Anima was grateful that they were looking out for his wife, but he didn’t want to witness a fight over which one of them got to feed her.
“Calm down, please. She can have anything in moderation. I’m sure that both the ham and apples will be great for her.”
“See, you’re speaking the truth. Her little stomach can only hold so much. Best fill it with somethin’ healthy every chance you get.”
“‘Something healthy’, huh?”
Her statement made sense. Of course, Luina was making sure to eat a balanced diet of vegetables and meat, and thanks to that, she and everyone else in the family was in good health. However, there was a chance her dietary needs had changed since becoming pregnant. If that was the case, then Anima would need to make sure she had the best food not only for herself, but for the baby growing inside her as well.
“Hello, dearie,” a hoarse voice from behind them said, interrupting Anima’s thoughts. It belonged to an older lady, who was pointing at one of the rope sausages. “Would you please get me one of those?”
That older lady was Luina’s doctor. The fruit stall had started to get busy just as she’d arrived at the butcher’s, drawing its owner back to it. Thanks to that, the shop owners’ little quarrel naturally fizzled out, making it easier for the butcher to help his newly arrived customer.
“Shopping alone, are we?” she asked Anima while waiting for her sausage.
“Yes. I’m helping Luina.”
“How chivalrous of you. Luina sure snagged herself a good man.”
Though he was enjoying her praise, Anima wanted to move the conversation forward and ask about Luina’s diet.
“Can I ask you something?”
“If you can walk and talk. I need to get home and sort out some things.”
“Of course.” They started walking toward the doctor’s house, which was on the opposite side of town from his own. It would take Anima a while to get back if they spent a while talking, but fortunately, his question was rather simple. “Do you have any recommendations for a pregnant woman’s diet?”
“Don’t you worry about that, dearie. I know Luina’s cooking firsthand, so trust me when I tell you she’ll be fine. You’ve got yourself a great woman, you lucky dog.”
Luina had treated her to a meal when she came to check on her the other day.
“So all she has to do is continue what she’s been doing and everything will be fine?”
“That’s all. Trust me, dearie; I’ve been doing this for decades. If I say she’s going to be okay, then there’s nothing to worry about. You just need to wait for the little scamp’s arrival.”
The doctor had successfully dispelled all of Anima’s worries. So long as Luina continued to cook much the same as she always had, everything would be all right.
“It’s always a good idea to pay attention to what you eat,” she continued while he internalized what she’d told him, “but the most important thing right now is to lessen her load. Don’t you dare make her run laps around the house. Understood?”
“I understand it very well. I do what I can already, but you see, there have been a couple of times where she’s gotten bored of sitting around all day. I couldn’t stop her from doing some of the chores.”
“That’s perfectly fine. She should be doing light exercises; it never hurts to move around a bit. But be warned that after she gives birth, she won’t have the strength to do anything for a little while. You must completely take her place so that she can rest for as long as she needs to. Speaking of which, can you cook?”
“Not really.”
“Better learn it while you can, young man. You’ll need to eat while she’s bedridden.”
He’d been meaning to learn to cook for the longest time, and Luina’s pregnancy seemed to be his golden opportunity.
“Is there a place where I can learn how to cook?”
“Yes. At home. Luina will teach you all you need to know.”
“Our kitchen is cold, and I don’t want to give her more work.”
“Hmm, that is a good point...” She went silent for a second to think. “Perhaps I can help. Come visit me tomorrow around midday.”
“Thank you very much!”
Right after expressing his gratitude to the doctor, Anima began his walk back to the house while the sun slowly made its way below the horizon. Though the road was dark, his mood was incredibly bright. He tried and tried to make the trip at a normal walking pace—he feared that the ham and apples would fall out of the basket if he started running—but his giddiness simply wouldn’t let him. His steps continued to get faster as his movements transposed into a jog, and then finally into a full sprint.
His mind had been clouded with worries about Luina’s health for the past couple of weeks, but those days were behind him. Not only that, but he had also found the perfect reason to learn how to cook—the final obstacle that stood between him and complete mastery of the household chores. Once he’d learned that skill, he would be able to lift every burden off Luina’s shoulders. He could even surprise her with something delicious, which was sure to put a beautiful smile on her face. Imagining that moment over and over again, he practically skipped home.
“I’m home.”
