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Darren's mom came over for dinner Friday night. Darren wanted to cook dinner for her but she was so insistent that she could help. She didn't want him to wait on her like a servant.

I liked having Evelyn around. She was so nice and kind to me. She made me feel so normal. She always treated me like a person and not someone with so many flaws and imperfections. And she never made me feel bad for acting like a baby at eighteen years old. Or however old I really was.

She was also so smart. She knew so many things that I didn't know or that Darren didn't know. She could do things that I didn't even know were possible.

We were lucky to have her.

"Aly, sweetie, do you want to help me with dinner?" She asked as she began getting a pot from the cabinet by the stove. There were some items out on the counter already. She brought over chicken to make for us and said she would make us a special dinner. I didn't know what that meant but I was excited.

"I don't know what I'm doing."

She smiled at me as she set a pot down on the island that separated her and me. "That's okay. I'll help you. Rather, you can help me. First, we have to get water. We're going to fill our pot with water so the noodles can be submerged."

"Submerged?"

"It means to be completely covered by the water. Like if you dunk your head under the water when you're taking a bath."

I nodded.

She went over to the sink and filled the pot with water. "The trick to making good pasta is to salt the water before you put the noodles in. That way, the noodles absorb the salt and they taste better."

Once we got water in the pot, she put the pot on the stove and turned a knob in the back. She grabbed the salt shaker and poured a good bit of salt into the water.

"These burners get really hot so don't ever touch them, okay? I don't want you to hurt yourself."

I looked from the stove to her. "What do we do now?"

"We wait for the water to boil."

"How long does that take?"

"It can take a few minutes."

I frowned. "But I'm hungry now."

She smiled and patted my arm. "If you want it cooked fast, you use a microwave. The stove is usually a little slower."

"Why aren't we using the microwave now?"

"Food tastes better if you cook it on the stove. Besides, I'm enjoying my time with you."

I smiled. I was enjoying my time with her, too.

She got a black spoon out from the drawer to the right of the stove and handed it to me. "We can use this to stir the noodles once we add them to the water."

I nodded. I glanced at Darren from where he was sitting in the living room. He was looking at something on his phone. He didn't seem to be paying much attention to us in the kitchen. "Did you like being a mom?"

Evelyn smiled. "Being a mom is such a rewarding feeling. I loved watching my boys grow up and learn new things."

"You liked it even when they were bad?"

"People always have a reason for why they do or say things. I tried to tell myself that when things got tough, it wasn't always because I didn't do something right or that I was a bad mom."

"Was Darren bad?" I couldn't imagine Darren being anything even remotely close to Owen. Darren was so kind and caring towards others. He never appeared to have any intention of hurting someone else.

"Out of my three, Darren was the kindest and most gentle. He really cares for people. I wasn't too surprised when he told me about you. It's in his nature to care for people."

I nodded. I definitely noticed that in the short time I'd been with him. The difference between him and Owen was night and day.

Evelyn patted my arm. "You're lucky to have him. I don't think you could have asked for a better daddy if you tried."

I smiled. She was definitely right about that.

She turned back to the stove as the water in the pot began to bubble up. "Alright, the water is boiling. Now, we put in the noodles."

I took a step back as I watched her add the noodles to the water. "Is the water hot?"

She nodded. "Oh, yes. You don't want to touch the pot or the water in it when it's on the stove."

There was so much to think about when it came to cooking. So much could go wrong and it intimidated me a lot. What if I did something wrong and hurt myself? Or Darren? I didn't like the thought of that one bit.

"Go ahead and stir the noodles. We don't want them to stick together."

I put the spoon in the pot and stirred around the noodles, watching as they moved around one another in the pot. "How did you learn so much about cooking?"

"You learn a lot as the years go by. My mom taught me a good bit though. She wanted me to be able to cook meals for my husband once I got married."

"Did you?"

She looked down at me. "I did. I was young when I got married. I probably wasn't ready but I don't think anyone's ever ready for marriage."

"Are you still married?"

"No, my husband passed away a few years ago."

"And you never found anyone else?"

She shook her head. "I haven't really been looking for anyone. I like living alone. I haven't done that before so it's nice to have the whole house to myself."

I wasn't sure I could handle living alone. I didn't really know how to take care of myself and I didn't make any money to pay for things.

Sometimes I hated being a baby.

"The noodles should be about done. Can you go let Darren know that dinner is just about ready?"

I nodded. I walked into the living room and sat down beside Darren on the couch. "Dinner's ready."

"Did you make dinner for us tonight?" He asked, looking over at me with an amused look on his face.

I smiled back at him. "I tried. Your mom helped. She's so smart. It's like there's nothing she can't teach me."

"Maybe math. She was never very good at math."

I giggled.

"Are you two coming yet? Dinner is going to get cold." Evelyn yelled from the kitchen at us.

I laughed once more and got to my feet. "Come on, Daddy. Let's go before we get yelled at again."