After you showered and dressed, you got out of your room. Weekends could be a bit of a toss-up, because it was possible that your parents were at home, but more often than not they usually weren't, at least for a good portion of the day, though your mom did make an effort on trying to be there for you, and so, on the weekends you weren't left home alone you usually spent them with her.
Much to your surprise, however, you found your whole family there, it was a bit of a rare sight these days, Ariadne and your mom were watching TV and talking while your dad was in the kitchen, presumably to make some breakfast for a change, since most of the time either everyone cooked for themselves or your mom did it. This situation felt like it should be perfectly normal, but it'd become strange enough for you that you felt like you didn't know exactly what to do, feeling almost like a stranger in your own home. Still, for some reason you decided it'd probably be best to go to the kitchen and see what your dad was up to.
"Morning" You said as you walked into the kitchen, and couldn't help but chuckle when you saw that he shuddered for a split second.
"Morning!" Your dad replied though he did so with a mildly annoying sigh "Blaise, could you try making some noise when you walk in?"
"Huh?!" You knew what he was talking about, but it was funny and a bit baffling at the same time.
"Your footsteps are too quiet, I swear it feels like a ghost just popped into existence when you come in" He said while chuckling.
"Your mother's right, you kinda walk like a cat, huh..."
"I just walk normally though?"
"I dunno... I think you could consider pursuing a career as a ninja, or, failing that, a spy. That'd be a neat skill to have" He said, turning to face you,smiling as this silly occurrence was all too common.
"Despite my dashing looks I'm not so young anymore, you know? One of these days you're gonna give me a heart attack" He said, poking you in the chest with his cooking spatula.
"I'd say Sheila's more likely to give us both a heart attack, but hey, at least we'll be hospitalized together" You cheekily replied, which got him, he burst out laughing for a couple of seconds.
"Well, damn, touché on that..." He said "Yeah, she's something else... Back when I was your age you could almost say she was just like Lillian"
"I can only imagine, but for my mind's sake I'd rather not" You shrugged.
"Wise choice" He said.
"Anyway, what are you doing?" You then asked.
"Gee, I don't know... maybe fixing the sink? Or maybe I'll be doing some plumbing..." He replied with obvious sarcasm as he had a spatula in hand and was wearing an apron. You narrowed your eyes and gave him your signature deadpan look.
"I mean, I know you're making food, but I was asking about the details, duh" You half-smiled.
"Fair enough" He replied "Actually, you're in luck, I got the ingredients to make pizza! And I could use the help of the 2nd best cook in the house"
"Sooo.... yourself?" You snickered. Your dad gave you a baffled look as the info you gave him just now seemingly didn't compute in his brain.
"Haha! One day you shall surpass me, but that day hasn't come yet!" He then said, laughing a bit exaggeratedly for dramatic effect.
"I didn't say I was the best myself" You giggled, realizing he had just gotten himself into a trap.
"Huh? Then wait a minute..." He rubbed his chin while thinking.
"I wouldn't try to take the title from mom if I were you, I definitely don't want to get the chancla or worse, the frying pan" You said with a cheeky laugh.
"Now that is a disputed claim" He said "Good job on covering your back though" He then added
"Guess that's why you're still her baby" He teased you back.
"H-Hey!" You blushed "I'm not a baby anymore" You muttered, but he still heard it.
"Say that again within earshot and your mom won't let go of you until you admit you are" He said.
"If that happens I won't be able to help you" You countered.
"Touché" He laughed "Alright, then let's make pizza! We've got enough to make one for each of us!"
You and your dad then began working on the pizzas from scratch, funnily enough, he first attempted to make pizza years ago, using the baking knowledge he got from his own dad, though those early pizzas weren't exactly the best, though looking back, they were very similar to the authentic Italian ones, but it wasn't what your mom, you or Ariadne wanted. In a fun, yet slightly strange turn of events, it was you who reverse-engineered your dad's recipe plus observation of your own to actually fix the recipes and make pizzas that were to your family's liking.
