Patterns - An Academy Story

Sushi Night Part 3 - Meticulous Owen and Incorrigible Sean

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My fifteen minutes in class with North flew by, and before I knew it, he turned to me and flashed me a smile. "I wish I could stay for longer, Sang baby, but it looks like my time is up." I watched as he headed to another station where Victor was busy slicing ingredients. Be still my heart, it was a total bad boy smile, with a twinkle in his eye. The Blackbourne family was seriously doing a number on my composure.

"Sang," a smooth, deep voice sounded from behind me, sending shivers down my back. I turned around, coming face to face with the man himself. Owen Blackbourne: cool, collected, and oh so very attractive. James Bond had nothing on him. His hint of a smile and intense silvery gray gaze immediately drew my attention, and held it. It felt like he could peer right in to me, see all of my secrets. The phrase 'still waters run deep' came to my mind as we stood there, all but staring at each other. He nodded his head towards the work station, breaking the moment.

I pulled myself together, and smiled back at him. "Owen," I acknowledged, tilting my head in return, before I turned to face back towards the work surface. I pulled myself together and tried to concentrate on what Ishida-san was saying about the next two rolls we would make, but it was difficult. Owen had the ability to affect me from across the room; standing next to him was a whole new level of distraction.

I reached for another half sheet of nori and began spreading the rice evenly, as I had before, very keenly aware of Owen standing next to me. He'd removed his suit jacket to put an apron on at the beginning of the class, and with his rolled-up shirtsleeves he appeared more much more relaxed than when he and Sean picked me up at my office. I glanced over and noted how skillfully and precisely he was slicing the salmon. "Have you made sushi before?" I asked.

He paused in his slicing before turning to look over at me. "I have, but not this particular type. Why do you ask?" he answered, as he continued to slice the fish. I watched has he slid the knife through the fish, as smoothly as if he was slicing through butter.

"You seem particularly adept at slicing the fish. Watching you is actually quite mesmerizing. Your knife cuts are so precise and meticulous."

He chuckled at my remark. "Meticulous. I must confess that the others might have a less polite name for it, but I like your term much better. I'm known for being a bit of a perfectionist, you see. "

"There's nothing terrible about being a perfectionist," I responded. "If you are going to spend the time learning how to do something, you may as well do it as best as you can."

"My thoughts exactly," he said, as he went back to slicing the fish. "I feel a certain gratification in doing something as well as I can. The symmetry of the slices of salmon, for example, is pleasing to the eye. You know the saying that you eat with your eyes first?" he asked. I nodded. "By making the salmon look pleasing, the overall dish is more visually appealing. Sean could explain in more depth, if you're interested, but in Japanese culture, food is meant to be enjoyed with all five senses. They believe that the appearance and arrangement of food adds to the enjoyment of the meal."

He wiped the knife clean and set it down. Together we placed the slices of cucumber on the rice, and then gently layered the salmon on top. I carefully folded over the top of the roll, pulling in slightly. I adjusted the bamboo mat and then repeated the movement, taking care not to squeeze too hard. When I was finished, I pulled away the mat and looked at the roll. "That doesn't actually look too bad, considering I've never made sushi rolls before." I carefully took the knife, wet the blade as Mrs. Ishida showed us earlier, and sliced down the center of the roll. I picked up one half and placed it back to back with the first piece, and made three more cuts, evenly slicing the roll in to eight even pieces.