The sun set, and William returned to East 62nd Street holding an 11-pound Rainbow Trout. He was completely dry, making it hard for anyone to believe that he had jumped directly into the lake and caught the fish with his hands.
At that time, Amy had just gotten out of school. She had been playing near her grandfather’s hot dog stand. Seeing William return with the big fish, she quickly asked her grandfather, “Grandpa, can I go play at Mr. Johnson’s house?”
Theo Hughes, upon seeing the size of the fish William held, remarked, “My goodness, William, where did you buy this fish from? You should’ve gotten a bag for it.”
Flashing his perfect white teeth in a grin, William replied, “I caught it over at Seneca Lake.”
“You’re pulling my leg! You caught this fish?” Theo Hughes skeptically asked as he handed William a large plastic bag filled with water for the fish. “My word, this fish must weigh 11 pounds! Looks like a big Rainbow Trout.”
“Yes, exactly 11 pounds,” said William. His judgment was as accurate as a digital scale: when he said 11 pounds, he meant not an ounce more or less.
Feeling a little ignored, Amy gathered her courage and asked William, “Mr. Johnson, can I go feed the rabbits in your yard?”
“Of course, let’s go! Theo Hughes, I’ll take Amy to my place for a while,” William replied, carrying the fish in one hand and leading Amy with the other towards his yard.
“Don’t mention it! I’ll come pick her up after I close up shop,” said Theo Hughes, whose hot dog stand was doing quite well.
William remembered his promise from the previous night to make fried fish sticks for Evelyn.
In the afternoon, Alice had prepared a large thermal food container, eagerly awaiting William’s dinner. Being William’s apprentice, she might not be great at many things, but she was always eager to join for a meal. ．𝙘𝙤𝙢
After tasting William’s cooking a few times, Alice found it hard to enjoy meals made by others.
Yesterday, William had found some batter and spices in the kitchen cabinet. Having caught some fish today, he decided to make fried fish sticks. Amy claimed she had come to feed the rabbits, but when she saw William head to the kitchen, she eagerly followed, perhaps thinking he might be cooking with rabbit meat again.
“Amy, are you hungry again?” William asked as he skillfully prepared the fish, descaling, gutting, and cutting it into strips. He looked like a professional chef.
Watching William’s swift movements, Amy curiously asked, “Mr. Johnson, what delicious thing are you making now?”
“Fried fish sticks,” replied William. “Do you like them?”
Amy nodded earnestly.
William chuckled and told her to go feed the rabbit, “That little rabbit outside is too skinny. You need to feed it more, or else next time there won’t be enough for you to eat.”
“You’re going to eat the rabbit again?!” Amy’s big eyes widened in apparent shock, seemingly conveying that she thought William was the bad guy.
William asked, “You don’t want to eat it?”
“I’m going to feed the rabbit!” Amy declared, and then dashed out of the kitchen.
Chuckling, William started to coat the fish sticks in batter. Seeing that it was past six o’clock and Evelyn would soon be out of school, he began to heat the oil. Once it reached the right temperature, he carefully placed the battered fish strips in, frying them to a golden crisp. Minutes later, the delicious fried fish sticks were ready. William placed them on a plate and paired them with his homemade sauce.
He quickly concocted a dipping sauce from a bottle of ketchup, enhancing the deliciousness of the fried fish sticks. The enticing aroma lured Amy back inside.
She gazed longingly at William, who promptly served her a plate of fried fish sticks with his special sauce, inviting her to eat in the courtyard.
“Nathaniel! Come and try the fish sticks I made.” William called across the yard. He had just seen Nathaniel playing chess with another elderly man in the garden. At his call, both men immediately abandoned their game and hurried over, hunched over slightly.
“I caught a Rainbow Trout this afternoon and made some fish sticks. You guys eat here in my yard. Watch over Amy; Theo will be coming to pick her up after closing his stall. I have to head to the school.” William was straightforward with the two men, inviting them to eat the fish sticks and asking them to look after Amy, which seemed quite appropriate.
The fish he caught was a Rainbow Trout, which naturally has very few bones. Moreover, William had meticulously removed any remaining ones, ensuring that neither the elderly men nor Amy would choke on them.
After giving them a reassuring smile, William picked up his bag filled with fish sticks and headed towards the street. To get to his destination more quickly, he hailed an Uber using his phone instead of using his special power to instantly teleport to the bookstore.
While in the car, William sent Evelyn a message: “Come to the bookstore; I’ve got something delicious waiting for you!”
He then texted Alice: “Bring some snacks. I’m bringing the fish sticks.”
Alice replied with an ‘OK’ hand gesture, once again successfully planning to mooch a meal.
By the time William arrived at the bookstore, Evelyn hadn’t shown up yet. Besides Alice, Walker was still in the shop, and surprisingly, Nelson was there too.
“Snacks are here!” Alice announced. She had even brought extra cutlery to the shop, looking expectantly at William.
Just having mooched a few meals, the sight of William’s bag of fish sticks made Alice’s mouth water. Though she knew these were primarily for Evelyn, as William’s apprentice, she hoped she might get a share.
There were only three sets of utensils on the table. As William set down his insulated lunch box, Walker enthusiastically said, “Cousin, you brought food? We need more utensils. I’ll grab some!”
Mainly, Walker wanted to impress Nelson. However, upon seeing William, Nelson tensed up, unsure of what to say.
“You both aren’t getting any of this! If you want to eat, find your own food!” William’s expression turned frosty. The fish sticks he made weren’t for everyone, especially not for the likes of Walker. How many times had he told him not to call him ‘cousin’? Did he really want a dressing-down?
Walker, upon hearing William’s comment, frowned and said, “That’s not fair. Nelson’s a guest here. Shouldn’t you have prepared some food for him?”
William’s gaze settled on Nelson, asking, “Do you want some?”
With a fierce and intimidating look in his eyes, Nelson genuinely believed that if he admitted he was hungry, he might end up in grave danger. He quickly waved his hands, “I’m not hungry! Really, I’m not!”
Ignoring him, William turned away. Walker, still not grasping the situation, huffed, “I want to see what delicacies you have in there!”
“How dare you!”
Nelson instinctively shouted, startling Walker, whose hand was already reaching out. Seeing Nelson’s stern face, Walker didn’t dare proceed.
William shot Walker a sharp look. If Walker had actually touched that insulated lunch box, his hands would surely have been ruined!