All Again For You

With my car keys and the gallon of milk in my left hand I opened the door to the cabin with my right. I peeked inside and saw Abby still sitting in the oversized chair watching cartoons.

“Auntie, did you get milk?” the four year old asked, not taking her eyes from the tv screen.

I sighed, “Yes Abby. I’m going to make your pancakes in a few minutes.”

“Okay Auntie,” she replied shifting in the chair.

I walked back into the kitchen and set the gallon of milk and my car keys on the counter. Then I opened one of the cabinets next to the window overlooking the woods and grabbed a large glass mixing bowl. With the mixing bowl in hand I crouched down to the lower cabinets and took out the measuring cups.

As I stood up, a voice startled me.

“I was wondering where you went,” came a groggy voice. I looked up and saw Laura lazily leaning against the kitchen door frame in her bathrobe. She was attempting to tame her bed head with her left hand.

“Yeah,” I started nonchalantly, “You know, I was just running around Nevada trying to find milk for you daughters pancakes that’s all.”

She looked at me skeptically and raised an eyebrow. “You couldn’t find a single store that sold milk?”

“Oh no I could, I was just trying to make a point, but I see it was lost on you.” I muttered.

She looked confused as she furrowed her eyebrows, “And this point is?”

“The point is,” I said grabbing the gallon of milk and held it up so she could see it, “That I went out and bought milk for your daughter’s pancakes, that you should be making.”

She rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms. “I offered to make them but the kid wanted you to.”

I scoffed as I measured out the right amount of milk, “Yeah, okay Laura, Whatever.”

“Hey,” she snapped as she walked over to the counter. “It’s not my fault I burn anything and everything I cook. And it’s also not my fault you make damn good pancakes.”

I raised my eyebrows at her. “It is your fault that you burn everything. And as for the making pancakes bit, you make them the same way with milk, eggs, and batter, so I don’t see how they taste different.”

“They taste different,” she said as she picked up the box of batter and quickly glanced it over and put it back down, “because you don’t burn them. I guess the kid doesn’t like eating well done pancakes.”

I stifled back a laugh, “Well I can see how she wouldn’t want to eat black pancakes.”

Laura’s face softened as she put a hand on my arm, “I was serious Beth. I offered, but she didn’t want me to make them. The last thing I wanted was for her to wake you up. I want you to sleep in and get some rest and time to get away from it all.”

I looked down at the bowl on the counter and bit my lip as I stirred the ingredients together. “I know,” I said softly. “It’s just so hard you know? Everything little thing reminds me of him. Like earlier when I was buying the milk and I spaced out because I remembered that he liked milk and it made me think of the day he dumped me.”

“Aww Beth,” she whispered, “Did you really?”

I choked back a few tears, “Yeah then I embarrassed myself in front of this guy who was standing behind me and-”

“Wait a minute,” she said as she grabbed my hand that was stirring the mixture. The look on her face was one of complete and utter seriousness. “Was this guy cute?”

I looked at her in disbelief. Was she being serious? But then again this was Laura White, the girl who had practically went out with every guy from our high school class.

“Laur-,” I stuttered, “I don’t know. You know how shy I am and I embarrassed myself in front of him which made it worse. So I really wasn’t paying attention his face. In fact, I was trying to avoid looking at his face.”

“Stop rambling for a minute and think. Did he look young?” she said, her eyes wide as saucers.

I shrugged, “I guess, from what I did see.”

“Did he have a nice body?”

“Laura,” I said as I playfully smacked her on the arm.

She grinned cheekily, “What?”

“I told you I wasn’t really paying any attention to him. Besides he had a hoodie on.”

“Maybe this guy will help you get your mind off of Ben.”

I put down the griddle that I was currently taking out of the cabinet and looked at her.

I threw her a skeptical glance and said, “I don’t even know this guy. I don’t even know his name.”

She looked at me seriously, “But does he know your name?”

“Yeah, but its not like he’s going to look me up. Hell, I don’t even live here. It’s not like I’m going to run into him again or anything.”

She shook her head, “You don’t know that Beth. Fate is a funny thing kiddo. But I get a funny feeling this guy is the guy for you.”

I scoffed, “ Now you don’t know that.”

“You’re right ,” she said looking at me, “I don’t, but I just have a feeling.”

“Yeah,” I said smiling as I ladled the pancake batter onto the griddle, “I just have a feeling you daughter would throw a fit if her pancakes aren’t done soon.”