With Jaime's phone privileges restored, Gray hadn't expected a call from Ijemma. Truthfully, he figured Ijemma would rather call a different contractor for her fixer upper. Yet, when he answered the call, he wasn't all that surprised. His work spoke for itself and sometimes, luckily, it spoke louder than the rumor mill.
Gray was letting himself be led through the house, she hadn't lied about the 80s aesthetic, and found himself pleasantly surprised. It was a nice place but not ostentatious, either. It'd clean up nice, he thought. It was when Ijemma turned around that he drew away from his thoughts. "You weren't joking," Gray said whistling at the sight of the kitchen cabinets. It was always kitchen's that got the brunt of it. "So, I'm guessing this is where you want to start, or is it the bathrooms?"
Jemma and Ember try to recreate one of Jemma's favorite dishes and chat
ft. @ijemmaokafor
Jemma:
-finding Ember in the kitchen, Jemma stops by- Hey hon, I’ve got that recipe if you wanna run through what we’ve got on hand for it.
Ember:
Yes, I would love to! Come on, by now I've memorized basically everything we've got in our storage, so it should be easy to figure out if it is possible.
Jemma:
Nice thing is, it’s pretty versatile. My gramma always made it with goat meat, but chicken works, too. Or just veggies, if that’s what’s on hand. The key is the peppers, so…what kinda do we have on hand?
Ember:
We don't have the biggest variety, but there are some choices. There are bell peppers, mostly red, but there are some green too. Jalapeno though they are not as hot as I'd prefer, but I think it's best for a lot of people. And black and white peppers for seasoning, mostly whole. Is it more of a sweet or savory soup?
Jemma:
-as Ember pointed out each type of pepper in the pantry, she collected them up- Well I think we can make do. Probably best we don't use scotch bonnets anyway...soup made in bulk like this, I don't think most folks can handle the real real spice. spotting bullion cubes, she grabs a couple It's a savory soup, mostly. The real authentic stuff uses these seed pods that are kinda like black peppercorns, but they have a fruitier kind of aroma. Doesn't quite make it sweet...ours will have to be savory.
Ember:
Yeah, they probably cannot handle the heat. At this point I know how to cook without heat intentionally, but when I started learning to cook, that was kind of a struggle, everything just turned out hot. -she nodded and started picking up spices and veggies for the base and placing them on the kitchen counter- Savory it is. I'm assuming onion, garlic, salt is needed? Wish we could do the authentic version, but but black peppercorns it is. You said your grandma used to make this, right?
Jemma:
Onions and salt yes, garlic...I don't know, keep it out just in case. I don't remember gramma using it, but we'll taste along the way and see if it helps since we're ad-libbing anyway. Her family was from Lagos, West Nigerians go heavy on the spice, and this was about as versatile as keeping a bottle of tabasco on the table. You can eat it by itself, add rice or yams. The trick is how you prep the peppers.
-remembering a last minute addition- NUTMEG. Do we have any nutmeg??
Ember:
-thinks for a moment- Hold on, there should be some... -reached at the back of one of the shelves and pulled out a smaller baggie, grinning at Jemma- HA, victory! Yes, we absolutely have nutmeg. Alright, which of the peppers are we using? Cause the prep on them heavily depend on it. Have you ever been to Lagos, by the way?
Jemma:
Twice! A cousin got married and they turned it into a big family reunion. And then I went again when I studied abroad. -considering the ingredients in front of her- Let's do the red peppers and the jalapeños. I know they're supposed to be roasted before they're stewed in the soup. And to save one pepper that gets sliced as a fresh garnish. But that's about the extent of what I know.
Ember:
You studied abroad? That sounds really cool. What kind of places have you seen during it? -nodded- That was my assumption. And then cook it up with stock from the bullion, the chicken - oh, we have chicken, we can use that, I forgot to say. Do you wanna help or do you just wanna watch? I'm good with either version, I like figuring things out. -she already put her hair up into a ponytail and started to work on the prep work-
Jemma:
I needed an international law credit and I'd always wanted to see more of my grandparents' home, so I signed up for a six-week trip across West Africa. Lagos was just one of the stops, but I got to see family while I was there. As for helping out...I can chop onions?