Despite that, now that he had the proper recipe for the dough, your dad's superior cooking skills trumped yours, it was hard to compete against many years of practice, though both of your parents praised your natural talent, and they even claimed that it definitely ran in your blood, as your grandfathers on both sides had been bakers, well, one did it as a hobby while the other did it as an actual job, but both were masters of their craft regardless.
When you and your dad got the chance to make pizzas together, it always turned into a playful competition, and bias aside, you preferred your personal style and seasoning, while he obviously preferred his own. Tie-breaking was borderline impossible because your mom favored your style while Ariadne preferred your dad's, but in the end everyone got a tasty pizza that they enjoyed to the fullest, so it was alright.
Roughly two hours later, the pizzas were finally out of the oven and the two of you went and served them at the table. You yourself were content with a seemingly simplistic mozzarella and pepperoni pizza, though it was pretty generous with the cheese and its borders were stuffed with it too. Your dad used less mozzarella and mixed in a couple other cheeses he liked, his didn't have stuffed borders and it had ingredients like champignons and bell peppers plus bits of ham and salami. The second pizza you made was for your mom, and was basically the same as yours, but with added salami and habanero chilli pepers as you knew she loved the spice. The second pizza your dad made was for Ariadne, and it sported a lot more meat toppings on it since it was what she liked the best.
Almost like in cartoons, your mom and sister were drawn to the dining room by the smell of the fresh-out-of-the-oven pizzas that had just been served.
"Wow, you guys really outdid yourselves again!" Ariadne said "My compliments to the chef!" She chuckled and your dad replied by making a playful bow. Meanwhile, you didn't even notice that your mom had walked up to you and was behind you when you were suddenly caught in a bear hug, which was soon followed by getting showered by kisses on the cheek while patting your head.
"Huh... I can sense a little bit of favoritism in here" Your dad playfully said while raising an eyebrow at your mom, who simply stuck her tongue out at him and the two laughed.
"Oh hush, you know he's my baby!" She said, making you groan in embarrassment. Ariadne herself enjoyed a good chuckle, seeing your "predicament"
"Mom!" You said.
"There's no escape son, just let yourself be loved" He said, chuckling at your annoyed face.
After a little more playful banter and teasing, you enjoyed a rare breakfast with your whole family, with the bonus of having fresh homemade pizza while at it. Some time later, you all had eaten your fill and the rest of the pizza was stored in various tuppers [tupperware containers, this is what we call them in Spanish, unsure about the proper name in English] and put in the fridge.
After that very hearty meal, you were watching TV together in the living room, with your mom pulling the usual shenanigan of sitting on your lap and having an arm wrapped around your neck. Ariadne had tried to do something similar with your dad but he joked that she'd squash him since she was so tall (and her curves were pretty hefty as well). Shortly after you heard the doorbell ring and your dad got up, he went to answer the door, already knowing what it meant.
"Hello" He greeted Regina and Xóchitl, your 2 grandmas who'd come to visit together as your mom had told you. They took each a turn to hug and kiss him, with Regina in particular taking a little long to let go. He then invited them in and you could swear he gave them both a wider berth than was necessary, though grandma Xóchitl was indeed quite a big woman herself, being a close match to Dolores. They happily greeted everyone, giving Ariadne a good hug and kiss each, but when your mom tried to get off your lap to greet them Regina gently put a hand on her head to keep her from doing so.
"Don't you worry sweetheart, I didn't come here to interrupt something as sacred as motherly bonding" She said, though you could feel that your mom still tensed up a little.
"You know... I don't even know how to feel about the fact that you're raising a son that's better than yourself, huh Rapha?" Grandma Regina said, turning to look at your dad, who was still standing between the entrance and the living room. He flinched, much to your shock.
"Oh, come on Gina..." Grandma Xóchitl said as she gleefully took a seat next to you, but she took up more space than what a single couch cushion allotted, thus, while your mom was still sitting on your lap, the side of your leg was then engulfed by the overflowing squishy bulk from Xóchitl herself, making you shudder a little. She was a very sweet woman, yes, but she tended to be a bit clumsy, and more often than not you ended up cushioning her falls despite her abundance of natural cushioning.
"Mom..." Your dad sighed, this was something usual when she came to visit, but unlike other times, he didn't have your grandpa's support to help keep her in check.
