On the Back Burner

by Diane Muldrow

  “How did we do?” Connor asked as Peichi counted out all the money from the envelope.

  “We did really well,” she said. She took out money to repay Mr. Moore. “This is for ingredients,” she explained. Then she paid each of the boys.

  “If you ever need help again, let us know,” Omar said enthusiastically.

  “Thanks, you guys,” Peichi said. “You’ve been great.”

  “No problem,” Connor said as the boys headed out the door. Peichi was about to walk out right behind them. But she stopped a moment, looking around the quiet house. From down the hall she could hear Mrs. Moore chatting on the kitchen phone.

  With a burst of speed, she raced up the front stairs. She just had to tell Amanda and Molly how it had all turned out so well. Peichi found the girls sprawled across their beds reading magazines.

  “Peichi!” Molly cried in an excited whisper. “Did Mom say you could come up?”

  “Not really,” Peichi admitted, shutting the door. She sat at the end of Amanda’s bed and told the twins how great Carmen, Freddie, and the boys had been. “Your parents are even doing the cleanup. Everyone’s been really helpful.”

  “Were the guys happy with the money?” Amanda asked.

  “They were extremely happy,” Peichi reported.

  “Good,” Molly said. “At first I didn’t want them here because I didn’t want a bunch of boys having to help us girls out, like we couldn’t handle it alone. But, you know, that wasn’t right. I was just thinking of them as boys—”

  “One very cute boy,” Amanda cut in.

  Molly rolled her eyes at her. “As I was saying, I was thinking of them as goof-off boys and not as friends-friends who know how to cook. It’s important for Dish to have some backup chefs just for times like these.”

  “You’re a good businesswoman, Molls,” Amanda said.

  “Thanks,” she replied. “Now I just have to work on being a healthy businesswoman.”

  Chapter 12

  By Tuesday, all the Chef Girls were recovered and back in school.

  “I’m so glad you’re all back!” Peichi exclaimed. “And guess what! I’ve got good news—you’re all invited to my house for the New Year’s Eve party tomorrow night!”

  “Your parents said we can come?” asked Natasha.

  “Yep. I brought home a couple of really good grades, and they really liked what I’ve done with my extra-credit project, so I’m on their good side again,” Peichi replied. “I’ll be filming the party for the end of my film, so look good.”

  “We always look good,” Shawn said, laughing.

  Amanda noticed a red sheet of paper tacked to the cafeteria bulletin board. Getting up from her seat, she went to see what it was about. She returned to the table, practically jumping with excitement.

  “What is it?” Molly asked.

  “I can’t believe we didn’t know about this sooner!” Amanda announced. “There’s going to be a Valentine’s Day dance this very Saturday. This Saturday! I’ve got to go shopping.”

  “Why would you want to waste your money on a fancy dress that you probably won’t even wear again until next Christmas? And it probably won’t fit you by then, anyway!” Molly said.

  “We know why she needs a new dress,” Natasha said with a smile.

  “Justin,” the girls sang out.

  “Quiet!” Amanda shushed them. “He’ll hear you.”

  Athena stopped by the table. “Hi, girls,” she said.

  “Athena! Guess what! I got a ninety on my last math test!” Peichi told her. “Those tutoring sessions with you helped so much.”

  “You go, Peichi!” Athena cheered. “Molly, I just wanted to remind you that tryouts for the softball team are next Monday in the field behind the gym. Are you still thinking of trying out?”

  “Yeah,” Molly said. “I’ll be there. Thanks.”

  “Bye,” Athena said, waving to the girls.

  “Athena is awesome,” Peichi commented.

  “She is,” Molly agreed.

  When the twins got home from school that day, they were surprised to find both of their parents at home—and in bed.

  “Oh, no!” Amanda cried. “We gave you the flu!”

  “I’m sorry, Mom and Dad,” Molly said.

  Mrs. Moore smiled weakly. “That’s okay, sweetheart,” she said in a raspy voice. “You get used to it when you’re a parent.”

  “Is there anything we can get you?” Molly asked, concerned.

  Mr. Moore opened one eye. “Orange juice?” he croaked.

  “I’m on it,” Amanda said, dashing out the door.

  “I’d love some chicken soup,” Mrs. Moore told Molly. “Do you think you girls could make some?”

