taking a shower,” Conrad replied while he’s preparing his clothes.“Hey, why is this photo faced down?” He asked as he noticed the photo on top of the shelf.“I think it’s best if we leave that there,” Conrad said.“How is that?&
While Mike was helping Conrad put his stuff in Conrad’s car, he suddenly asks him a question.“So, this is it.” Mike said. “Are you excited to live a new life in New York?” He asked.“To be honest Mike, I don’t know.” Conrad answered. “It’s like, all my feelings are all mixed up.” He added“Whatever it is you’re feeling, always remember that we’re here for you.” Mike said.“Take care of mom for me.” Conrad said as he puts his right hand on Mike’s left shoulder.“I will don’t worry.” Mike answered with a smile knowing that he has Conrad’s trust.A few minutes later, they finished putting Conrad’s stuff in his car. Conrad goes back inside to tell his goodbyes. He opens the door for one last time and sighs as he enters the house. As he went inside, he sees his mother and his grandmother waiting by the door. H
After hours of driving, Conrad finally arrives in New York. “Welcome to New York” by Taylor Swift, starts to play as he drives through Brooklyn Bridge. He drives past Times Square and was overwhelmed after seeing the place full of people. He also expected that it would be full of billboards but he still got amazed by it. A few minutes, he arrives at the address where his apartment would be. Conrad was puzzled at first since he expected something big but what he arrived at was bigger than he expected. He goes inside, bringing some of his stuff in, and sees if he can find the landlord of the apartment. Luckily, the landlord was there by the entrance. He put down the box he was bringing and introduced himself. “I’m Conrad Walter, the tenant of apartment number 217.” Conrad introduced. “Nice to meet you, sir…?” He said unsurely. “Call me Sir Hampton.” Sir Hampton said. “So, you’re the other tenant who rented apartment 217.” He added. “Other tenant?” Conra
Conrad opens the door and they both went inside along with the stuff. As they went inside, they were surprised to see a young man, about his age, in his boxers and a white shirt. All of them stood silently as the situation became awkward for them. Sir Hampton approaches the man, pats him on the back whispering to him to wear his pants. The man rushes into a room, leaving the bowl of popcorn on the kitchen counter.“Sorry about that.” Sir Hampton apologized.“It’s fine,” Conrad replied. “I also get too comfortable sometimes…” He said with a giggle.Sir Hampton Conrad him a quick tour of the apartment and explains how everything works there. Conrad was pleased to see that it’s the same as the pictures her aunt sent to him. As Conrad was about to go into his bedroom, the man went out of the room, wearing light gray joggers, and introduces himself.“Hi, Alfred Santiago by the way.” He introduc
The next morning, Conrad opens the fridge to see if he can cook something up. It turns out, the fridge was empty since he forgot to go to the store yesterday before arriving at the apartment.He calls Alfred to ask if he knows any whole foods store nearby, but he didn’t answer. Conrad calls him again and still no answer. He goes to Alfred’s room to see if he’s there. He knocks upon entering and Alfred wasn’t there.He opens his phone to check any nearby whole foods store nearby. Luckily, he founds one at Houston Street, which is walking distance from his apartment. He goes back to his room to get his wallet and his keys to the apartment on top of his nightstand. While he was putting on his white sneakers, his mother suddenly calls him. He thinks if he’s going to answer the phone or not since he’s afraid that it might be about him calling his father. He decides to ignore it and probably text her later once he comes back.Going
A week has passed since Conrad stayed in New York. He hasn’t accepted any of his mother’s calls or even Mike’s calls since the last time Mike called. He’s still avoiding having a conversation about him talking to his father.Conrad was staying in his room, lying on his bed, thinking about if he wants to talk to them or not. Alfred knocks on the door and Conrad that he’s going out to enroll at his school. Conrad suddenly realizes that he didn’t get to enroll at his school as well. He asks Alfred if they can go out together since he also needs to enroll.He puts on his shoes, wears a black and white plaid shirt over his white shirt, and gets his things on top of the nightstand. He goes out of his room and sees Alfred waiting by the door. They went outside together and starts to have a conversation as they were walking down the hall.“What school are you enrolling in, by the way?” Alfred asked. “I think we never
After Conrad and Alfred had enrolled in the Institute of Culinary Education, they stopped at Taco Bell before going back to their apartment. They decided to eat inside since the drive-thru has a long line. Conrad parked the car, just across the entrance.As they went inside, Conrad told Alfred that he’ll just use the restroom. He walks there and felt something strange as if someone was watching him from behind. He checks his surroundings to see if someone was watching him, but there was no one watching. He suddenly thinks of why would someone watch him. He sees the restroom and goes in there.After a while, Conrad was washing his hands and a man suddenly comes in. He suddenly realizes that the man who just came in was the same man he bumped into before. He was wearing the same clothing as before. He rushes in washing his hands and leaves the restroom immediately.As he goes back, he sees Alfred still hasn’t ordered. He approaches him and as Alfred se