"Come here" Regina called him with a smile "Why don't you try being a good and obedient son like your own?" She said with a smile, making him huff, for he knew what she wanted...
Much to your surprise, however, you found your whole family there, it was a bit of a rare sight these days, Ariadne and your mom were watching TV and talking while your dad was in the kitchen, presumably to make some breakfast for a change, since most of the time either everyone cooked for themselves or your mom did it. This situation felt like it should be perfectly normal, but it'd become strange enough for you that you felt like you didn't know exactly what to do, feeling almost like a stranger in your own home. Still, for some reason you decided it'd probably be best to go to the kitchen and see what your dad was up to.
"Morning" You said as you walked into the kitchen, and couldn't help but chuckle when you saw that he shuddered for a split second.
"Morning!" Your dad replied though he did so with a mildly annoying sigh "Blaise, could you try making some noise when you walk in?"
"Huh?!" You knew what he was talking about, but it was funny and a bit baffling at the same time.
"Your footsteps are too quiet, I swear it feels like a ghost just popped into existence when you come in" He said while chuckling.
"Your mother's right, you kinda walk like a cat, huh..."
"I just walk normally though?"
"I dunno... I think you could consider pursuing a career as a ninja, or, failing that, a spy. That'd be a neat skill to have" He said, turning to face you,smiling as this silly occurrence was all too common.
"Despite my dashing looks I'm not so young anymore, you know? One of these days you're gonna give me a heart attack" He said, poking you in the chest with his cooking spatula.
"I'd say Sheila's more likely to give us both a heart attack, but hey, at least we'll be hospitalized together" You cheekily replied, which got him, he burst out laughing for a couple of seconds.
"Well, damn, touché on that..." He said "Yeah, she's something else... Back when I was your age you could almost say she was just like Lillian"
"I can only imagine, but for my mind's sake I'd rather not" You shrugged.
"Wise choice" He said.
"Anyway, what are you doing?" You then asked.
"Gee, I don't know... maybe fixing the sink? Or maybe I'll be doing some plumbing..." He replied with obvious sarcasm as he had a spatula in hand and was wearing an apron. You narrowed your eyes and gave him your signature deadpan look.
"I mean, I know you're making food, but I was asking about the details, duh" You half-smiled.
"Fair enough" He replied "Actually, you're in luck, I got the ingredients to make pizza! And I could use the help of the 2nd best cook in the house"
"Sooo.... yourself?" You snickered. Your dad gave you a baffled look as the info you gave him just now seemingly didn't compute in his brain.
"Haha! One day you shall surpass me, but that day hasn't come yet!" He then said, laughing a bit exaggeratedly for dramatic effect.
"I didn't say I was the best myself" You giggled, realizing he had just gotten himself into a trap.
"Huh? Then wait a minute..." He rubbed his chin while thinking.
"I wouldn't try to take the title from mom if I were you, I definitely don't want to get the chancla or worse, the frying pan" You said with a cheeky laugh.
"Now that is a disputed claim" He said "Good job on covering your back though" He then added
"Guess that's why you're still her baby" He teased you back.
"H-Hey!" You blushed "I'm not a baby anymore" You muttered, but he still heard it.
"Say that again within earshot and your mom won't let go of you until you admit you are" He said.
"If that happens I won't be able to help you" You countered.
"Touché" He laughed "Alright, then let's make pizza! We've got enough to make one for each of us!"
You and your dad then began working on the pizzas from scratch, funnily enough, he first attempted to make pizza years ago, using the baking knowledge he got from his own dad, though those early pizzas weren't exactly the best, though looking back, they were very similar to the authentic Italian ones, but it wasn't what your mom, you or Ariadne wanted. In a fun, yet slightly strange turn of events, it was you who reverse-engineered your dad's recipe plus observation of your own to actually fix the recipes and make pizzas that were to your family's liking.
Despite that, now that he had the proper recipe for the dough, your dad's superior cooking skills trumped yours, it was hard to compete against many years of practice, though both of your parents praised your natural talent, and they even claimed that it definitely ran in your blood, as your grandfathers on both sides had been bakers, well, one did it as a hobby while the other did it as an actual job, but both were masters of their craft regardless.
