Gift Giver
Page 6
“This is what I call a Jelly Donut!”
She grew up with the commercial, I didn’t have the chance to see it and so she found if for me on the internet. Faye does this for all of the crazy references she likes to surprise me with. I appreciate these views into the past as long as I’ve had some coffee and the sun is shining.
-
Forty-five minutes later, I open my bakery which has become ghostly quite during the night. Respecting the peace, I start working the dough and no sooner than I start, the morning crew begins appearing. I have a knack for hiring people with the same distaste for mornings as I have. The morning progresses in silence for a blissful fifteen minutes before my morning manager roles in.
Like most other mornings, Penny is belting out the last song she’s heard on her car radio; she bursts into our workspace and scares away the silence until tomorrow.
Penny shares my wife’s love of mornings and most likely has already put in a half days work already. She starts bustling around, good naturedly passing out greetings and barking orders causing our pace to steadily increase. In another fifteen minutes we are all racing down the track at breakneck speed on Penny’s crazy train.
It’s still dark and I’m busy applying order to the display case when the first customer of the day and knocks on our door. I open the door for Buzz and hand him a box full of a dozen mixed donuts plus the special angel cream filled sugar delivery system. He thanks me and reorders for tomorrow. The angel cream is for Buzz and the rest are for his bean walking crew that will start working the fields at sunrise. Now that the door has been opened, business won’t stop until sunset.
If this were a school day Faye would be in later with our daughter, Anne, for breakfast, but since summer vacation is in full swing, it’s a toss-up whether I’ll see them later or much later. To pass the time I pawn off the counter and cash register to Lucy and retire to the side office for a cat nap. Lucy is a sweetheart; she’s still disillusioned by high school.
I’m not really prone to narcolepsy, it just seems every day is longer than the day before. I’m just trying to catch up.
My twenty minute sleep timer expires, so I exit the office and realize my morning is over, we have two registers going, they are stacked.
I know nearly all the customers, so I wave, “Hi Everybody!” The response is overwhelming.
I felt like Doctor Nick. Faye showed me that one on the Internet also.
“Alright, so who is buying a dozen donuts?” I had three takers. This isn’t gonna end well.
-
My girl and my little girl showed up at work. Sometimes when things are too crazy to deal with, we hang out in the cafeteria with everyone else. But when we get some extra time, I hit the flattop and grill for my Girls. It’s usually, eggs, hash browns, toast and some meat; and today wasn’t any different.
Anne says, “Thanks Pops.”
“Anything for you my Sugar Plum.”
“You don’t need to condescend me.”
“But it’s my Job sweetness. I love all god’s creatures.”
“Dad! Stop!”
“I’m sorry Rudness, I hate you.”
“Finally! The truth.”
My daughter is Twelve. It’s the last single syllable age.
I slid the pig, egg and potatoes on their plates and they attacked it like Ralph after a fast. Fate made me read it. Again it was some acclimation material that I needed to take in. I didn’t like it, it reminded me of home.
Anne shoved the plate away after eating a third of it then stirring the remainder into a ketchup bonded ball.
“You know there are starving people…”
“Whatever Pops.”
“... And that is why you get sent to Grandma’s!”
-
When things quiet down, I sneak in another ten minute nap, I think.
Faye wakes me up, “I read about some new studies in ESP.”
“Oh Really. You got something newish? Something vague and remotely possible?”
“It’s more than remotely possible it is in fact, Remotely Possible.”
“You’re killing me. Actually, I have to give you props. I thought you were going to go with the Newish angle.”
“It’s tired.”
“Yeah, I’m a tire also.”
Boomer
I’m not really comfortable with what is going on with the dreaming. Timmy was right when he said nothing is for free. I feel like the other foot is about to drop.
By the smell, Mom is cooking potatoes again, this time with onions or hopefully leaks. She cooks for all seasons but she likes winter best.
“Hey Larry, how was your day
“You know, same as usual”
“Come here big boy, I haven’t seen you in a whole day. Did those boys treat you good?”
“Yeah, it was pretty neat,”
The kitchen was spotless were it counted.
“I felt weird with you out of the house.”
“Sorry Momma.” I gave her a hug
I shop on Tuesday.
I usually pick up munchies, meat and milk at the AP then hit the Grocery store for the rest.
My Dad died when I was four, but he wasn’t a total jerk, he bought us this house. I try not to think about my Dad when shopping, but it happens.
Thursday, I get bread and check out the close-outs.
My mother is the loveliest woman to every grace the earth, she just has a bit of sadness in her heart that she has to cook out of her.
-
Dinner was as tasty as usual.
-
“Wha’t up Mah?”
“Well, I was thinking we should play some Kings over Queens. While the Leaks work their magic.”
“Sweet, Game time?”
“Yes, sounds like fun.”
She took it easy on me and I won a bit. There was no way I could take her in cards, very few people could best her.
-
My clothes were missing. I feel like there’s twelve people looking at me.
Why would people take my clothes?
I’m in my room. I could make things better outside, but I can’t seem to get out.
I’m in the bathroom, looking in the mirror. I know I should just walk away from it. It’s a setup. I look in the mirror and my teeth hurt. The Incisor is killing me. That’s the one I use to bite leeks. It’s the one that has to go. I know I need it, but I need to get rid of it. I grab it and it falls out in my hand. I look in the mirror and there is a void. It’s so crazy that my tooth would fall out. I take care of them so well. My whole mouth hurts.
Its night in the park. Thank god.
I walk up to Big Rock. It’s a tooth and a big pink rock.
It say’s “All your teeth belong to us.”
Big Rock starts to roll down the hill after me.
I’m in the bathroom again. My teeth hurt down to the core, they are movable. They hurt so much that I can’t help but push on them. They ache. I check them and they make the root ripping sound way up in my head. My left incisor comes out, pinched between my fingers. It seems any inspection makes things worse.
Holding my teeth, I try not to do anything. Hoping it will all go away.
He comes up behind me, He’s smiling. He smashes me in the mouth with an aluminum bat and my teeth fly every which way. All my teeth are gone. I have parts of them in my mouth, but I don’t know what to do. I try to figure it out, like a puzzle, but nothing fits. It just feels like broken candy.