Ginger Tee

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

Marta pouted a little as Ezra cleaned her off and teasingly scolded her like a child. Truth was, she was probably making more of a mess than a child ever would. She let Ezra get all the flour off of her face, but her hair and dress were a hopeless case at this moment, getting it all out would require a good shake, but Marta didn’t want to make more of a mess, so she tried to keep the flour on her instead of the ground.

Determined to finish and not continue to destroy everything, Marta went back to the counter and began rolling out the dough. When it seemed to be the thickness she remembered reading on the recipe, she began to cut out the cookies. She decided to use her hand a guide, it made the most logical sense and it seemed to create the perfect size cookie, at least in her opinion. Once all the dough was cut into triangles, like Ezra said, she placed the cut-outs on the baking sheet. She then carefully scooped the filling Ezra finished for her onto each cookie and rubbed the egg wash onto the edges. Then she carefully folded each one into a triangle, a little frustrating at first, and some definitely came out more square shaped then triangle, but when she was finished she stood back, pretty proud of herself. For someone who has never backed, she felt she did very well, but the real test came when it was time to eat them.

Carefully lifting in the tray, not wanting to drop them, she walked over and slid them into the oven. She looked up at the clock to see what time it was, half past two in the afternoon. Once she determined when she would take the cookies out, she began helping Ezra clean up. She took the dirty dishes over to the sink and scrubbed them as good as she could. By the time they had everything cleaned up, Marta included who went out into the back behind the building and tried shaking as much of the flour off of her, the cookies were done.

She couldn’t help her excitement as she pulled them out, they weren’t burned, but a nice golden color. It took all her strength not to grab one and eat it right away, lest she wanted to burn her mouth. She looked up at Ezra, a huge grin on her face.

“Well how did I do?” she asked, bubbling with excitement. She had to remind herself she was a 17 year old lady who did not bounce around with joy like a child, even though she really wanted to.

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

Marta watched as Ezra took the flour and coated his hands before reaching in and started to move the dough around with his hands. Marta was definitely intrigued, she never imagined using her hands as the mixer, but it made sense. She watched him carefully, taking in his movements, how he rolled the dough and seemed to fold it over itself. He made it look so simple, yet Marta was sure she wouldn't be as successful. When he stopped, the dough still was only about half way mixed. She faced Ezra as he took her hands and put flour in them and before she could continue herself, Ezra put his hands on her cheeks and gave her a quick peck. She smiled, but glared playfully, fully aware there was now flour all over her face.

She reached up and wiped a little off on her forearms, and dropped her arms, instantly the flour getting on her dress. She went to go wipe it off, forgetting her hands were already coated in flour, and the result was even more flour on her dress. "Well good job Marta" she mumbled to herself, not caring about her dress so much as just making a mess in general.

Letting it go for now, she turned and faced the counter again and reached in and grabbed the dough. She smiled; it felt like soft clay, something she loved playing with as a child. She moved it around, trying to mimic Ezra's motions as best as she could. Once all the ingredients seemed to be blended together and the dough was all stuck together, she lifted it out onto the bowl, placing it on the counter which was covered in flour from her sloppiness. She looked around and tried to find the rolling pin, noticing it sitting on the shelf above her. She reached up, not realizing that on the same shelf was a box of flour, thankfully almost empty, but enough to create a disaster. Because as Marta pulled the rolling pin down, not realizing it, bumped the box of flour over and it all poured on top of her head.

She let out a gasp and jumped back, flour flying everywhere. Her hair, face and shoulders were ghost white now. She looked over at Ezra, a face of a guilty child who got caught trying to steal cookies, and said "I am so sor..." she began to apologize before sneezing and a flour cloud forming around her head.

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

Marta saw Ezra watching her out of the corner of her eyes, but it didn’t make her nervous. If anything it gave her motivation to do better. She watched as Ezra picked up a mixing tool, which she was pretty sure was called a whisk, but she didn’t want to sound stupid and be wrong. She took the whisk in her hand and placed it into the bowl and listened to Ezra’s instructions. It made sense, but the execution may result differently. A person can will themselves to do something right, but when it actually comes time to doing it, it could fail miserably.

But she didn’t need to worry because the next second, she felt Ezra’s hand on hers and his body pressed against her back. She got chills from the closeness and closed her eyes for a second to calm the butterflies forming in her stomach. She wasn’t sure if Ezra being close to her would ever stop feeling so wonderful. She watched and felt how he moved her hand with the whisk, letting her muscles try to memorize the movement. It felt weird, but natural at the same time. Once he let go, and stepped away, Marta continued to mix. She saw Ezra starting to slice the apricots. They really were Marta’s favorite fruit; she had one almost every morning with breakfast.

