[center]THE COOKIE COOK
Sofia covered her ears from the shrieking of the smoke alarm in the kitchen, set off by the smoke coming from the oven. "Why do I ever try to cook anything?!" she exclaimed. "This always happens, but why now...of all times, why now?" She tried to blow the smoke away from the alarm with a dish towel, turn off the oven, and take the burnt treat out of the oven...all in one move. As a result, she stumbled across the floor, the food went flying in every direction, her weight hit the kitchen table full force, causing it to collapse and spill everything on her. She shrieked as her feet went out from under her, and when she banged into the side of the table with her ribs, the breath was knocked out of her and she began a low moaning sound.
Almost immediately, there was a banging on her front door. Bang! Bang! Bang! "Are you okay in there?! What's going on? Do you need help? Can I come in?" A man's voice accompanied the pounding, and the volume rose with each question.
Sofia could only reply with words combined with grunts, as she struggled to catch her breath. "Unnnnit's unnnopen! Comeunnnnin."
The man burst through the door and hurried into the kitchen, where Sofia was trying to free herself from the contents of the table. "I had a little accident here...two accidents, really. I think I'm okay. I just had the wind knocked out of me. Can you help me up?"
She turned onto her hands and knees, and the tall man grasped under her armpits, helping her to her feet. He found the dish towel on the floor, and began fanning the air next to the smoke alarm. In a few seconds, the piercing shriek ceased, and he hung the towel over the front of the alarm. "That should keep it quiet until you air the place out."
She watched as he set the table back on its legs. "Are you all right? What on earth happened here?"
"I'm fine. I think I'm going to be sore tomorrow, though." A smile spread across her face. "As far as what happened, I don't think I'm going into that. You probably wouldn't believe it, and it might paint me to be the worst cook in The Village on thepots and pans Edge of the Sea."
He laughed. "Well, far be it from me to conduct any excruciating interrogations. I'm just glad you're okay."
She stooped to sweep up the blackened food residue. "I appreciate your help. What made you get here so quickly? Are you part of the local cavalry? I've never seen you around before."
"I should introduce myself. My name is Ian De La Rosa, and I just moved into the apartment next to yours. That's why you haven't seen me before." A smile began on his face, and his eyes twinkled. "As far as being a member of the neighborhood cavalry, I just happened to be passing your door on my way to work."
"Glad to meet you, Ian, although I wish it were under different circumstances. My name is Sofia Delgado." She extended her hand in order to give Ian a handshake.
He hesitantly took her hand, as if he was unsure what to do. "I really have to go to work, now that you're kind of back to normal."
She couldn't hold back the laughter. "Normal! There's no such thing as normal for me. I might have to put you on retainer for your rescue services."
Ian smiled as he walked to the door. "I'll put a reminder on my phone...check on Sofia."
"Thanks again, Ian," she said as she closed the door behind him.
Today was Sofia's turn to be on the purple team. Consequently, her scrubs were a deep purple color from head to foot.Sofia Delgado She was working a ten hour shift today, then she would spend a few hours at the women's shelter. She volunteered to provide her services as a nurse as often as she could. Tonight, her plan was to bring in a box filled with cookies for the residents to enjoy. Unfortunately, her plan was foiled by her "accident". She thought she might be able to buy some kind of treats after her shift was over.
Her attention turned to a young woman and a little boy. They were both familiar to Sofia, since she often saw them at the shelter. "Hi Angel. What can we do for you today?"
Angel was a frequent volunteer at the shelter, and was the wife of the local police chief. The little boy was their first child, and he often accompanied Angel during her stints at the shelter. "It's time for Lonnie's next S-H-O-T, Sofia." She spelled out the word, but little Lonnie wasn't fooled.
"No shot, no shot, no shot", he cried plaintively. "No hurt, no hurt, no hurt."
Sofia stroked his tiny curls, and tried to comfort him. She touched his arm with her fingernail and said, "Did that hurt? That's what it's going to feel like. You can be a brave little boy, can't you?"
He looked at Sofia with his adorable eyes. "I be brave. No big deal."
Angel hugged him closely, then handed him to Sofia. She chose the smallest needle she could use and administered the inoculation. She had to laugh as Lonnie put his bravest look on his face. "All done. You're such a brave, good little boy, Lonnie. That didn't hurt, did it?"
"No big deal for me, Miss Sofia. I won't cry next time."
Sofia picked him up, gave him a hug, and handed him back to Angel. "Just keep an eye on the injection site. If it swells up more than a little, put some ice on it and bring him back here."
"Thanks, Sofia. Will I see you at the shelter tonight?"
A sheepish smile appeared on Sofia's face. "Well, about tonight...it depends. I had a little accident in the kitchen this morning, two accidents really. As a result, I don't have any cupcakes or cookies to bring for treats. If I can find a place to buy some after my shift is over, I'll be there."
Angel held Lonnie on her hip. "Don't feel like you have to bring something in order to come. But, I heard there's a new place opened just a block from the Village marketplace,marketplace specializing in pastries and sweet treats. It's called "The Cookie Cook" and the guy who owns it is supposedly a highly trained and award winning chef."
"That's the opposite of me, that's for sure. I'm one of those people who make the kitchen the most dangerous room in the house."
"Oh, don't worry about it, Sofia. You should have seen me when my Aunt Maria was teaching me to knit. You just need some lessons, that's all."
The both laughed and hugged, promising to see each other later.
After Sofia made it through an assortment of colds, bumps, and bruises needing treatment, she went to the locker room, and changed into her "street clothes." Her intention was to rush home, grab a bite to eat, then go to the marketplace where she would search for the new shop Angel told her about. "I hope I can make it through the kitchen without injury," she thought.
When she opened her door, she could still smell smoke from the morning's incident. She made a mental note to fully air out and deodorize the apartment when she got the time. In the refrigerator, she found what she needed to make a liverwurst and cheese sandwich. She gulped it down, brushed her teeth, and headed for the marketplace. It didn't take her long to find the shop. The sign above the picture window was made of a plywood cutout of a formal chef. On his apron and over sized chef hat was written "THE COOKIE COOK"
"Oh, I hope it's still open," she murmured. She was delighted when the door opened to her touch. "Wow, what a fancy place," she whispered as she entered. Puffs of tantalizing aromas streamed into her nostrils as she walked toward the counter. There was no one at the counter, but there was a bell next to a sign that read "FOR SERVICE, RING BELL" Sofia assumed everyone was in the kitchen, baking whatever it was that was making her mouth water from the smell.
silver bellShe rang the silver bell, and when the swinging door from the kitchen opened, her mouthed dropped open. It was Ian De La Rosa, her knight in shining armor from this morning!
When he saw her, it was his turn to do a double take. "Sofia, I wasn't expecting to see you so soon. What brings you to my shop?"
Sofia took a few seconds to collect her wits. "Don't worry, Ian. I'm not stalking you. I had no idea this was your shop. A friend told me about it, and I guess I need your services...and you know why." She was flustered and she could not hide her discombobulation.
Ian was a little quicker to recover from his bewilderment than Sofia. He began chuckling, and the twinkling in his eyes she had noticed earlier once again appeared. "I knew I was supposed to check up on you, but I didn't think I would need to this soon."
"At the rate we're going, maybe you should count on rescuing me a couple times a day. It looks like you've got me covered twice today."
"I don't understand." Ian looked puzzled.
"I need to replace those cookies and cupcakes I so foolishly tried to bake this morning. I promised to take treats to the women's shelter tonight, and now I haven't got a thing for them."
"That will be the easiest rescue I've had today. If you don't mind taking the stuff that was baked this morning, I'd be glad to donate as much of that as you can use. We usually put the day old stuff on a deep discount rack every morning." He pointed to three racks filled with trays of cookies, cupcakes, and other sweet pastries. "I was getting ready to close, so you can choose from any of those."
"You are so kind, Ian. But, I am willing to pay for them. Why should you have to pay for my clumsiness in the kitchen?"
Ian considered and wasn't willing to embarrass her any more than she already was. "Okay, take as much as you want, and I'll charge you the deep discount price they would be selling for in the morning."
"That's a deal!" Sofia quickly selected two boxes of pastries from the three racks. She paid Ian, thanking him profusely. He loaded the boxes into her car, and she quickly made the drive to the shelter. When she arrived, she recruited some of the kids to bring the boxes inside.
After the pastries had been shared, the children had happy smiles and gleaming eyes. "We didn't know you were such a good cook, Miss Sofia."
Sofia exploded with laughter. "Me, a good cook? Ahh...well...that's a story for another day."
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