“Well, I had to learn with Mrs klutz in the kitchen.” He said, still arching his back.

“Ah Neal, just admit it...you care about me."

He scoffed.

“Care?” He said mockingly, crossing his arms and leaning back on his heels.

“I care about the kitchen if it wasn't for Mrs. Klutz here breaking dishes, slipping on flour, and now managing to burn herself because she forgot to wear oven mitts while taking out the BREAD!... I wouldn't need this skill.”

He made a smug look, lifting his head in a way that said 'you don't know what you are talking about'.

“Aww, just admit it you care, you’re like a mom to me,” I said taunting him.

A hint of red crossed his cheeks.

“What are you embarrassed for, Mom Neal?”

He looked downwards, hiding his face, and uncrossed his arms in a way like he’d given up. I bent forward, trying to see his face.

His eyes were widened, and he arched his brows.

“What's that?” He said pointing at my feet.

I looked down, ‘AH I forgot about that.’

“Um, my feet, what else does it look like, huh?” I said sarcastically, hoping he would drop it; he continued.

“Gosh Lastic.” He let out a loud sigh and bent down, taking off his shoes.

“What are you doing?” Shocked to see what he was doing, standing up straight in the process.

“Giving you my shoes, 'what else does it look like, huh?’” He said, imitating my voice and plopped the leather shoes in front of me.

“We can’t have Mrs. Klutz hurting herself further because she's not wearing shoes, now can we?” He got back up and stretched his back.

"Put them on." He ordered, pointing at the shoes than at me. He turned around and picked up a bag of flour off of the ground, heaving it over his shoulder.

"Don't cause any more trouble for the rest of the day, got it?" And walked out the door.

***

I walked to the house of the Fridolf's with a basket in hand. It was white and seemed to be painted a few years back since the paint was chipped and cracked. 

The house was ½ stories with a gable roof, and vines had crawled up the walls. The path was made with many different stones, and before I knew it I reached the door. Without much hesitation, I knocked, and the creak as it opened. I made eye contact with the person responsible for opening the door and smiled.

“Hi there, I've brought the stuff you wanted!”