Mary-san and I worked hard to create this foreign dish known as jambalaya. Once it was complete, the time was nearly 4 PM.

“Wow, it got late.”

Mary-san said as she finished up the roux. We actually didn't speak much as we made the meal. There were many "where is this?" and "when do I add this?" It went to show me that Mary-san spent a lot of time in the kitchen.

“I’ll have to get ready for work soon.”

Mary-san tilted her head.

“Oh, ah… where do you work, Madoka-san?”

I took the apron and placed it in the basket to be cleaned later. With my hair still in a ponytail, I began undoing it as I explained.

“I work at the Red Roses. A restaurant in the shopping district.”

“Oh really? Would you like me to drive you?”

She set the food on the table as we sat down for dinner.

“You wouldn’t need to do that. I think it might be best that I walk to the train station so I can find my way there for school tomorrow.”

"Hm, but I think I should know how to get to your job in case of emergencies too. I am your guardian for the time being.”

She tilted her head and gave me a smile.

“But, if you want to go on your own, I won’t stop you.”

It was interesting how Mary-san spoke with me. She seemed to be giving me choices instead of demands like mom. One might call her a bit more hands-off, but I don't think that was the case. It felt more like she was treating me less of a teenager… and more of an adult.

“Hm… do you mind driving me to work? I… would love to show you the place.”

"Sure, we'll get dressed right after dinner."

I tasted the meal. It had a spice to it, but it wasn't overwhelming. The flavors were remarkable, and I couldn't put my finger on how my aunt brought it out so well. I had to ask.

“Mary-san, how do you bring out the flavors so well?”

Surprised, she looked at me. Before answering, she tasted her food again.

“Hm, it’s a trick my grandma taught me about cooking.”

With one finger in the air, she continued.

"My grandma grew up in Alabama, and her parents didn't have too much money. So, she had to make do with the food she had. When you have to make cheap meals into gourmet dinners, you learn a few tricks.”

As if I struck gold, her eyes were shining as she continued.

"We'll, grandma met grandpa, and they had my dad. Dad worked hard and became a district attorney for the prosecution and even worked on the pretty high profile cases.”

She took a few bites of her dinner. I did, too, as I got sucked into her story.

"My dad met my mom when she defended a client for murder. My mom lost… then my dad asked her out."

“Both your parents are lawyers?”

Her body slumped a bit as she nodded.

"Yeah. My mom and dad are both high-profile lawyers. One for the prosecution and the other for the defense. Let's just say… I didn't want much growing up. But grandma did teach her ways to improve food quality."

She brought up a spoon full of jambalaya.

“A lot of it is when you add the ingredients compared to what you add. I’ll teach you more next time we make dinner.”

She giggled.

“One thing about me… I don’t make many Japanese dishes. Sorry but not sorry.”

I smiled.

“That’s fine. Just don’t expect me to start speaking English to you. I’m not good at that.”

We both shared a laugh as we finished our food. We cleaned up, bagged the food into the refrigerator, and got dressed when we were done. We both left the house and got into Mary-san's car.

“So, Madoka-san… what do you like to do?”

She asked as she turned the corner.

“I… I like listening to music and looking at clothing?”

I wasn’t sure what to say as I thought about it. I imagined myself jumping around the room, listening to Hasu-Kun and STARS. But to appear a tad bit mature, I avoided that subject.

“You know I worked as a model for a few years.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

She nodded.

“I wore all of the new magenta clothing on the catwalk and studio shoots.”

“Do you have some pictures?”

I asked.

“If you look it up online, I’m sure you’ll find them.”

I did just that as I took out my phone. When I found Mary-san online, there were a bunch of catalogs that featured the former model.

“Wow.”

These were amazing. Each picture brought out a passion from Mary-san. Her eyes drew me in with each pose she made in these catalogs. I remembered this fluffy suit that she had on in one of them. It was puffy, creme-colored, and excluded the passionate style of a rich girl with too much money on her hands. The price of it was around 200,000 yen. It was something I never wanted, but just the idea that Mary-san walked around with it was… striking. 

"Wow, look at this one!"

I gawked at one with a fancy white dress and hat. If I recalled right, this one was almost triple the price of the last. Mary-san sparkled in this dress as her eyes captured me, drawing me into her beauty. There was another photo of her in a baby blue swimsuit. There was a remarkable cabin background behind her only adding to the "girl next door" feel. I... was shocked that I knew such a high-class model.

 

 

“Hey, I remember that one.”

Mary-san said as she looked at my phone.

“I still have it in the closet upstairs. Would you like to wear it sometime? I only wore it during the shoot, Madoka-san."

She clapped once she reached a stoplight. It was super cute and made my heart dance excitedly.

“Oh, maybe we can have a catwalk at home someday!”

Mary-san suggested.

My eyes lit up. Before I knew it, I was being drawn into the idea that I would be able to wear all this crazy expensive clothing.

“Yes, I would love that, Mary-san.”

It was strange. Just earlier this morning, I didn't want to speak with Mary-san. She represented everything that was going on in my life. But as I talked with her more… I felt that our interest lined up nicely. As I thought about it more…

There's a reason why she and my mother got along. Mom was just like me when it came to cosmetics. Maybe she was like this too?

“Ah, Mary-san?”

“Yes, Madoka-san?”

“Ah… do you like make-up?”

She gave me a smile and tilted her head.

“I’m really not too good at it. When you’re on stage, you have your own cosmetologist, so I never got to learn it."

"…I can teach you. When we find time... we can spend hours just learning everything step by step."

I suggested. Mary-san looked… surprised as I did.

“Sure. We can do that soon.”

We rode in silence, just enjoying the casual ride. Mary-san had a far more interesting background than I initially knew. 

When we reached the shopping district, she parked, and we both got out.

“Red Roses, right?”

Mary-san asked as I took the lead. We walked beside one another as we made our way inside.

"Yep, that's the name. Mari-san took me there, and they were hiring. I'm not doing any clubs, so I figured it might be good for me to get a job."

“Wow, that’s a mature decision Madoka-san.”

I turned away a bit shyly. I left out that I wanted to afford a gift for Mari-san too. Honestly, I tried to avoid conversations about Mari-san and mom with Mary-san. It seemed that things were better if we didn't chat about that for the time being.

Once we got inside, the mall wasn't that busy, surprisingly. With the holidays getting closer, the number of people shopping for their girlfriends and boyfriends would usually be off the charts.

"Your mother and I come here often to look for gifts."

Mary-san mentioned as she pointed at a store.

“Gifts?”

She nodded.

“Yep, I like to pick out gifts for your uncle before he comes back.”

She pushed her fingers together, making her look a tad childish. It added to a new layer of charm that Mary-san excluded.

“Oh, what kind of gifts?”

"Things like ties… watches… and ah… you know…."

“I know?”

I probed.

“Lingerie… Madoka-san. Lingerie.”

I felt like an idiot as I looked away. Mary-san giggled as we continued to walk towards my restaurant. I wasn't going to imagine my soon-to-be auntie in something that seductive, but the thought of it did try to come. With a deep breath and a huff, I shot it out of my mind and began my march.

“I hope I didn’t make things awkward.”

Mary-san teased, but I ignored her. We finally reached my restaurant. That old-time sign still sat there that read The Red Roses.