Yes Chef, No Chef - By Susan Willis Page 0,22
food.”
Lisa licked at a stray piece of linguini from her chin. “Me too. I think it’s amazing how you can just pull something together like this with every day ingredients. Even with a dozen recipe books I wouldn’t be able to do this…”
Katie smiled at her friend. “Hmm, I remember one night at your flat when Sarah teased you about your lack of cooking skills and had said that if feeding the three of us was left to you we'd live on pizza, bags of salad leaves and cherry yoghurts!”
Lisa loved everything Katie cooked because she couldn't cook at all. In fact, she told everyone that the only thing she'd ever used her oven for was to warm her jumpers during the winter and she wasn't exaggerating.
With a glint of mockery in her eyes Lisa said, “Well, I can’t be good at everything, now can I? I do have other skills that don’t necessarily take place in a kitchen…”
Katie giggled and was really pleased Lisa was with her because she felt so lost and lonely in this alien situation without Tim and although she was still furious with him, she missed him and the apartment terribly.
Lisa placed her spoon and fork into the empty pasta bowl and raised an eyebrow. “You, OK?”
“Yes, of course,” she said trying to smile. “It’s just all very strange without him.”
Lisa cleared the dishes and stood looking puzzled at the dishwasher controls. “Hmm, this looks tricky,” she said. “I don’t suppose we could just stack them in the sink for tonight?”
Katie laughed and joined her. “I’ll see to that. You go through and open another bottle.”
“Now that I can do. I’ve had plenty of practice with bottles,” she said smirking.
Loading the dishwasher Katie thought of Lisa and how totally opposite she was to Sarah; in fact all three of them were different in their own ways and her mum often commented about the strange trio they made. Their backgrounds and careers were totally different and Lisa was eight years older than Sarah and Katie, so how or why they clicked together she wasn't quite sure but would always be eternally grateful that they did. She’d been overwhelmed by their love and support over the last couple of days and knew she couldn’t get through this without them.
Katie wandered into the lounge just as Lisa read out a text from Sarah, “She sends her love and is hoping I’m looking after you properly.”
Katie smiled. “She’s such a mother hen. I wish she could meet her Mr Right and have some babies,” she said, “but I have a feeling that even Mark isn’t him.”
“I know, Katie, but the Prince Charming she’s waiting for probably doesn’t even exist,” she said and picked up a magazine to use like a fan wafting her face which was beginning to flush.
As she held her arm up Katie noticed a circle of sweat on Lisa’s underarm which had stained into a damp patch on her white T-shirt and felt so sorry for her.
“Shall I turn the heating down?” Katie offered.
Lisa pulled a comical face. “No thanks, I’m OK. It’s just one of these bloody hot flushes. They only last a few minutes and if you turn it down then we’ll be chilly later.”
Lisa always looked like what her mum would call a bit of a tart; she was tall and very slim with long blonde hair and carried herself with a forty year olds air of arrogance and confidence. She was a strong believer in making the most of ones assets and her strength lay in her open, gregarious personality. But Katie knew better. She knew most of Lisa’s appearance was a front which gave people the impression she was a hard nut to crack but underneath the facade and layers of make-up she was just as vulnerable as the rest of them.
The minute Katie plopped down on the settee Lisa let rip. “You know, Katie, I’ve a good mind to go round to that restaurant and give him a piece of my mind for hurting you like this,” she said angrily. “And, who the bloody hell does he think he is ignoring you!”
Katie sighed. “I know, I know,” she said feeling the sadness bubble-up into a choking mass of tears in the back of her throat.
Her two friend’s different opinions had mirrored her own thoughts and the way she’d been feeling all day. One minute she felt tearful and upset and wanted to run and throw herself blindly into his arms