When the short straw decided

Ben, Norbert, and Joshua were good friends from way back in college. Ben has always loved homemade meals, while Norbert loves eating out despite knowing how to cook. Joshua is in between; he enjoys both outside food and homemade meals.

Most times, they take turns in making the meals. Norbert cooks better than all of them, followed by Ben. Joshua can only prepare noodles and boil white rice; anything short of that, counts him out of it.

Norbert, Ben, and Joshua were lounging on the couch, flipping through food delivery apps. They had been relying on takeout for weeks, and their kitchen had become a mere decoration.

One evening, as they were deciding on yet another food place, Ben suddenly suggested, 'You know what? Let's cook something ourselves.'

Joshua raised an eyebrow."But I'm not exactly the next Gordon Ramsay."

Norbert chuckled. Neither am I, but how hard can it be, right?

The problem arose when they couldn't agree on who would do the cooking. Joshua thought Ben should take the reins, while Ben insisted Norbert was the better chef. The debate went back and forth, with neither willing to budge.

They all kept quiet and were looking at each other; nobody was willing to do the cooking. Joshua said Norbert should cook, Ben has been the one cooking all this while, especially whenever we are tired of ordering food.

Norbert asked him, 'If you cook food, will your surname change?'

Joshua giggled, 'It will change and I am not about to go to prison for food poisoning.'

'It's high time you learn to cook and stop using this excuse of not knowing how to cook to dodge every time,' Ben scoffed.

Joshua wasn't moved at all. 'As my mother, you will teach me at this old age,

'Haha. 'So if they call old people, you will come out. My friend, this excuse is outdated,' Norbert said, lying down properly on the couch.

Ben shook his head. 'This means we have no other choice but to order or head out to eat.'

'No, one of you should make up your mind to cook. I really miss homemade meals,' Joshua protested.

'As you are tired and lazy, that's how we are today, so let's make up our minds to order or eat out,' Norbert said.

Just as it seemed like they'd head out for dinner after all, Ben said, 'Let's head to the Chinese restaurant at No. 19.'

'No, I don't want Chinese food. I need white rice and chicken sauce,' Joshua said as a matter of fact.

'And I want jollof rice with chicken from Liza's place,' Norbert chimed in.

'It seems like we won't come to an agreement like this. Let everybody go to their own restaurant and eat,' Ben suggested.

'Who will go with the car and who will book a Bolt?' Joshua asked.

'You know what, instead of us going back and forth with this eating and cooking stuff, I have got an idea.' 'Let's settle this once and for all,' Norbert said with a mischievous grin. 'Shortest straw wins or loses, depending on how you look at it.'

After a while, they all agreed, and found three straws of different lengths and agreed that whoever drew the shortest straw would have to do the cooking.

Ben drew first, followed by Norbert, then finally Joshua. When they were done picking their straws, after a quick comparison, it was clear Joshua's straw was the shortest.

He let out a mock dramatic sigh and said, 'I guess I'm cooking tonight!'

Ben and Norbert patted him on the back. 'Don't worry, we will help with prep work. And we will even clean up afterward.'

Joshua couldn't help but laugh. 'You're making it hard for me to be mad.'

With renewed spirits, Norbert helped Joshua choose a recipe for chicken sauce, something Ben used to make, and he sat and enjoyed. Ben assisted with chopping vegetables and seasoning the chicken. As they cooked, the kitchen filled with the aroma of sizzling chicken sauce and smoky jollof rice.

When the dish was finally ready, they sat down to enjoy their hard work. The chicken sauce was a hit, and they all savored the flavors of their homemade meal.

As they cleaned up afterward, Ben and Norbert kept their promise. By the way, Ben turned to Joshua and said, 'You know, maybe we should all cook together more often.'

Norbert nodded in agreement. "Definitely, and maybe next time, I'll draw the short straw."

They all burst out laughing.

Images are AI generated

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