  “No problem,” Molly replied. “Amanda and I will do the cooking and take care of Matthew while you guys are sick!”

  When Molly, Amanda, Shawn, and Natasha arrived at Peichi’s house on Wednesday night, they didn’t know quite what to expect. Mrs. Cheng greeted the girls at the front door, wearing a beautiful red silk dress. “Come in, girls. Happy New Year!”

  “Happy New Year!” they replied all together. All the girls were wearing red. Shawn had on the red silk blouse she had bought in Chinatown, and it looked great against her coffee-colored skin.

  “Shawn, I love that blouse so much!” Amanda said when Shawn took off her coat.

  “Thanks,” Shawn replied. “Red is definitely a good color for Aries!” Shawn smiled warmly at Amanda.

  There were nearly fifty people in the Cheng’s living room already. The house was full of live, blooming plants—pussy willows, plum blossoms, and narcissus, which smelled wonderful. Ah-mah and Ah-yeh waved to the girls. They were seated in comfortable chairs, talking to a group of their relatives and friends.

  “There’s Peichi,” Natasha said, pointing. Peichi was wandering through the crowd, filming everything from the buffet table to her grandparents.

  As the girls approached, Peichi turned the camera on them. “You don’t have to be Chinese to love Chinese New Year,” she said for the benefit of her film.

  “That’s for sure,” Shawn said. “This is great!”

  “Peichi, that dress is awesome!” Natasha exclaimed. Peichi’s dress was also red.

  “Thanks!” Peichi said. Smiling, she handed Shawn the camera and twirled around. Speaking into the camera, Peichi said, “Everything I’m wearing tonight is new—even my headband! It’s a tradition that everyone wear new clothes for Chinese New Year.”

  “So, when can we eat?” Molly asked. Everyone laughed.

  “Go right ahead!” Peichi said, taking back the camera and focusing it on a long buffet table. As the girls helped themselves to the buffet, Peichi explained what each dish was. “These dumplings are called jaotze,” she said. “They’re filled with Chinese cabbage and pork. These cakes are nian gao. The full name for them is nian nian gao sun, which means ‘be prosperous and successful.’ I hope this video report makes me prosperous and successful!” Peichi joked. “Over here we have lobster and l-o-n-g noodles. Then she pointed the camera at an impressive pile of fruit at one end of the table.

  “Tangerines and pomegranates are also good omens for the Chinese New Year,” Peichi continued, “and so is lotus root.” She moved to a side table, and the girls followed her. “This,” Peichi said proudly, “is the candy tray—officially known as The Tray of Togetherness. All of the candy on it—candied melon, litchi nut, kumquat, coconut, and peanuts—has a special meaning. And they’re all really yummy, too! We also have sesame cookie nuggets, which are sooo good!” She turned off the camera.

  “Peichi,” Shawn said, “these dumplings are best I’ve ever had!”

  “Thanks!” said Peichi. “Ah-mah was in the kitchen all day cooking! My dad even stayed home from work to help her. I love jaotze too.”

  All of the girls went back for second helpings. With all of the laughter, delicious food, and fun traditions, the night flew by. All too soon, it was time for the girls to go home. />
  “I wish it wasn’t a school night,” Natasha grumbled. “Then we could have stayed longer.”

  “I wish that, too!” Peichi said as she helped her friends get their coats.

  “Will you be up super-late tonight, Peichi?” Amanda asked.

  “Oh, definitely!” Peichi exclaimed. “Who could sleep when there’s a great party going on right downstairs? Besides, it’s tradition that kids get to stay up late on Chinese New Year! Also, I have to get the last shots for my video. Thanks so much for coming, guys! See you tomorrow!”

  “Bye Peichi!” chorused all of the girls. As Peichi waved at them from the doorway, Amanda and Molly both thought that they’d never seen her look happier.

  But the next day at school, Amanda noticed that Peichi seemed down. She hoped that Peichi was just tired from the night before, but she didn’t like the red look of her face or the way she seemed unable to smile at anything. Sure enough, just before lunch, Peichi went to the see the school nurse, who quickly called Mrs. Cheng to come pick her up.

  “She shouldn’t have snuck up to our room to visit us last Saturday,” Molly said.

