Chapter 72
“Hmm...” Samantha was nodding her head, and her eyes were twinkling as she was chewing the food. “This is delicious,” she commented after swallowing, which made Daniel smile.
“I told you, I know how to cook,” he responded while smiling before starting to put food in his mouth as well.
After having sex in the living room—on the sofa, to be specific—Daniel had tried to bring Samantha to his room to have another round of sex, but Samantha strongly refused and reminded Daniel that they hadn’t had dinner yet, that she’s starting to get hungry, and that he also still has to finish cooking the food that was left boiling in the stove. But Daniel was persistent, so Samantha had to promise him that she would let him do whatever he wanted as long as he finished cooking and they got to have dinner. Only then did Daniel leave her alone and go back to the kitchen to finish what he had started. And so they were finally having dinner, with Samantha only wearing the long-sleeve shirt that Daniel was wearing just a while ago. And when she said she was only wearing a long-sleeve shirt, that literally means she was not wearing anything underneath.
She was never comfortable wearing a bra, and since it was already taken off by Daniel, she did not bother to put it on anymore. As for her underwear, since it was wet and would be uncomfortable to wear, she chose not to wear it anymore and washed it instead and let it dry so that she could wear it once it was time to go home.
Of course, that was something Samantha wouldn’t normally do. She had never walked around in someone else's house with nothing but a long-sleeve shirt. But with Daniel, it somehow seemed natural and normal for her. She was not feeling any embarrassment or anything negative anymore. Maybe it’s because she’s already done it with Daniel many times now and there's nothing for her to hide anymore.
“This is really good,” Samantha remarked again after putting a chunk of meat inside her mouth. She was even closing her eyes while chewing, as if she were feeling the tastiness and juiciness of the food.
“I never thought you would be a good cook,” she said after swallowing the meat and looking at Daniel, who was smiling again.
“Losing my mother at such a young age, and my father being preoccupied with work in order to provide for my needs all while being depressed over the loss of his loving wife, forced me to learn to cook for myself and him,” Daniel answered as if it were nothing, but Samantha thought and felt differently.
She felt bad for him. And Daniel caught on to that. He then said, “Don’t feel sad for me. I don’t like to be pitied, to be honest.” His voice held seriousness in it, very different from his usual tone.
“Sorry,” Samantha murmured before putting another chunk of meat in her mouth and slowly chewing it that time.
The smile on Daniel’s face came back. “It’s alright. I know it wasn’t your intention. You're just acting and feeling like everyone else knows about my past. I mean, it was just the normal reaction.” His eyes then went to his plate filled with food, and he stared at it with a bitter smile on his face. “I used to feel that way too, you know? I used to pity my father, who was in despair when he lost my mom. I also pitied myself for losing my mother at such a young age. I pitied myself for not having someone to rely on during the days that I felt lonely because the only person I should be relying on was the one relying on me, asking me for strength. But then I realized that I should not be feeling that way. Instead of pitying myself, I should be stronger and start getting independent, not just for myself but for my dad as well. And so I started doing everything on my own. I started learning how to clean a house, do the laundry, be it using the washing machine or washing my clothes by hand, and do a lot of other things and work that adults usually do.
"As for cooking, since I have no one to teach me or someone I could ask, I relied on the internet to learn how to cook different dishes. But among all the dishes that I found on the internet, it was my dad's favorite dishes that I chose to learn first; since my mom passed, home-cooked meals have become non-existent and takeaway foods have become our norm. It was hard, you know? Being independent at such a young age and taking care of your father. But I managed and started doing a great job on everything, making me feel proud of myself. But what made me even prouder was that after getting independent, my father’s emotional state has gotten better as well. But other people couldn’t see that. The people who knew our family kept on saying that they pitied me for losing my mother at a very young age, but they had never acknowledged all the things I did to live a comfortable life every day, and they never saw how I was taking care of my father. It was always ‘I pity him’ and ‘I feel sad for him’, but never ‘I am proud of him’ or ‘he’s amazing for being able to stand on his own two feet’. I also hated the fact that they kept saying that they pity me but never did anything to help me. They all just sound like a bunch of hypocrites. And so, since then, I started to dislike being pitied.” Daniel then finally raised his head again to look at Samantha, the bitterness on his smile. “But of course I don’t see everyone like that. Especially you and your mom. I can see and feel the sincerity from both of you, so I hope you don’t feel offended by what I just said.”