LoveBites || #NONC2022

2.1 Ghosts

"You are going to be okay through? When I'm gone this weekend?"

I knew she was referring to my wellbeing, but a part of me wondered if she was worried about leaving her business in my hands for the weekend. Anna's catering company—Beauty and the Beet—had started as a side project while she was in law school and transformed into a niche service for some of the valley's pickier eaters. Gluten-free, keto-friendly, vegan, kosher, paleo-inspired...Anna could do it all. No matter the occasion or the dietary restriction or discerning palate, she created a mouthwatering menu with instagram-worthy plates. 

It wasn't surprising that her side project had become full project, even despite the naysayers and whispers that she was making a mistake. I refuse to feel guilty for choosing to by happy, she had said when moving in with me. Her parents had not been thrilled to hear she was dropping out of law school to pursue her passion and, in a desperate attempt to change her mind, stopped paying for her bougie Westwood apartment. On my medical student loan and her new company barely scraping by, we'd shared my tiny place and tested all of her menus.

Fortunately, her family was mollified by her success—and her cooking. They'd been more than happy to brag about her company, proclaim their unwavering support, after her first magazine feature. I'd been annoyed on her behalf: they should have been behind her from the start. Anna hadn't been bothered. Chinese-and-Italian parents, she explained with a shrug and a smile. They just want me to be well-fed while running the world.

It was their wedding anniversary that called her away. Though her mother had scoffed at the fuss of a ruby anniversary and her father had listed a hundred reasons why flying home was too dangerous, Anna refused to let them not celebrate 40 years together. And I refused to let miss the party she'd spent weeks planning to babysit me.

"I'll be fine," I said, gesturing to the tiny pies I'd assembled. They weren't quite as intricate as Anna's meticulous crimping, but they still sparked a faint note of pride in my chest. I wasn't completely useless. "I'll pick up the oysters from the fish market first thing, drop off the pies, and then pick up the other perishables for that galley dinner tasting menu. And I'll even take pictures of the venue for you."

Anna mock groaned. "I shouldn't have taken this contract. It's got to be the most finicky menu I've seen. Non-negotiable chicken liver and oysters and apricots...I still don't know how I'm going to throw it all together."

"Are you kidding? You make everything taste amazing. Remember that fermented fish you experimented with for weeks? It was totally edible by the time you were done."

She laughed. "Oh God. You never got your deposit back, did you? I bet that apartment still smells like a shipyard."

It was in the sound of our laughter, the warm memories, that I decided I would be okay while she was away. When Anna left later that night, I waved her off with a smile. My life was turning into a safe adventure of food and friendship. What could go wrong?

Everything, as it turned out.

The beautiful little pies I dropped off at the baby shower were meant with a shriek of outrage. Despite the shower's Snow White theme, the mother-to-be was furious with the use of apples in the ordered apple pies.

"EVERYONE does apples for Snow White!" she wailed.

I managed to bite my tongue to keep from explaining why apples and Snow White were connected and instead reminded her that she had approved the gluten-free, vegan apple pies when she and Anna had discussed the contract three weeks ago. It didn't go over well.

"Where is Anna? I cannot believe this. I'm calling her right now."

"She's visiting family," I said, mind fumbling for a save. I didn't think explaining the choice of Envy apples would soothe someone who imagined a different fruit for a Snow White themed party. Before I could say that it'd be rude to interrupt Anna's vacation, the client was on the phone demanding refunds and new desserts for the party set to start in four hours.