Once the mixture was all nice and fluffy, she reached over a grabbed the flour. She took the 1 cup measuring spoon and filled it up before pouring it into the bowl. She began to use the whisk again to mix the batter, but it got harder with the flour since it was turning into dough. She felt herself struggling, but kept going. She saw Ezra watching her carefully again and she had a hunch she was doing something wrong.

She reached over and put her index finger into the extra flour, then reached up and smeared it onto Ezra’s nose. She let out a small giggle before saying, “Clearly I am messing up, so tell me what to do.”

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

Marta watched with curiosity as Ezra went over to a shelf a pulled down a metal box. Marta took a peek while he was looking through it and saw it was filled with recipes. All hand-written, probably passed down for generations. It made Marta smile, though it was slightly bittersweet for her. Just spending these two days around Ezra has made her realize, as much as she loves her parents, they lacked in that family bond and closeness that Ezra seems to have with his parents. Marta and her parents didn’t have many traditions, aside from a couple little things around Christmas, and they definitely didn’t have family recipes handed down from grandparents and their parents before that. No need to dwell though, maybe one day she would be joining Ezra’s family.

Marta’s smile grew, teeth showing, when Ezra said they would bake cookies. Her sweet tooth was itching now. If Marta could learn how to bake cookies, she would never have to worry about sneaking treats. She could just make some up herself. When Ezra explained this was his grandmother’s recipe, and it was the first thing he learned how to bake, Marta felt a warmth grow in her heart. He was including her in something special, and it made her feel special, even if that wasn’t his intention.

Memorizing was something Marta is very good at. Growing up, her piano teacher made her always memorize her sheet music for whatever piano piece she was learning that week. Because of that, the skill of remembering things became easy for her. She remembered numbers, dates and names very well. So when Ezra was reading part of the recipe out loud, Marta was glancing over his shoulders and memorizing all the measurements as quickly as she could. Even though Marta has not baked, she is still educated and has learned the fundamental measurements. She knows how many teaspoons make up a tablespoons. And how to cut a whole cup of something into parts. Maybe baking wouldn’t be too hard.

Her excitement growing, she followed Ezra into the back and watched as he pulled all the necessary ingredients and prep-items they would need. She looked at everything on the counter, already thinking of the first step of the recipe she had read. She looked up when Ezra said they could bake something else, she quickly shook her head.

“Cookies are perfect! The sweeter the better… plus apricots are my favorite.” she said, with a small wink as she walked up to the counter.

She bit her lip gently, and took a deep breath, the same way she always did right before she was about to play the piano. She reached over and grabbed the biggest bowl that Ezra got out. She spotted the cream cheese and butter and brought them over to her and looked at them. Ok now she was stumped. She knew she needed 4 oz of cream cheese, but cream is solid. How do you measure a solid using liquid measurements? She looked at Ezra for a second, a slightly puzzled look on her face, before glancing back and seeing a glass jar with markings on the side. She picked it up and saw there were measurements on it, like a ruler, and noticed one side said ounces. So carefully, she scooped the cream cheese into the jar until it measured 4 oz.

After a few minutes of checking and re-checking, Marta had the first part of the mixture in the bowl, ready to stir. She looked around for a minute, at a lost for what she was suppose to stir with to make everything “fluffy”. Having being stubborn and not asking for Ezra’s help, she was now stuck.

Letting out a slightly defeated sigh, she looked at Ezra, “OK now what?”

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

Marta smiled brightly as she listened to Ezra. She couldn’t agree more. They haven’t had time to just be with each other, no drama involved. Marta wanted this to be special, and to her that meant knowing everything about Ezra. And if the only way to do that was to just pretend nothing else existed for a few hours, Marta would definitely join in. She felt Ezra take her hand, which she allowed. She would always allow him to take her hand, unless maybe if it was covered in mud or something, but even then, if he really wanted to, she would.

She inched a little forward, standing next to Ezra facing him, her hip leaning against the counter. She noticed the pain in her stomach was starting to dull, the pill must be kicking in. She smiled up at Ezra and said, “I would love nothing more.”

She looked in his blue-green eyes and truly began to look at his face for the first time. She noticed that his eyes were mostly blue, but there were little speckles of green that made it seem like she was looking into the ocean. Marta and her family would vacation in the south of France almost every year. This past summer was the first time they hadn’t gone; her father being too busy at work.

