A Wall Between

Chapter 39

It was Saturday morning and Sasha, Cooper, and Ellie were sitting at the kitchen counter, icing cupcakes that they were being paid to make for Luca and Ben's seventh birthday party while Abra stood on the other side, adding the final decorations.

"So, I was thinking about maybe trying to get more work preparing food," Abra said as he carefully arranged shiny sugar balls on top of one of the cupcakes.

"Like a restaurant job?" Cooper asked.

Abra shook his head. "More like this. Selling pre-made food directly to people. Ordering delivery seems to be pretty popular these days, so I thought maybe there would be some interest in healthier options in the local community."

"You'd be the man for that job, for sure," Ellie said.

"I've been looking into it, and it seems feasible," Abra said. "I wanted to run it by the three of you before I got too invested in the idea, though, because I'd need to use the kitchen for storing the ingredients and of course cooking, and if it takes off I might need some help with packing food or running deliveries."

"I could do that," Cooper said. "You know, I always kind of wanted to be a food delivery driver, but then all the normal ways you'd do that didn't actually sound all that great. Like, either you're working for one place which in general is a big no for me, or you're doing it through an app, in which case it's just way too all over the place and chaotic. But neighbourhood home cooked meal delivery boy sounds perfect."

Ellie nodded. "I'll help out wherever you need me. It sounds like a great idea."

"Sasha?" Abra asked.

"Oh, um," Sasha sat up straighter, caught off guard. "I could, um. Maybe I could help?"

"Sorry, that was confusing," Abra said. "I wasn't asking you to help, though you're welcome to if you'd like. I wanted to ask your thoughts, since you live here as well and it could be a bit disruptive at times."

"I think it sounds nice," Sasha said. "I like watching you cook, even when it's not things I like."

"I'll push forward with it, then," Abra said. "I'm not sure much will come of it, but I'd like to give it a shot."

Over the next few weeks, as Abra started experimenting with small batches of meals that he personally hand delivered to a few houses on their street each evening, Sasha started taking more and more interest in the process. It was kind of nice to just hang out in the kitchen with Abra while he cooked and wash dishes while he did the more difficult parts.

As Abra expanded his customer list and started making more dishes in bigger batches, Abra and Sasha began doing things like going out early to weekend markets to pick up cheap produce together. There was something so fun and cosy about bargain hunting for zucchinis.

After a couple of months, they were selling enough meals each day that Cooper had to take over most of the delivery work. Ellie took care of packing everything up and making sure everything was clearly labelled with names and addresses. They even started delivering breakfasts and lunches to a few houses.

As time went by, Cooper found himself turning away more and more temp work offers. For a long while he was just taking the bare minimum out of guilt until Misha finally just asked him directly if he wanted to continue working there and he found himself saying no.

It was simultaneously a huge load off Cooper's chest and a weight in the pit of his stomach. He found Abra in the kitchen, checking on some bread he had baking, and sat down on one of the stools on the far side of the kitchen counters.

"So..." Cooper said. "Misha called today."

"Mm?" Abra enquired as he put his bread back in the oven.

"I haven't been taking much work lately, so she asked if I even wanted to keep working there. I know I probably should have talked to you guys about it first and worked everything out, but I just told her no and now I guess I've officially quit. I sort of just wanted to rip the bandaid off and have it be done."