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And they’re going to be over here soon for breakfast. I hurry out of bed and through my morning routine. I'm done with plenty of time left before they’re due to come over, and I make my way to the kitchen.
With thoughts of everything that Alisha has taught me, I begin to prepare breakfast. Preparing the cast iron griddle across my burners, I prep up some high protein banana pancakes and get those cooking. While they’re cooking, I finely chop some onions, then throw them on the opposite side of the griddle to cook. Flipping the pancakes, I cook the onions until they’re nice and caramelized.
I crack some eggs onto the onions and begin to fold them over and over to keep them from moving too close to the pancakes. I make my way to the cabinet and pull out a platter to stack the pancakes on and two plates plus a cute little blue and green jellyfish kid tray I’d picked up just for Evie.
Making the final few pancakes, I pour the batter in a bowl shape, then make several long dangly sections. Flipping the eggs, I add some spinach to them right as the front door opens.
“Good morning,” I say to my guests as Evie walks in, looking around, and Alisha makes her way to my side.
“It smells amazing in here. What did you do?” she asks, giving an appreciative sniff before taking in the sight of the food I've made. “Wow!”
I plate up the jellyfish pancakes on the little tray that I bought just for Evie. “I didn't make the syrup from scratch. I know that you would, but I'm just not that good at it.”
Alisha laughs. “I think we can manage. I'll grab the maple syrup out of the pantry.”
I nod my head while dishing up the eggs on each plate and turning off the burner before approaching Evie. I squat down and offer her my hand.
“My name is Charles and I’m happy to meet you. What’s your name?”
Her bright green eyes lock on me, and she smiles shyly as she accepts my hand. “I’m Evie. It’s nice to meet you.”
As she squeezes my hand, I pretend I'm falling over from my squatting position. “That’s quite a grip you’ve got there, Evie,” I say and she giggles. I sense we're going to get along just fine.
“Are you hungry?” I stand up and make my way back to the kitchen counter, and she follows as Alisha emerges from the pantry, maple syrup in hand.
Evie nods. “Mom says I'm always hungry.”
“Is she wrong?” I ask Evie with a sideways wink at Alisha.
Evie shakes her head no. Alisha smiles, opening the syrup and pouring some over Evie’s food before handing the girl the tray. Evie’s eyes light up. “Jellyfish!”
Her happy exclamation is all I need to feel like it was the perfect purchase.
“Take it to the table.” Alisha’s quick words leave me sure she’s had to say them before... and often. I pick up the other two plates and take them toward the table and Alisha grabs the maple syrup before following.
We all sit around the table and enjoy our food, while Alisha commends me for making a delicious breakfast, and Evie devours her food so quickly I’d swear she breathed it all in like a hoover vacuum.
“There's more if you're still hungry,” I tell her, and she glances at her mom.
Alisha nods and pets her daughter’s head with a heartwarming curve of her lips.
“Somebody's getting ready to grow,” I say as Evie heads into the kitchen to dish up more food. I trust that she can handle the task and given what I know about Alisha, she’s more of the kind to have someone do things to learn rather than do things for people. I’m sure that philosophy extends to her daughter.
Once we've finished up breakfast and made our way to the aquarium, we stand before the front doors and I see Evie light up. She turns to face me with that bright smile. “You know they have jellyfish here, right?”
I nod. “That's why we're here. They’re actually doing an exhibit on them right now.” As soon as I say the words, Evie squeals with excitement and races through the front doors. Alisha turns toward me, mouthing the words thank you before chasing her daughter inside. I follow them both, feeling glad that so far this day seems to be exactly what I was hoping for, something special that creates lasting memories for all of us.
We step inside, the vastness of the exhibits unfolding before me. I walk up to the little crowd that's around the jellyfish enclosure, listening to Evie answer questions about the creatures, her small, bright voice and accurate words earning the approval of the staff working the exhibit.
Behind the young man with the short hair and the handlebar mustache and goatee, the jellyfish dance gracefully through the water, captivating me with their undulating movements. Alisha stands beside me, lacing her fingers with mine and leaning in to speak to me.
“Thank you for this. I had been meaning to look up when the jellyfish exhibit would be, but I hadn't checked yet.” Her expression falls, and I sense that she's feeling like a bad mother.
“You’re a busy woman; it's understandable.”
She gives her head a shake, as if not accepting my words. “I need to make more time for my daughter and the things that are important to her.”
“You need to teach her not to beat herself up when she’s stretched thin.” I'm not about to let Alisha get off the hook with this kind of negative self-talk. She seems surprised by my words, but I see her nod and swallow hard, accepting my words.
