Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.
Grappling with the loss of his parents, Chan and Evan spend the night with them. Tomorrow is another day. See what's going on in this week's chapter of Super Trooper. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!
Chan examined the contents of the refrigerator. His
mother must have gone shopping recently, as there didn’t seem to be anything
lacking. Certainly not the staples, such as bread, milk, and eggs. That would
help. He pulled out eggs and butter, then spotted a little container of sour cream
and laid everything on the counter. Glancing in the meat keeper, he added a
package of bacon to the rest.
“What are you making?” Kamal asked.
Chan glanced at his brother. He could tell he was
trying to maintain his stoic expression, but the mask was slipping at the sight
of more food. Laksha had probably told him to eat his cereal and be happy with
it, but now he saw the opportunity to have something better.
“I’m not sure. I was thinking about scrambled eggs. Or
maybe an omelet. What sounds good to you?”
Kamal hesitated for a moment. His glance flickered
toward Evan, as if unsure whether the question had been addressed to him or to
Evan. Chan made sure to look directly at his brother, so there could be no
doubt who he was talking to.
If Kamal was carrying on some sort of internal
argument with himself, then apparently his stomach won the debate. “Scrambled
eggs,” he said decisively. “And bacon.”
“What about you, Laksha?” Chan asked. “Scrambled
eggs and bacon?”
Laksha hesitated for a moment before she nodded.
Chan felt better, knowing the children would get a hot breakfast. He’d give
Madhu a little of his, not sure how much she normally ate.
“How can I help?” Evan asked. Chan said a silent
prayer of gratitude for his lover. He always seemed to know just what to say or
do to make any situation better.
“How about you cook the bacon and I’ll scramble the
eggs?” Chan suggested. Though he did the lion’s share of the cooking at home,
sometimes they divided the tasks. Chan liked having his lover’s company in the
kitchen.
“That’s a deal. Where will I find a baking sheet?”
Chan indicated the cabinet where his maa kept her pots and pans… correction,
where she used to keep them. Then he found
the aluminum foil and handed it to Evan before he set the temperature on the
oven. They liked to cook their bacon that way. That was easier than having to
continually turn it in the skillet. While the oven heated, he brought out a
mixing bowl and whisk, before remembering he would need a pot to cook in. He
didn’t use a frying pan for his eggs— he used a sauce pan, a technique he’d
learned from watching some chef on TV. Evan handed one to him without his
having to ask for it.
“Thank you,” Chan said, placing the pan on the
burner before pulling out a mixing bowl.
“You’re welcome, baby,” Evan replied.
That earned a
snort from Kamal. “Chan’s no baby,” he scoffed.
“That’s true,” Evan said, taking his comment
seriously rather than dismissing it. “But baby can also be a term of affection.
It just means that I love him, that’s all.”
“Sheesh,” Kamal muttered. Chan saw him roll his
eyes, more to be annoying than because he was annoyed.
Laksha shook her head and sighed dramatically. “You’re
such a little boy, Kamal,” she admonished him.
“Am not,” Kamal protested. “I’m already seven. I’ll
be as old as you soon.” He stuck his tongue out at his sister.
“Mind your manners,” Chan said. “Be polite at the
table. And respect your elders.”
“You just proved my point,” Laksha said. “Besides, I’ll
always be older than you. Nothing can change that.”
“Who cares? You’re already bossy now,” Kamal replied.
Chan noticed Madhu squiriming in her seat again. “Want
down,” she insisted. Chan came up behind her and kept her in place with a hug.
“Not yet, I’m making something for you. You like
bacon, don’t you?”
“Bacon?” The little girl’s eyes grew wide and she
nodded. Score one for Chan. “Want bacon.”
“Okay, then, just sit here, and you’ll get some, all
right?”
When she nodded, he kissed the top of her head and
turned toward Evan, whose attention was on the wall oven, checking on the very
same bacon. “Go ahead and start the eggs,” he said.
As Chan melted a little butter in the pain, he
cracked eggs into his bowl and whisked them. Feeling a sudden presence at his
side, he glanced up, expecting to see Evan. But it was Laksha who stood there.
“Can I help?” she asked hopefully, with a glance at
the eggs he was whisking.
“Sure,” Chan said. He moved over a little as he
handed his sister the whisk. She resumed where he had left off with sure
movements.
“Good job,” he praised her. “Here, pour it into the
pan.”
The next few minutes were spent in instructing
Laksha in the art of making scrambled eggs, moving the pan on and off the heat
to whisk it. At the end, he had her add a little sour cream and seasoning.
“Looks beaufiul,” he said, and was rewarded with a
smile. “Okay, let’s eat.”
As they sat around the table together, sharing
breakfast, Chan thought he could almost forget what had happened that brought them
here… almost, but not quite.
to be continued
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