  “Poor Peichi!” Amanda said. “First she was grounded, now she’s sick.”

  On Friday evening Amanda convinced her mother, who was feeling much better, to take her dress shopping down on Seventh Avenue. They went to three shops before they found the perfect crimson dress that had gracefully flowing short sleeves and ended about two inches above her knee.

  “It’s perfect—not super fancy but really pretty,” Amanda described the dress to Molly as she carefully hung it in the closet. “I can’t wait for this dance!”

  “I can,” Molly grumbled.

  Ignoring Molly’s lack of enthusiasm about the dance, Amanda said, “Listen, Molly, do you think we should invite Shawn over to get ready for the dance with us tomorrow afternoon?”

  “That’s good idea, Manda,” Molly replied. “Is Natasha going? Cause if she is, we should invite her, too.”

  “No, her parents said she’s too young to go to a dance at night.”

  Amanda called Shawn and she agreed to come over on Saturday around four o’clock. Molly opened the door for her. “What smells so good?” Shawn asked, putting down the large flowered tote she was carrying.

  “Nachos and homemade salsa,” Molly reported.

  “Amanda is in the kitchen taking them out of the oven now.

  “Yummm-eeee,” Shawn said as she and Molly went down to the kitchen.

  “Hi,” Amanda greeted them. “I hope you’re hungry. I made some lemonade, too. And brownies with mint frosting! I’m totally feeling in a party mood. Like this is a pre-dance get-ready party! It’s sort of like a sleepover in the afternoon. But without the sleeping.”

  “You’re right,” Shawn said, finding paper cups in the pantry. “Not that we do much sleeping at our sleepovers!” The girls laughed and went up to the twins’ bedroom.

  “It’s such a bummer that Natasha and Peichi aren’t here,” Molly commented.

  “I know,” Amanda agreed. “Poor Peichi! I still feel bad about giving her the flu.”

  “And poor Natasha,” Shawn added. “We need to work on her parents more! Maybe Amanda can make some more mandelbrodt for Mr. Ross!” The girls laughed, remembering how much Mr. Ross had loved the mandelbrodt Amanda had brought to the Rosses’ house at Hanukkah. Shawn hung her dress on a hook behind the bedroom door.

  “That’s adorable!” Amanda told Shawn when she saw her dress. Shawn’s dress was straight and short with dark purple swirls on a blue background. “It really goes with your purple glasses. And you won’t be dressed in red or pink like everyone else there.” She giggled. “Or like me!”

  Shawn held up a small bottle of shimmery blue nail polish. “And the dress goes exactly with this. Look, it’s a perfect match!

  After they finished the nachos, Shawn painted Amanda’s fingers with sparkly silver polish. Amanda returned the favor, using the shiny blue on Shawn.

  Molly sprawled out on her bed, resting her chin on her hands. She ate, chatted, and watched as Shawn helped Amanda set her hair with Mrs. Moore’s curlers. Then Shawn and Amanda shared the mirror as they applied just the lightest amount of blush and tinted lip gloss. Amanda was having such a good time that she let herself hope that everything was back to the way it used it be. This is like the old days, before Angie came along, Amanda thought. Maybe Sonia was right—maybe you really can create your own future.

  “Want some?” Amanda offered Molly holding up a tube of pale pink gloss.

  “Thanks, I’ll pass,” Molly answered. “That stuff makes my lips feel slimy.”

  “Okay,” Amanda said, rolling her eyes. “What are you wearing?”

  “My red angora sweater, black jeans, and boots. Is that okay?”

  “For you, that’s getting dressed up,” Shawn teased.

  Amanda looked at Shawn, and Shawn nodded. What’s up? Molly wondered, looking at her twin suspiciously. Shawn shut the door.

  “What are you guys doing?” Molly asked as Amanda and Shawn approached her.

  “Now, Molly,” Amanda began importantly. “You don’t have to get totally dressed up. But it is the Valentine’s Day dance. On Valentine’s Day. You have to look nicer than you would on any ordinary day. Right, Shawn?”

  “Right,” Shawn agreed, nodding her head. Together, Shawn and Amanda dragged Molly over to the curling iron.

