Bed & Breakfast

Ch. 2 Home Away From Home

I decided to make chili and cornbread for dinner. The warm day had given way to more seasonable temperatures and I knew this meal could be comforting and filling. It seemed to me that this family could use that. As I prepped the meal in the large open format kitchen, the smells wafting through the house brought curious and hungry folks in.

"What's that?" The boy, Parker, inquired. He looked refreshed from his mid-day nap.

"The start of a chili for dinner." I replied. "I'm Andie, by the way."

I wiped my hand on my apron and stuck it out to shake. He accepted it but his dark eyes continued to scan the countertops. He landed on the cornbread which was ready to go in the oven. "Is that dessert?"

"Introduce yourself, you glutton." The teen girl, Riley, walked up behind her brother and took a seat on the far side of the counter. "I'm Riley. Do you need any help?"

"Nope. All good." I responded. "That isn't dessert, Parker. It's cornbread."

His eyes widened. "You know my name?"

"Your mom filled me in." I gave him a wink and turned my attention back to the stovetop where I added another layer of flavor. Soon I would add the tomatoes and let it simmer for a good hour to cook the flavors through. "I hope you like chili."

"It's really nice to have a homecooked meal." Riley remarked.

"It smells really good. I'm excited." Parker pushed himself into a stool bumping into his sister, who rolled her eyes and leaned away from him. We sat in comfortable silence, the kids watching me cook. I set out a bowl of chips and salsa that I had for snacking and they happily munched. I noticed that neither had their noses planted into their phones like most kids their age so I decided to make conversation as I turned and grabbed a chip.

"So are you involved in any activities back home, like sports or band?" I inquired.

"No." Riley replied quickly.

"Not anymore." Parker said at the same time

"Oh what were you involved in?" I asked.

"I was in band and Riley, ow!" Parker yelped as Riley punched him in the arm.

"I don't want to talk about my past, okay?" Riley snapped. "Share your business but leave me out of it."

She hopped off her stool and stomped down the hallway, slamming the door behind her. Parker just shook his head. "I used to be in band."

"What instrument did you play?" I asked.

"The trumpet but I really wanted to play guitar. My dad played guitar." Parker shared, staring off. I recognized that glassy look. I got that look often, when thinking about Mimi. It was a look of reminiscence, of time lost. Things were quickly adding up.

I was about to ask if his dad ever showed him but Paula walked out with Wilson hanging off her hip. She too looked renewed, although she still had dark circles under her eyes. "Smells lovely!"

"Andie's making chili and cornbread, Mom." Parker informed her. She stepped next to her son, who shared her eyes. It was at that moment that I realized Wilson didn't look like Parker, Riley, or Paula that much. His skin tone was darker as was his hair and his nose, albeit still growing, was pointy instead of rounded like the others. If I had to guess, Wilson took after his father's side more.

"Miss Andie." Paula corrected. "Can you hold him for a second?"

"Mom." Parker whined.

"Jeez, Parker. It's just so I can get a glass of water without trying to juggle him at the same time." Paula admonished.