When you and your dad got the chance to make pizzas together, it always turned into a playful competition, and bias aside, you preferred your personal style and seasoning, while he obviously preferred his own. Tie-breaking was borderline impossible because your mom favored your style while Ariadne preferred your dad's, but in the end everyone got a tasty pizza that they enjoyed to the fullest, so it was alright.
Roughly two hours later, the pizzas were finally out of the oven and the two of you went and served them at the table. You yourself were content with a seemingly simplistic mozzarella and pepperoni pizza, though it was pretty generous with the cheese and its borders were stuffed with it too. Your dad used less mozzarella and mixed in a couple other cheeses he liked, his didn't have stuffed borders and it had ingredients like champignons and bell peppers plus bits of ham and salami. The second pizza you made was for your mom, and was basically the same as yours, but with added salami and habanero chilli pepers as you knew she loved the spice. The second pizza your dad made was for Ariadne, and it sported a lot more meat toppings on it since it was what she liked the best.
Almost like in cartoons, your mom and sister were drawn to the dining room by the smell of the fresh-out-of-the-oven pizzas that had just been served.
"Wow, you guys really outdid yourselves again!" Ariadne said "My compliments to the chef!" She chuckled and your dad replied by making a playful bow. Meanwhile, you didn't even notice that your mom had walked up to you and was behind you when you were suddenly caught in a bear hug, which was soon followed by getting showered by kisses on the cheek while patting your head.
"Huh... I can sense a little bit of favoritism in here" Your dad playfully said while raising an eyebrow at your mom, who simply stuck her tongue out at him and the two laughed.
"Oh hush, you know he's my baby!" She said, making you groan in embarrassment. Ariadne herself enjoyed a good chuckle, seeing your "predicament"
"Mom!" You said.
"There's no escape son, just let yourself be loved" He said, chuckling at your annoyed face.
After a little more playful banter and teasing, you enjoyed a rare breakfast with your whole family, with the bonus of having fresh homemade pizza while at it. Some time later, you all had eaten your fill and the rest of the pizza was stored in various tuppers [tupperware containers, this is what we call them in Spanish, unsure about the proper name in English] and put in the fridge.
After that very hearty meal, you were watching TV together in the living room, with your mom pulling the usual shenanigan of sitting on your lap and having an arm wrapped around your neck. Ariadne had tried to do something similar with your dad but he joked that she'd squash him since she was so tall (and her curves were pretty hefty as well). Shortly after you heard the doorbell ring and your dad got up, he went to answer the door, already knowing what it meant.
"Hello" He greeted Regina and Xóchitl, your 2 grandmas who'd come to visit together as your mom had told you. They took each a turn to hug and kiss him, with Regina in particular taking a little long to let go. He then invited them in and you could swear he gave them both a wider berth than was necessary, though grandma Xóchitl was indeed quite a big woman herself, being a close match to Dolores. They happily greeted everyone, giving Ariadne a good hug and kiss each, but when your mom tried to get off your lap to greet them Regina gently put a hand on her head to keep her from doing so.
"Don't you worry sweetheart, I didn't come here to interrupt something as sacred as motherly bonding" She said, though you could feel that your mom still tensed up a little.
"You know... I don't even know how to feel about the fact that you're raising a son that's better than yourself, huh Rapha?" Grandma Regina said, turning to look at your dad, who was still standing between the entrance and the living room. He flinched, much to your shock.
"Oh, come on Gina..." Grandma Xóchitl said as she gleefully took a seat next to you, but she took up more space than what a single couch cushion allotted, thus, while your mom was still sitting on your lap, the side of your leg was then engulfed by the overflowing squishy bulk from Xóchitl herself, making you shudder a little. She was a very sweet woman, yes, but she tended to be a bit clumsy, and more often than not you ended up cushioning her falls despite her abundance of natural cushioning.
"Mom..." Your dad sighed, this was something usual when she came to visit, but unlike other times, he didn't have your grandpa's support to help keep her in check.
"Come here" Regina called him with a smile "Why don't you try being a good and obedient son like your own?" She said with a smile, making him huff, for he knew what she wanted...
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May 12, 2023
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