Marta also started to memorize all of Ezra’s feature. The way his brown curls were long enough to cover the tops of his eyes. His square jaw and how it gave him a mature look. When he smiled at her, he had one dimple on one side of his cheek. Ezra was truly a handsome man and Marta cannot deny the attraction. But her attraction for him goes much deeper than looks, but she can’t help loving what she does get to look at.

Unable to resist the urge anymore, Marta reached up, running her hands through Ezra’s hair, pushing his bangs away from his face a little. She loved how soft his hair was; maybe it was a secret baker trick, maybe flour was the best hair softener.

“So, how about you teach me to bake something?” Marta asked with a quirked eyebrow. Baking seemed to be something Ezra was good at and it would be a great thing for Marta to learn about. She hadn’t a clue how to bake anything. And it would give her a chance to get a glimpse more into Ezra’s life, and maybe her future.

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

Marta nodded her head and smiled. If Ezra wanted her around, she wouldn’t say no. It was all she wanted too, so should we stay.

“Ok I’ll stay” she mentioned quietly, but listening to Ezra go on about how his father made the bread. It was so good, And she had a hunch Ezra made it just as good, assuming he learned from his father, which is usually how things worked in a family owned business. She was about to ask more about the breads, when she saw Ezra’s demeanor fall. He suddenly seemed sad and she listened as he went on about his necklace.

Glancing at his neck, Marta noticed the gold chain missing. She frowned. She knew right away that Oscar and his friends took it. Why was that necessary? Marta felt her blood boil, but she remained calm for Ezra’s sake. Marta started to think about how maybe she could get the necklace back. Maybe Sarah could help; Marta quickly shook that thought from her head. Oscar has most likely told Sarah about Marta’s new friends and choices she is making, and Sarah would be disgusted and never talk to Marta again. Marta just hoped she didn’t start gossiping all over her school. Marta would figure out who to tell and when to tell them in her own time. But having them hear it through the rumor mill would only end in a catastrophe. There was nothing she could do about it right now, so she put the thoughts on the backburner.

“Ezra I am so sorry...To have some so irreplaceable taken from you, I can’t imagine.”

It would be like you taken away from me , Marta thought to herself. Marta’s family didn’t have too many traditions or heirlooms. Since her father grew up poor, he did not have many possessions as a child, and Marta’s mother’s sister, who was the older one, ended up with all their family trinkets. So their belongings were fresh and new to them. Maybe Marta would start a tradition. Maybe she would have a daughter she could give something too. And maybe that daughter would receive the necklace from her grandmother, Edith. The thought made Marta smile to herself a little. Having children was 1000 steps too early. Plus, bringing a child into this world right now would be cruel.

She saw Ezra push the rest of his uneaten sandwich in front of her. She was still a little hungry, since all she ate for breakfast was a couple pieces of fruit, but she didn’t want to seem fat and gross and eat the rest of his. But he offered, and it was so good, so she picked it up and took a bite, but set it down for now. Maybe she would finish it later.

She looked up and saw Ezra smiling brightly at her. She hadn’t a clue what brought on the sudden joy in his eyes. Only moments ago he was mourning over his lost necklace. Out of instinct, Marta reached up and thought maybe she had something on her face and he was just teasing her about it.

“What?” she asked, a giggle escaping her lips, “Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something in my teeth?”

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

The kiss was perfect. It soothed Marta and kept her grounded. It took away the pain, physical and emotional, even if it was just temporary. She wrapped her arms around Ezra’s neck, pulling him closer. Her chest pressing against his. Her fingers found their way into his curls, and she felt his tongue. Every nerve ending on her body was tingling, in a good way. At some point, she felt herself being lifted and Marta didn’t fight against it. She parted her legs slightly, not in a sexual way, but so Ezra could stand between her straddled legs and continue to closer to her. Marta had no clue where this kiss was going, she knew not much further, at least not yet, but she knew she didn’t want it to end.

But Ezra finally pulled back, Marta kept her eyes closed as he laid kisses over her face. There was peace. Even if it only lasted a second. Everything outside these doors did not matter for that mere second. It didn’t matter what religion they believed in, their social standings, their friends or parents. For that brief moment, it was just the two of them being together.

And in an instant, it was gone. Marta let her eyes slowly open when Ezra pulled away. She took a minute to compose herself, straightening out her dress before carefully climbing off the counter. She look over at the sandwich, picking it up and taking a bite. The bread, which was still slightly warm from the oven, was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted. And the meat had a different taste than she was use to, a better taste. It tasted more natural and rich. Not tainted by chemicals or other by-products that are probably contained in the meat her family eats. It was so good, Marta took a minute to just enjoy it and sort of ignore Ezra.