He carefully opened the door and quietly announced himself. He didn’t want to wake anyone who had already gone to sleep. His worries were for naught, however, as the girls were very much awake and came rushing out to welcome him. They had been waiting for his return.
“Daddy back!”
“I’m back indeed. Sorry I took so long.”
“Welcome home.” Luina stood up and took the basket from his hands. “Thank you for going out so late.”
“You sure got a lot,” Myuke said as she marveled at the contents of the basket. Her amazement piqued Bram’s curiosity, prompting her to peek into it as well. She then looked up at Anima with pure wonder in her eyes.
“Wooow! You got so much meat! It looks super yummy, m’kay?”
“Abbles too!”
The girls listed their favorite items.
“How come you came home with so much? You even got us another ham...”
Luina was understandably taken aback by Anima’s shopping spree—the kitchen was already full of ham and apples.
“I got them as gifts from the butcher and the fruit stall lady. They sent you their regards.”
“I see.” Luina smiled understandingly. “We’ll have to go and thank them later.”
“Me too! I go say thanks!”
“I’m sure they’d love to see you. They might even offer to pick you up!”
“Yaaay! I love up!”
Marie would have rushed out and thanked them right then and there if she could have.
“All right, I’ll go get started on the cooking,” Luina said as she picked up the basket of food.
“Let me help!” Myuke offered.
“Thank you! Can you help me cut the cabbage?”
“You bet!” she answered with a strong nod. “I’m great with knives!”
Just a couple months earlier, she would get nervous whenever she had to cut something like vegetables or fruit. After helping Luina cook every day, though, both her skill and confidence levels had been bolstered at an incredible rate. Because she was so interested in it, Anima was thinking of inviting her to learn with him. It would be a lot of fun for the both of them, as well as a good bonding experience.
“I wanna help too, m’kay?”
“I help too!”
“Then would you please clean off the table, Bram? Marie, can you help her?”
The table was full of crayons and paper. They had apparently fallen asleep while they’d been drawing, as while Anima’s head had been put on paper, his body had not.
I can’t wait to see how wonderful these look when they’re finished.
While he fantasized about petting the girls’ heads after seeing their superb art, Bram began putting the crayons away. His praise would need to wait one more day.
“Keep it up, girls!” he commended, then joined Myuke and Luina in the kitchen, which was in the exact same state as when he’d left. They seemed to have been waiting for him to return from the dining room.
“So, what’re we having tonight?” Myuke asked.
“Cabbage and sausage soup.”
“That means we gotta chop up some cabbage, right?”
“Yes we do. Just be careful not to cut yourself.”
“C’mon, you know I won’t. Watch!”
She quickly started preparing the cabbages. Keeping the knife far away from her fingers, she used the large knife to chop away at a brisk pace. While she was doing that, Luina lit the stove with her magic stone, and Anima worked on putting away the items he’d brought home from Garaat.
“Could you get some more firewood?” Luina asked just as Anima finished putting the apples into the fruit basket. The stove didn’t have quite enough.
Per her request, he went outside, picked up several pieces of firewood, and carried them back to the kitchen. The pieces that didn’t get used for the stove he put in the corner of the room.
“Let me do the sausages,” he offered.
“Oh, would you? Two for everyone, please.”
He took one of the rope sausages hanging from a rod above their heads and started chopping it up. Luina and Myuke were working quietly next to him, so he decided to strike up a conversation.
“By the way, I met your doctor while I was out. She offered to teach me how to cook.”
“She did?” Luina’s hands stopped. She slowly turned toward Anima. “At her place?”
“I assume so.” While cutting up the sausage, he explained what had happened. He told her about how they’d discussed her diet, that it was important to lessen the burden on her, and that childbirth would completely drain her for a time. “I don’t want a situation where you’re cursed to eat nothing but vegetable soup every day after you give birth. I want to learn how to cook so that I can be there when you need me the most.”
“You’re doing it all for me... Thank you so much,” she said with a warm smile.
“Don’t even mention it. I’d do anything for you.”
“I wanna learn how to cook too!” Myuke protested. She’d fallen more and more in love with cooking each day, so it was no wonder she wanted to learn and improve.
“Would you like to come and learn with me?”
“Yeah! I wanna get really good at it and cook something delicious for Mommy!”
“I can’t wait to taste your creations.”
Luina’s excitement fueled Anima’s and Myuke’s eagerness to learn even further.