One Little Star in Infinite Space
Sweet Peach Tea
5/25/1999
I see the door is cracked open to the guest room where the wom- I mean my mother is staying, so I peak in. She’s lying in the bed asleep with the lamp’s light shining all over her. I look at the old metal clock on the wall it’s only 2:30pm. It must’ve been a long journey here and she must be real tired to fall asleep so early in the day especially with the blinding bright light on.
I wonder what happened and why we were separated for so long because I don’t remember her and I can remember everything since I was 4 so it’s been at least three years. Three long years and I never really thought about my mother. I don’t know why, but she’s never really been on my mind, at least not a lot anyway. Aunt Niecey’s always been here for me; makes my meals, takes me shopping for supplies and clothes, takes me on play dates, makes sure I make it to to all my dentists and doctors appointments and has supported me with any decision I’m allowed to make on my own.
So now that my momma is here I wonder how things are going to change.
I take a deep breath and walk down the stairs to see Aunt Niecey at the stove frying up something so I sit on the barstool at the breakfast table. She turns away from the frying pan to grab something from the fridge when she notices me.
“Hey, you hungry?”
Mm how could I not, with all the mouth watering smells filling up the house.
“Yes ma’am, you fryin’ fish?”
“Mhm,” she responds. “With baked macaroni, green beans, cornbread and I’ve just stirred up a fresh pitcher of peach sweet tea.”
She makes it all homemade which is the best because it tastes like heaven.
“Guess what else I made?” she asks turning to me with a joyful smile.
I get super excited, “chocolate chip cookie pie!?”
“Uh huh,” she smiles and nods then goes back to the frying fish.
“Did you get the vanilla ice cream?” I rush to the refrigerator and open up the freezer and there it is.
I close the freezer, then my eyes and I can nearly taste it in my mouth it’s the best! But I’m pulled out of my daydream when I get stung by a hot drop of grease that popped out of the hot fish pan.
“Ah!” I yelp rubbing my arm while going back to my seat.
Aunt Niecey turns the burner to low, “you know not to get too close to this stove.”
She turns to face me and she’s got her reading face on. She probably doesn’t know she has one, but she does. Her eyes squint slightly, she tucks both her lips in so there’s only a line there and three lines form on her forehead because she’s risen her eyebrows so far up. Before I can excuse myself to the bathroom she begins.
“How you feelin’ baby?” she asks.
I sigh in defeat because I can’t get out of this one, “I’m fine.”
“How you feelin’ about your momma?”
Looking down at the floral place mat on the table in front of me and shrug, “I don’t know.”
She doesn’t say anything else and I can feel her eyes on me still, but I don’t want to look up.
I sigh and start to get up from my seat, “I have to go to the bathroom.”
“Alright honey.”
I see the door is cracked open to the guest room where the wom- I mean my mother is staying, so I peak in. She’s lying in the bed asleep with the lamp’s light shining all over her. I look at the old metal clock on the wall it’s only 2:30pm. It must’ve been a long journey here and she must be real tired to fall asleep so early in the day especially with the blinding bright light on.
I wonder what happened and why we were separated for so long because I don’t remember her and I can remember everything since I was 4 so it’s been at least three years. Three long years and I never really thought about my mother. I don’t know why, but she’s never really been on my mind, at least not a lot anyway. Aunt Niecey’s always been here for me; makes my meals, takes me shopping for supplies and clothes, takes me on play dates, makes sure I make it to to all my dentists and doctors appointments and has supported me with any decision I’m allowed to make on my own.
So now that my momma is here I wonder how things are going to change.
I take a deep breath and walk down the stairs to see Aunt Niecey at the stove frying up something so I sit on the barstool at the breakfast table. She turns away from the frying pan to grab something from the fridge when she notices me.
“Hey, you hungry?”
Mm how could I not, with all the mouth watering smells filling up the house.
“Yes ma’am, you fryin’ fish?”
“Mhm,” she responds. “With baked macaroni, green beans, cornbread and I’ve just stirred up a fresh pitcher of peach sweet tea.”
She makes it all homemade which is the best because it tastes like heaven.
“Guess what else I made?” she asks turning to me with a joyful smile.
I get super excited, “chocolate chip cookie pie!?”
“Uh huh,” she smiles and nods then goes back to the frying fish.
“Did you get the vanilla ice cream?” I rush to the refrigerator and open up the freezer and there it is.
I close the freezer, then my eyes and I can nearly taste it in my mouth it’s the best! But I’m pulled out of my daydream when I get stung by a hot drop of grease that popped out of the hot fish pan.
“Ah!” I yelp rubbing my arm while going back to my seat.
Aunt Niecey turns the burner to low, “you know not to get too close to this stove.”
She turns to face me and she’s got her reading face on. She probably doesn’t know she has one, but she does. Her eyes squint slightly, she tucks both her lips in so there’s only a line there and three lines form on her forehead because she’s risen her eyebrows so far up. Before I can excuse myself to the bathroom she begins.
“How you feelin’ baby?” she asks.
I sigh in defeat because I can’t get out of this one, “I’m fine.”
“How you feelin’ about your momma?”
Looking down at the floral place mat on the table in front of me and shrug, “I don’t know.”
She doesn’t say anything else and I can feel her eyes on me still, but I don’t want to look up.
I sigh and start to get up from my seat, “I have to go to the bathroom.”
“Alright honey.”
♠ ♠ ♠
I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!