2021 Is My Year

Daniel was busy cooking up a storm in the kitchen. He was over the moon and back. He felt as if nothing could go wrong and that finally his life was taking off. He had been selected for Masters at the University of his Dreams, his application for financial aid was approved and he had just received the big promotion that would mark the turning point of his career. His side hustle was also booming and for the first time in his life, his income was more than his expenses.

And the best part of it all? He was able to celebrate all this happiness with the one person who had stood with him as a rock, the love of his life, his girlfriend Mary. Impromptu, he had decided he would not wait any longer and tonight he will propose to her. He had called both his parents and Mary’s parents and received blessings from both of them as he knew, Mary would not say yes without her parent’s approval.

Mary and Daniel were both united by their love of food. In-fact, they had first met at a Thai cooking class. Daniel was cooking their favorite Thai dishes tonight, an ode to their first meeting together. They had traveled the world, exploring new cultures, taking their love of food to new level together. Daniel mused over possible wedding locations as he chopped up the shallots and galangal for Tom Yum Soup, having already decided that he won’t take a penny from his parents for his wedding. It would not be a grand wedding he thought, adding coconut milk to the gravy, but it would be a wedding full of love and laughter.

He chopped the spring onions finely and kept them aside. He took some garlic and smashed them with the brunt of his knife, a trick which he had learned from his Thai classes. Taking some mustard oil in a pan, he added smashed garlic to the oil. He added some galangal and kaffir lime leaves to the simmering oil in the pan and let it roast for some while. The aroma coming out from the pan reminded him of the streets of Phuket and the amazing street food he and Mary had devoured at Patong beach. If Mary agreed, Daniel decided they would go back to Thailand for their honeymoon.

The soup and gravy ready, Daniel set onto making rice and raw mango salad. He washed and drained the rice, added some water and salt to the pan and kept it on the stove to cook. Next, he took 2 small raw mangoes, peeled and grated them. Cooking was Daniel's passion. He cooked when he was happy, he cooked when he was sad. He cooked after coming back from his Nana’s funeral and he cooked after getting his acceptance letter. Right now, watching him cook, it looked like a ballet performance for Daniel twisted and turned, his actions as graceful as a ballerina’s. His body was in sync, the utensils seemed to come alive in his hand. How can food, cooked with this much love and passion not turn out to be downright delicious?

His main course all but ready, he started making dessert to finish up their meal. His mango sticky rice was a hit in his friends’ circle, who often claimed it was even better than Yum Cha’s, the best Thai restaurant in the city.

Daniel loved cooking with fruits, and the taste of this particular mango transported him to the time he visited Chitral Valley in Pakistan with Mary and their families. Fruits were abundant in Pakistan and he and Mary relished eating fruits freshly plucked from the trees, given by the farmers to them. The farmers were not used to seeing much foreigners and went out of way to please them; more than one restaurateur gave them free food and Daniel smiled as all the memories came flowing back to him.

Daniel looked at the time. Mary would be home in 45 minutes. He took out the table runner and place-mats they had bought from Thailand. He lit up the scented candles Mary so loved and placed fresh flowers in the vase at the center of the table. Finally, he went for a bath and change of clothes. This would be their night, and 2021 would be their year.

Dressed in a Polo T-shirt and his favorite pair of jeans, Daniel set about in last minute preparations to the meal. He placed the dinner set onto the table, switched of the lights so that the entire house was illuminated by the candle light. Mary’s favorite music was playing on the speaker and the air was filled with wonderful scent of mahogany teak-wood, Mary’s best-loved scent. He wanted Mary to know, how much she meant to him, and how much her support towards him in last few months had given him the strength he needed. Food was the language he best knew and spoke, and he had tried to convey everything that he couldn’t say, he wished to express it through his cooking. He hoped Mary would understand the unspoken words.

He heard the click of the lock in door, and his heart fluttered just like it did when he had asked out Mary to be his girlfriend. He walked in and opened the door and saw Mary standing at the door with a big bouquet of premium cut fruits. He laughed and enveloped Mary in a big bear hug. He inhaled the scent of the coconut shampoo she used, the scent immediately calming him down. Mary looked around the house and said,’ It’s your special night. I should be the one doing all this to celebrate your happiness'. Daniel knew it was time. He held Mary’s hand, bringing her inside the house. ‘Mary, ‘ Daniel said, ‘ I am not eloquent with words but I will still try for you. You came in my life when I was least expecting it. With your coconut-ty scent and bunny hop, you took over my life, my heart, my mind. I always thought it to be an exaggeration, when people said they can’t live without someone in their life. But now I understand it. I can live without you, but that won’t be living. That will be surviving. You are the reason I now have a sparkle in my eyes, a bounce in my step. You understand my words and my silence and I wish to be always by your side, if you allow. Mary Thomas, I love you. Be my cooking partner for life?’

Mary’s reaction took Daniel by surprise. Mary started laughing, in-fact she was overcome with laughter and fell on the floor laughing. Finally, she sobered up. She gave a small peck on Daniel's forehead, and pulled out a ring box from her purse. She had also decided to propose Daniel tonight!