Ember:
I know I said this before, but that's really cool. Did you have a favorite spot, or something that was outstanding you've seen that stuck with you? -she got the onions with a knife for Jemma- There you go, can you do small dices? Just make sure not to cut the tip of your finger off. I saw that once, and it's not fun.
Jemma:
The whole city was pretty dazzling. There was a conservation center with this canopy walk though…wish I had pictures to share, that place was amazing. What about you? What’s the coolest place you’ve ever been?
Ember:
Makes you think about the old days, when they printed out all the photos a couple of decades ago, right? For me it was Mexico for sure. The only time I've been outside of the country, but I'll never forget it. My abuelita grew up near San Cristobal. Walking through the streets there just felt magical.
Jemma:
I've never been to Mexico...but some of my favorite actors and directors were from there. I always figured it must be beautiful to inspire so much art. -she stays quiet for a moment, considering the woman before her, and just how enthusiastically she's thrown herself into this community- Y'know, forgive me if this is presumptive--working in the kitchens like you do is so crucial, and you're already totally pulling your weight. But is there anything else around town you might want to do? I'm always trying to keep an eye out for folks who have a kind of...community spirit about them? That makes it sound kinda corny, but do you know what I mean?
Ember:
That's... -chuckles- That's very kind of you, I was just trying to integrate. And feel like a human being again, if I'm being honest. But actually, now that you mentioned it, I did want to talk to you about something related to this. How much do you know about people having substance issues in Redwood?
Jemma:
I know there are a few who struggled with it in the before times. I’ve not seen it be an ongoing issue here, but we’ve got access to vices, and addiction’s a lifelong thing, so I could see it cropping up. Why, are you concerned about someone?
Ember:
-shook her head- No, I am not close enough with anyone to see it as something of a problem, I was just thinking-- do you think some sort of group meeting, something where people could talk about stuff like this, know there's some kind of support system there for them could be something this place could be interested in? I'm sure there are people from even before the outbreak with problems and then this environment makes people reach for these kinds of solutions easily
Jemma:
Kinda like an AA? Maybe not so much of the religious stuff -a lot of people's faith had been flipped upside down anyway- I think that could be good. We'll reserve the main room for it. Start with one get-together to gauge interest, then maybe schedule stuff from there?
Ember:
Yeah, see if people would be interested in it. -a pause- I know I'd be interested in it.
Jemma:
-she didn't want to pry right now, but the pause told her something important about her new friend- It's a really good idea. You tell me when you're ready to do it and we'll make it happen. I don't have any official experience with AA or NA, but I've helped folks in that world before, so I'd like to help where I can.
Ember:
I have no experience with any of it myself either. It all kind of happened right after the outbreak so I've never did anything like this before, but we can figure it out. And thank you, for your help with this, it means a lot.
Gray didn't make it his business to take care of his kids' responsibilities. Both Jesse and Jaime were old enough to make calls to their teachers, mentors, and bosses. The only issue this time around was his fifteen-year-old lost access to her technology and was grounded until further notice. So, now Gray was being led through some fancy office building, all sleek angles and sharp corners, guided by a receptionist to one Ijemma Okafor's office. At the sight of who he could only assume was Ijemma he offered his hand. "Sorry to stop by unannounced, but thank you for meeting me. I know Jaime's your intern and I'm not, but she's grounded and lost access to her phone," he explained. Then, cast a brief glance over everything in the office. "I'll drop her off after school tomorrow for her appointment with you; if you wouldn't mind can I have a physical copy of her schedule?"
Who is a person you'd like to talk to more/get to know better?
"I'd say I'm still in the process of getting to know everyone better since me and the Hawks have only been here a few months now. But I'm guessing you want actual names so, let me think: Clint, Ermano, and Ijemma."
