"Maybe you could let me get some rest and make those sometime," he teased. "Or at least try to replicate it."

--he had to remember not to shake his head or nod it while Lea was at this proximity. After a moment, he went back to the topic at hand, raising the blade and talking, then pausing to follow his own instructions. "You take off the top and the bottom, like this--and cut it in half. On an onion, there're these grooves. They're in a circular pattern, so you can use that to cut them into slices."

With one quick slice, he set down the knife and showed the thin strips of onion up to Lea, though his eyes were already starting to water.