brothers.

3~ First Breakfast

August 16th, 2023

A typical morning for me was waking up with a start, muscles tense, skin sweaty, and heart pounding. Rarely did I ever get a full night's sleep and wake up peacefully. This morning, my eyes snapped open, then squeezed shut again from the sunlight coming from the window.

I was calmer than usual— I wasn't sure why. I somehow managed to calm my heart a bit easier after the nightmare.

As I rose, I took a few breaths, focusing on today's plans. We were all going out for breakfast.

Susan had left me new clothes in the closet last night. Surprisingly, they all fit me very well. She also bought me a new purse. I'd never used a purse before. The closest I had was my old backpack.

What would I put in it? Makeup, maybe? I didn't have anything else to carry; Jordan destroyed my old phone last month... on my birthday.

I put on a purple long-sleeved shirt and jeans with white sneakers. As I started combing my hair, there was a knock at the door. "Diana? It's Susan."

A bit of relief came at the gesture. Respect for privacy was like gold for me. Very hard to find. "Come in!"

She opened the door and smiled at my outfit. "I'm glad they fit you."

"Thanks for the clothes," I said.

"Listen, um..." She stepped forward, wringing her hands. "There's been a little change of plans. We, uh... decided not to go out today. Is that okay with you? I'm sorry."

I paused from combing. "Oh... uh, yeah, that's fine. There's no problem."

"I'm sorry. You were looking forward to it, weren't you?"

"I'm looking forward to eating," I laughed.

She smiled. "I'm going to make blueberry pancakes. You okay with that, or did you want something else?"

"That sounds delicious."

"I'll call you down when it's ready."

Blueberry pancakes. I hadn't had good pancakes in a long time. I'd made them before, but I was never allowed to eat them. If I did, they would be burnt or undercooked.

"Kids! Come down!" Susan soon called.

I came out of my room, seeing the boys already disappearing down the stairs. I didn't know how they stayed healthy with the way they ate. Maybe they did sports.

"Good morning," said Davis, who served himself coffee. "How'd you sleep, Diana?"

"Okay, thanks." I inhaled through my nose. The pancakes smelled delicious.

I approached the dining table, moving to a seat. Tommy suddenly swooped in and blocked me, sitting down. Sighing, I shrugged and went to another chair, but Jack took it. I finally sat between Kyle and Tommy.

"Here we are." Susan and Davis came over with the stack of pancakes. They set the plate down and everyone reached over and grabbed one. I hesitated, waiting for the smallest or most burnt pancake.

"Diana, aren't you going to take one?" Susan asked me as she served everyone coffee.

I checked the last pancake. It wasn't burnt at all. I smiled gratefully and moved the pancake to my plate.

"Do you want coffee, or something else?" Davis asked.

"Uh... water is okay."

"You sure?" He went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. "We've got milk— lactose-free—, orange juice, apple juice... a lot of juices. We have soda, too. Boys, what do you want besides coffee?"