Chapter 17

Zayden woke up at around 7 AM as he needed to buy some ingredients for the surprise dish for his mother, who would be coming home in the late afternoon. The surprise dish would be cooked by his aunt, Zoila, as he would be the one to meet his mother at the airport.

“Do you need help buying some ingredients for the Menudo?” Zoila asked Zayden on the phone. It was very evident in her voice that she had just woken up. Menudo is a Filipino dish, and this would be Zoila and Zayden’s surprise for Zenee.

“No need, Auntie,” Zayden answered. “But if there is an ingredient that is not available in the supermarket, I will message you.”

After they finished the call, Zayden finally went to the supermarket. He bought potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, cloves of garlic, onions, soy sauce, liver spread, meat (of course), and all the other ingredients needed for the Menudo dish. After buying all those ingredients, he then went home and took a bath.

While Zayden was taking a bat