Page 36 of Caged Hunger

Those nights were his favorites. Regardless of how tough his day had been, he knew he could always look forward to spending time with his mom, creating something tasty and special.

“Grab the glass tray from inside that cupboard,” his mother instructed.

“This one?” Cameron asked, holding up the larger of the two trays he had found.

“Yup, that one. This way we can have leftovers for the next couple of days.”

Cameron carried the tray over to where his mother stood at the stove, stirring a large pot of tomato sauce. He set the tray on the counter beside her and took in the delicious aroma wafting from the pot she was stirring.

They sautéed ground beef with onions and garlic, seasoned it with various spices, and even added a touch of red wine, then added two jars of tomato sauce to the large pot to simmer.

After a few minutes of the sauce cooking, his mother asked him to add the bowl of peas and carrots she had sitting on the kitchen table to the sauce that was simmering.

“You want to add the veggies toward the end so they don’t end up getting all gross and soggy,” his mother had told him.

That made sense. He still wasn’t sure why they needed veggies at all. He was happy just eating a hearty meat sauce.

He figured it probably had something to do with vitamins and wanting them to eat right.

“Here, take this.” His mother stepped back and passed Cameron the ladle she was using to stir the tomato sauce. “Now, take a scoop of sauce and add it to the lasagna tray.”

Cameron did as instructed. He took a full scoop, then poured it into the bottom of the dish. He added two more scoops, making sure he covered the entire surface.

“Perfect. Now grab the ready-made pasta and place it in the tray, side by side. For the end of the tray, you can snap the pasta carefully and add the smaller pieces to the end, so you get the whole surface covered.”

Nodding, he reached into the box and began applying his first layer of noodles to the glass tray. He had seen his mother make lasagna before, but this was the first time he was making the dish on his own.

“Okay, now you’re going to add more sauce to the noodles, being sure to cover every inch of pasta. If you don’t, that’s when you get hard corners.”

That made sense.

“Oh, and once the sauce is on, don’t forget to add a thick layer of cheese!” His mother cheered, clapping him on his shoulders as he carefully spread out the sauce.

He smiled at his mom.

He loved Monday nights, cooking with her. She always made things fun and special.

Next week, she was going to teach him how to bake lemon tarts.

Mmm, he loved lemon tarts.

Once he had finished applying the fourth layer and the sauce was threatening to spill over the sides, he carefully slid the covered tray into the oven.

“Perfect! Now we have time to wash up these dishes before our dinner is ready.”

He let out a groan as his mother continued to smile.

Washing dishes was not part of the funness of the night.

Leaning forward, Cameron took another bite of his stew and let the deliciousness of the flavors roll over his tongue.

Argh, the night was going to take forever to pass.

Cameron’s cell phone buzzed, pulling him from his inner turmoil.

It was a text from Ace.

He opened the message, then smiled.