She heard him mentioning staying at his place tonight, and that made Marta look up and stop eating for a moment. She did tell her mother as she was walking out the door earlier that she may spend the night at Sarah’s, so she was covered. She was hesitant about letting his mother look at her. The less involved his parents were, the better. Plus, Marta was too ashamed.

“I wouldn’t want to intrude…” she started to say. Her proper upbringing flashing through for a moment. It was impolite to invade a person’s home, even though she was invited. But it still felt like an intrusion because Marta could tell he was very close to his parents, especially his mother. She was sure that the evenings were their time to be together and just discuss their days with another.

Marta took the last bite of her sandwich, and noticed Ezra still had half of his left. She blushed, feel embarrassed that she ate it so fast. But it was seriously the best sandwich she has ever had.

“Did you make the bread?” she asked curiously.

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

Marta watched as Ezra placed a bottle of pills on the counter. She frowned. He figured it out; guess she wasn’t a very good actress. How obvious was it that she was in pain? She held off taking them, because then it would be her way of fully admitting something happened. And Ezra didn’t deserve that. He was better off knowing, but that didn’t seem to matter anymore.

She gave Ezra her full attention when he started to speak about kosher foods. Marta had no idea it was in depth as it was, and it really was fascinating. She wished she was feeling better, so she could focus more, but she did the best she could. Marta never even considered where her food came from. It was prepared for her, given to her, and she ate it. She took her food for granted, but not Jewish people. They knew how to cherish food and treat it for the respect it deserves. It is what kept humans alive, so it should be natural to respect it.

Marta watched as Ezra went into the back, and she took the time to reach over and take a pill from the bottle. If she was going to be give Ezra her full undivided attention, she didn’t need any distractions. She popped the pill in her mouth and dry swallowed it just as Ezra came back. She watched him put their sandwiches together with such fascination. It may seem silly, but to her, this was like watching an artist paint a masterpiece. Marta doesn’t know how to cook a single thing. She has hardly ever stepped foot in her house’s kitchen. She didn’t have to when there was a full time chef always there, ready to prepare whatever she wanted.

Marta frowned again as Ezra admitting to knowing that she was hurt. What exactly happened, he was obviously still clueless about, but he figured it out regardless. Was she that easy to read? Or did they know eachother well enough already to not need words to communicate certain things? Marta would like to think that was the case. Hearing him mention that he really shouldn’t even bother pretending to not want to kiss her, Marta bit her lip, almost in a flirtatious way, but mostly in a shy way. Even though they have shared three kisses already, all of them had some other meaning behind them. They haven’t shared a kiss that was just a kiss. A moment of tenderness between two people.

“Then kiss me” she whispered back, looking at him with gentle eyes.

My Better Half [tlstiffl + avanhelsing]

@Avanhelsing that could work!

Why Can't This Be? [arockysmith + tlstiffl]

Marta was having more and more a difficult time ignoring the pain in her stomach. It needed medical attention, or at the least, an aspirin and some ice. But Ezra couldn’t know. So to try her best to ignore the pain, Marta began biting the inside of her cheek, hoping the pain in her mouth would distract from the pain in her stomach.

She heard Ezra say to stop crying. She reached up, wiping the excess tears off her face and did her best to take in a calming breath, but it hurt too much. If Ezra wanted to ignore reality for a moment, Marta would not deny him that. From now on, all that mattered was what Ezra wanted. If he wanted to talk about school and their childhood, she would. If he wanted to teach her about the Torah and Jewish traditions, she would listen. If he wanted her out of his life forever, she would leave. All that mattered was the happiness of his boy. And she would give him as much of it as she could.

Marta barely caught his next comment, and when she did, she frowned. What was it suppose to mean? If this country wasn’t on the brink of war and Ezra wasn’t fighting everyday to survive, would they never? Were they even a thing now? Marta didn’t even know how to define their relationship. She cares deeply, admittedly loving him. But if yesterday had just been a normal day, a day where Ezra’s past didn’t include almost dying, a day where Jewish and Christians mingled with no tension or hate, would it have gone differently? For one thing, Ezra would have never judged her reason for walking into that bakery and she would have never fled from embarrassment.

How would things have gone if it was just a normal day?

Tasting blood in her mouth, Marta knew she bit down to hard on the inside of her cheek. At least now, she could focus on that instead of the pain in her stomach. She didn’t want to respond to his comment about love because he didn’t want to talk about their relationship, and she must do what he wants.

So pushing the thoughts, and as much of the pain as she could, to the side, Marta stepped a little closer to Ezra, watching him slice the bread. “So what exactly makes food kosher?”