In Time for Breakfast
Maria whisked the egg mixture inside of an old cheap bowl. She had to light the stove twice before it caught, but once it did, the flame held steady and the frying pan kicked off some heat.
The eggs sizzled as they hit the pan, sending a welcome aroma wafting through the one bedroom apartment— it was just the kind of smell she wanted her new lover to wake up to.
She sprinkled a handful of cheddar cheese into the egg. “That’s all of it,” she said to the cat that sat on the floor by her feet. “Fe-Fe, after this omelet, we are officially out of food until pay day.”
She placed two slices of bread into an old broken toaster and held the lever down, “But he’s worth it.” She liked wearing his shirt. It smelled like him.
The coffee boiled through the stove-top percolator that she liberated from her grandmother.
“Perfect.” She slid the omelet onto a plate and poured the coffee into a Christmas mug. One of her co-workers gave it to her as a secret-Santa gift. It turned out to be the only one she owned.
“Something smells good,” he said as he leaned against the kitchen doorway wearing his pants, a t-shirt, and shoes.
“Good Morning,” she leaned into him and kissed his lips.
“So that’s where my shirt went.” He pulled the shirt over her head.
“Mmm,” she replied. “I made breakfast for you, but it can wait.”
She kissed him again.
He reached for a slice of toast and popped it in his mouth as he put his shirt on.
“Don’t you want to sit down and eat?”
He pulled the toast from his mouth and started for the door.
“I’ve got to go babe,” he said with his back to her.
“What?”
He turned around, pulled a wedding band from his pocket, and slipped it on his finger.
“My wife is expecting me to come home.”
“Your wife?”
“Sorry.” They waited through a few seconds of awkward silence. “I’ll call you.”
He turned and walked out of the door, letting it slam behind him.
She stood there in her panties, holding a spatula, and started to cry.
Maria tossed the spatula into the sink and ran to the kitchen window. She saw him walk out of her building, tucking in his shirt. He crossed the street and opened the door to his red Honda Civic.
“You bastard!” She screamed into the early morning air.
He paused for a moment without turning around.
“Don’t you ever call me again!”
He got into the car and slammed the door. Tears streamed down her chin as he pulled away.
She turned around and faced the mess in her kitchen. The omelet still lay there, warm on the plate. Steam rose from coffee cup. The aroma assaulted her senses.
She knew that it might be her only meal for the next three days. Maria swallowed back her tears.
“Well, Fe-Fe— we may as well eat breakfast.”
©Copyright 2009. Deborah Szajngarten. All Rights Reserved
Categories: Blog,Short Stories,#FridayFlash,#FlashFiction,Fiction
Tags: gritty slice of life Writing #fridayflash Short Stories Breakfast
That came like a smack in the face! well written. I loved the line 'The aroma assaulted her senses.'
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Thank you! I find that extreme distress either makes you ravenous to the point of compulsion or unable to eat anything. I figured Maria would react the latter.
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Ah, what we do for amor. A perfect example of why it's often not worth it. Once the jerk was putting on the ring, I was definitely ready for the egg to go to the cat. Great food prep descriptions, very visual and each detail says a lot about the character. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks Kim! I thought about giving the egg to the cat. In fact, I really debated it -- but as i worked through her thought process, I realized that if she had no food left for days that she would force herself to eat it.
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Man, I was really happy for Maria. Great imagery with her wearing his shirt combined with aroma of the fresh eggs and coffee. I look forward to a story in reverse where things start out poorly, then shine brightly. I know you can do it
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Perhaps my friend, perhaps
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probably happens more than we know..
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Unfortunately, yes.
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Sensible - she ate the omelet. What a rat.
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Thanks! Yes, he was certainly slimy.
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I read this before breakfast and I SO wanted an omelet too!
Heartbreaking!
I feel like giving her some money. She can't last for three days!
Nicely told.
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Thank you! I have a lot of plans for Maria in future stories... she is humble, but tough.
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Well done. I can smell the food and feel her pain.
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Thanks Tim!
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I was expecting the egg to go flying into the cad's face!
I too would like to join the fan club of the "assaulted the senses" line
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You know, I considered that -- perhaps in the rewrite, I make that thought flash through her mind too
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Hey, I think I know that guy! Anyway, I wanted her to smack him over the head with her beat up old frying pan. Great descriptive writing and the story is paced perfectly. Well done! ~ Olivia
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Thanks Olivia! Unfortunately, guys like that are in ready supply. When I started writing the piece, I was thinking (hypothetically) about the difficult moments in life when you wished you did something really vindicating -- like hit him over the head with a frying pan -- but were too stunned to react. This story developed from that idea.
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Another excellent piece. I just had a feeling she was in for a huge disappointment, and as sad to see I was right. I'm glad she shouted at him out the window. That, at least, shamed him a tiny tiny bit in public. Not that a jerk like that would care much.
Oh, and the bastard had the gall to eat the toast! You just want to smack him.
I'm glad to hear you have more plans for Maria. She is an interesting character.
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Thank you! I keep seeing potential situations for her. She is unfolding through each one.
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This is amazing. You nailed this. Brilliant, brilliant job! *Standing Ovation*
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Thank you!
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Cats are much less fickle than humans. Well written, Debs - he's horrible! I'm writing this before breakfast, and like Marisa I want eggs now, too. Persuasive prose! Thanks.
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Thank you! Yes, dogs and cats are much more reliable.
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Oh Man... I am glad he didn't eat the breakfast too... grrrrrr.
~2
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I debated whether or not to have him eat the eggs -- in the end, I thought it would be too much.
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Nicely written. I wondered why she was so short on food. I figured she'd splurged for her boyfriend.
Throughout the story I thought that a twist at the end might have been that her lover was actually her husband (just referred to differently to throw us off). I feel sorry for her. Maybe next time she should stock some cheap and less perishable foods like beans and produce, and be a little more selective of her male company.
The story was well written. I could almost smell the eggs. Great descriptions.
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Thanks Gary!
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She could've thrown eggs at him from the window
Very nicely written, I could picture it perfectly!
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Thanks!
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Deb - I love this blog! Reading the above was a joy, and so mouth watering. Your descriptive food 'imagery' can add 10 lbs in a jiff..lol Happy New Year!
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Thanks Lisa! This is really quite different from my other blog in that it is focused on fiction -- but you know me -- good food description will make its way in there
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For me, the best line was "She had to light the stove twice before it caught." I understood her situation perfectly just then. She'll think twice before trying to strike that same spark again.
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My favorite line was "she had to light the stove twice before it caught." I knew instantly her situation. I bet she'll think twice before trying to strike that same spark again!
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