at the table. Without waiting for an answer she whispered, “Coffee, Lois. Please.”
Lois hastened to power up the single-cup coffeemaker Kennedy purchased over Graham’s protests. He monitored her diet with single-minded purpose, and caffeine wasn’t on the menu. Although dried-up French toast soaked in syrup and butter apparently was. Lois surreptitiously pulled a decaf coffee pod from the container ostensibly labeled regular breakfast roast and dropped it into the slot, positioning the cup beneath it. She was a superb mediator, unknowingly trained by her parents. The fresh smell of coffee instantly permeated the air, and she dug one out for herself. Kennedy added a dollop of fresh cream and inhaled the piping-hot brew.
“Oh my god. Lois, you saved my life. Nectar, I say. What’ll we have for breakfast? And don’t say French toast.”
“Scrambled okay? With rye toast?”
“Sure. And then I’ll get ready and we’ll go shopping.”
“I thought Graham wanted you to rest.” Lois located a clean frying pan and set it to heat. She took eggs and milk from the fridge and chose the cleanest of the bowls to wash and reuse. The bread was in the freezer.
“I need to get out for a while. Graham needs to get with the program.” Kennedy slurped the rest of her coffee and looked far more satisfied with life. She looked longingly at the coffeemaker but visibly decided against asking for more. She stacked the dishes on the table and carried them to the sink, grimacing at the assortment already reposing there. She grabbed the cloth and wiped the table down.
Lois popped the toast in and stirred through the eggs a final time. She shared the pan’s contents onto two plates and put them on the table. By the time she’d poured two glasses of water the toast was up.
“Thought any more about last night?” Kennedy crunched toast and forked up eggs.
“I’m strangely calm, Kennedy. I freaked a little last night. I’m pretty boring and a plain Jane, I know, but I felt I fit in at the club in the end.”
“I wondered if there was a passionate woman under your calm exterior, Lois. At one sad point in my life I could see myself out in the world alone while you and Graham got together.”
To say the air choked up in her lungs and her heart stopped wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration. Lois was stupefied. “What?”
“Nothing.” Kennedy shrugged. “Graham was stupid and now he isn’t.”
“I’m not interested in Graham.” Lois nearly leaned right into Kennedy’s lap in her agitation. “I’m old enough to be his, well, an older sister. Oh my god, Kennedy.”
“It wasn’t you. It was me. I was a mess and wanted Graham to be happy, and you are so good with Nathan. I wrapped it up like a package. But it’s passed. I’m only saying this because you can’t fall into those ‘what would other people think’ patterns that will screw you up royally. My only advice, girlfriend. For now.”
They sat quietly for some minutes. The clock ticked over in the background, and the faint voices of Graham and Nathan sifted in from the backyard.
“I’ll try to take it, Kennedy. It’s like my life is planned out though, albeit in a different way, and it’s going to be okay. And I have you and Graham to thank for that.”
“Don’t thank us yet! You might be blaming us.”
“I doubt it. I’ll clean up here while you get ready.”
Kennedy smiled and pushed to her feet. “Graham’ll be in any second to try and put a damper on our plans. Ask him to come see me, okay?”
Lois cleared the table and stacked the dishwasher. She had the stove and counters wiped down and was in the process of washing the floor when Nathan and his dad blew in.
“Wowis!” Nathan threw himself at her, and she fielded his advance with one hand and protected the pail with the other. She blew a kiss on the child’s soft neck and reveled in his giggles and squeals. Graham gave her an apologetic glance.
“Did you find the toast we left
Lois hastened to power up the single-cup coffeemaker Kennedy purchased over Graham’s protests. He monitored her diet with single-minded purpose, and caffeine wasn’t on the menu. Although dried-up French toast soaked in syrup and butter apparently was. Lois surreptitiously pulled a decaf coffee pod from the container ostensibly labeled regular breakfast roast and dropped it into the slot, positioning the cup beneath it. She was a superb mediator, unknowingly trained by her parents. The fresh smell of coffee instantly permeated the air, and she dug one out for herself. Kennedy added a dollop of fresh cream and inhaled the piping-hot brew.
“Oh my god. Lois, you saved my life. Nectar, I say. What’ll we have for breakfast? And don’t say French toast.”
“Scrambled okay? With rye toast?”
“Sure. And then I’ll get ready and we’ll go shopping.”
“I thought Graham wanted you to rest.” Lois located a clean frying pan and set it to heat. She took eggs and milk from the fridge and chose the cleanest of the bowls to wash and reuse. The bread was in the freezer.
“I need to get out for a while. Graham needs to get with the program.” Kennedy slurped the rest of her coffee and looked far more satisfied with life. She looked longingly at the coffeemaker but visibly decided against asking for more. She stacked the dishes on the table and carried them to the sink, grimacing at the assortment already reposing there. She grabbed the cloth and wiped the table down.
Lois popped the toast in and stirred through the eggs a final time. She shared the pan’s contents onto two plates and put them on the table. By the time she’d poured two glasses of water the toast was up.
“Thought any more about last night?” Kennedy crunched toast and forked up eggs.
“I’m strangely calm, Kennedy. I freaked a little last night. I’m pretty boring and a plain Jane, I know, but I felt I fit in at the club in the end.”
“I wondered if there was a passionate woman under your calm exterior, Lois. At one sad point in my life I could see myself out in the world alone while you and Graham got together.”
To say the air choked up in her lungs and her heart stopped wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration. Lois was stupefied. “What?”
“Nothing.” Kennedy shrugged. “Graham was stupid and now he isn’t.”
“I’m not interested in Graham.” Lois nearly leaned right into Kennedy’s lap in her agitation. “I’m old enough to be his, well, an older sister. Oh my god, Kennedy.”
“It wasn’t you. It was me. I was a mess and wanted Graham to be happy, and you are so good with Nathan. I wrapped it up like a package. But it’s passed. I’m only saying this because you can’t fall into those ‘what would other people think’ patterns that will screw you up royally. My only advice, girlfriend. For now.”
They sat quietly for some minutes. The clock ticked over in the background, and the faint voices of Graham and Nathan sifted in from the backyard.
“I’ll try to take it, Kennedy. It’s like my life is planned out though, albeit in a different way, and it’s going to be okay. And I have you and Graham to thank for that.”
“Don’t thank us yet! You might be blaming us.”
“I doubt it. I’ll clean up here while you get ready.”
Kennedy smiled and pushed to her feet. “Graham’ll be in any second to try and put a damper on our plans. Ask him to come see me, okay?”
Lois cleared the table and stacked the dishwasher. She had the stove and counters wiped down and was in the process of washing the floor when Nathan and his dad blew in.
“Wowis!” Nathan threw himself at her, and she fielded his advance with one hand and protected the pail with the other. She blew a kiss on the child’s soft neck and reveled in his giggles and squeals. Graham gave her an apologetic glance.
“Did you find the toast we left
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