Aunt Mia let out a quiet laugh.
"Jester actually offered to help but i wanted to try myself."
She smiled sheepishly, her expression becoming brighter than Michael had seen in years before slowly softening into something gentler carrying a trace of nostalgia as she looked through the kitchen window toward the peaceful lake outside.
"…It's been eleven years."
Michael remained silent, sensing the change of mood in the atmosphere.
Aunt Mia continued quietly.
"Eleven years since I started taking care of you."
Her fingers absentmindedly adjusted one of the fish lying on the cutting board.
"And thirteen years since my husband passed away."
The kitchen fell quiet, with only the faint sizzling from the stove remaining as Aunt Mia smiled faintly.
"You know…"
"I actually met him during a fishing trip."
Michael looked up.
"I had just graduated from university and was attending a cooking academy afterward."
She laughed softly.