  “Oh, come on,” Molly whined. But it was too late. Shawn and Amanda were already at work—Shawn adding a bit of blush to Molly’s cheeks, Amanda curling the ends of her hair. When they were finished, Molly dressed quickly. She hated to admit it, but the loose ponytail Amanda had carefully arranged her hair in did look nice—though she still thought the blush looked dumb. She rubbed it off when Amanda and Shawn weren’t looking. Soon all the girls were downstairs, putting on their coats. The phone rang and, as usual, Amanda grabbed it first. It was Natasha. “My parents said I could go!” she shouted excitedly.

  “Great!” Amanda squealed. “Do you need a ride?”

  “No, thanks. They have to drop me off and pick me up themselves, that’s part of the agreement. But I’ll see you there!”

  Amanda returned with the good news.

  “Awesome!” Molly cheered.

  “This dance is so exciting,” Amanda said with a little shiver. “I just have the feeling that something really wonderful is going to happen tonight.”

  Chapter 13

  “I can’t believe this is the gym,” Shawn said as the girls walked into the beautifully decorated dance. Red and white streamers hung from the ceilings. The lights had been dimmed and a disco ball hanging in the middle of the room sent little circles of light dancing over everything. The tables were covered in either red, white, or pink paper tablecloths. A DJ in the far corner by the locker rooms played loud, pulsing rock music.

  “Look at this place!” Molly said with a laugh. “All the boys are on one side of the gym, and all the girls are on the other.”

  “Look, there’s Natasha,” Amanda said. “She’s over by the food table. She looks so cute tonight!”

  “I can’t believe I’m here,” Natasha said when they joined her. “Ever since Amanda gave my dad that homemade mandelbrodt at Hanukkah, he thinks you guys are the greatest and that if you’re all doing something, it must be okay!” Shawn and Amanda looked at each other and laughed.

  “Well, he has excellent taste,” Amanda joked. “You look pretty.”

  “Thanks.” Natasha grabbed Amanda’s wrist. “There’s Justin.”

  “Go thank him for helping us cook last week,” Shawn suggested. “That’s a perfect excuse to talk to him.”

  With a nod, Amanda walked quickly over to Justin, who stood alone by the beverage area. “Hi, Justin. I wanted to say thanks for helping us last week. I felt so bad that I was sick and couldn’t cook.”

  “Hey, it’s cool. I was glad to help,” he replied. A slow song came up. Amanda looked up into his face, waiting f
or him to ask her to dance. She felt certain he was just about to!

  “I have to go talk to that guy over there about Monday’s English assignment,” he said instead. “See ya around. And if you need me for any more cooking jobs, let me know. Bye.”

  He walked away, leaving Amanda feeling completely let down. When she returned to Molly and Natasha, Shawn wasn’t there. “Did someone ask her to dance?” she asked.

  “No, she’s over there talking to Angie, Stephanie, and Jen from the cheerleading team,” Molly told her as she pointed across the cafeteria.

  “That’s the last we’ll see of her tonight,” Amanda grumbled, feeling her good mood fading fast.

  Connor came up to join them and, for once, he wasn’t with Omar. “Hi,” he said. “Um...Natasha, feel like dancing?”

  The three girls exchanged quick, darting glances. Who knew that Connor had a crush on Natasha? They had been totally clueless!

  Oh, no! Don’t blush, Amanda thought as Natasha turned bright red. That’s not cool.

  “Okay,” Natasha agreed. She’d never been asked to dance before. The song was fast, which made it all easier. If it had been a slow song, she didn’t know what she would have done!

  The twins tried not to watch while Natasha and Connor danced. As soon as the song ended, Natasha thanked Connor and scurried back to Molly and Amanda. She was still blushing, but she had a big, goofy smile on her face.

  “Ohmygosh! Connor asked you to dance!” Amanda whispered excitedly to Natasha.

  Natasha giggled. “I know! Isn’t that so funny? I’m, like, totally shocked!” She took a deep breath. “Whew! That made me really nervous. I’m kind of glad it’s over!”

  Amanda kept hoping that Justin would ask her to dance for the next slow song, but as the night passed, her hope started to fade. “This dance isn’t turning out the way I’d hoped,” Amanda said softly as they stood against the wall. “Shawn’s off with those cheerleaders again. Justin hasn’t asked me to dance even once, and the dance is nearly over.”