01/01 Chapter 357: My way home is through you
Today was New Year’s Eve. We woke up at the apartment and waited for your dad to arrive before heading to my parents' house. We got there fairly early, considering the day.
We had made plans with Camille and her family to meet at 4:00 PM, but I suspected I’d be a little late, so I asked if 5:00 PM would work instead, and we agreed on that. Funny enough, we ended up arriving at 4:00 PM anyway, but Camille’s family didn’t get there until around 7:00 or 7:30.
I had bought some goodies, lots of nuts like my dad prepares at Christmas, and spent quite a bit of money on them. Brazil nuts, walnuts, chocolate-covered almonds, smoked almonds—and I even got Parmesan cheese chips, which we missed at Christmas. Everyone loved them. Who wouldn’t? Camille brought pistachios, and just as I expected, once she started eating them, she couldn’t stop. Thanks to me, another person got hooked on pistachios! But I warned her not to get too used to it—pistachios are fancy and expensive, a treat I usually only indulge in at Christmas. During the rest of the year, I settle for pistachio-flavored ice cream or chocolate, but it’s not quite the same. It’s like two completely different things.
We chatted the night away, and the time just flew by. My godmother, Aunt Cuca, helped with the cooking. She made her famous gratin potatoes from Christmas and stuffed chicken. Camila brought a tender, but her version was different from my mom’s California-style tender with fruit. Hers was savory, buttered, and right up my alley.
Then came the drama. Your dad suddenly shouted from the kitchen, and I immediately knew something was wrong. He showed me the chicken I’d left out of the fridge. Despite being covered in aluminum foil, ants had invaded it! The chicken was crawling with them. I called Camila for backup, and we decided to salvage it. No way were we wasting such delicious chicken. Thankfully, the ants were only on the top layer, where the cheese was, so I carefully removed them. It took a bit of effort, and I could still feel tiny ants crawling on me afterward, but at least our food was saved.
We heated up the dishes, and I prepared my almond rice, but it was a disaster. Since I was making a large batch for everyone, I wasn’t sure about the water ratio. The rice turned out mushy at first and then completely dried out. It was edible but far from the fluffy, delicious rice it was made at Christmas. I’ve come to accept the harsh truth: I’m a terrible cook. Like it or not, some truths just need to be faced.
Later, you were in a terrible mood. The only solution was to put you to bed early since you hadn’t napped all day. You fell asleep at 9:00 PM, which made me a bit uneasy. Ideally, you’d sleep after 9:40 PM to avoid waking up in the middle of the night. But I put you to bed in the living room to keep an eye on you, closed the doors, and we sat down to dinner just before midnight. We had to eat quickly, though, because midnight was fast approaching. Once we finished, we went outside to pop champagne and wish each other a Happy New Year.
Afterward, I kissed you gently and whispered, “Happy New Year, my love.” This was our third New Year’s Eve together, and each one only makes me happier to have you by my side. Wherever I am, you’re my home. You always will be. Or at least my way home is through you.
My parents had wanted to take you to the beach to spend New Year’s with them and your cousin, but I couldn’t agree to that. New Year’s wouldn’t be the same without you, even if you were just sleeping through it. We settled on letting you visit Caraguá later this month on a non-holiday trip.
We spent the night playing games. One of our favorites was the auction game. A few weeks ago, Camila collected money from everyone, bought prizes, wrapped them, and handed out fake money. We bid on each prize she revealed, and the highest bidder won. Sometimes it was something cool and unique; other times, it was a joke prize, like instant noodles. That’s the fun of it.
We also played COUP, a clever, strategic game that everyone loved. We spent almost the entire night playing it. Later, we had dessert—a brigadeiro pie that Camila and I bought from a fancy Brazilian bakery. It cost around R$160, but it was worth every cent. The cake was divine, though a bit too sweet for your dad, who couldn’t even finish three bites. You were asleep, so you missed out, but there was plenty left for the next day.
Around 12:30 or 1:00 AM, my fears came true: you woke up. And once you were up, there was no stopping you. Fully recharged, you were running around, keeping everyone on their toes while we grew more exhausted. You, on the other hand, only got more energetic. You joined in on the games, dashing around and shouting gleefully.
At one point, while your dad tried putting you back to sleep, the rest of us—me, Camila, Danilo, and Maria Fernanda—played UNO. We could hear you upstairs, practically tearing the house apart with your laughter and squeals. The UNO game dragged on so long that we gave up. By 4:30 or 5:00 AM, we finally headed to bed. You only fell asleep around 5:30, just as the sun was rising.
Despite everything, it was a unique and fun New Year’s celebration. I hope we get to do it again. Of course, I missed my parents, but I know everyone had fun in their own way. Happy New Year, my love. Here’s to an even better year ahead.
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário