Brown Sugar

Chapter Fifteen.

"Bey, wake up!!" Benjamin continued to say his sister's name in a rhythm, shaking her shoulder with each call until she finally stirred.

"Ben, get off of me," Beyoncé protested, moving her shoulders. She opened her eyes to find her brother watching her with the biggest smile. "It's my day off. Why are you waking me up?" she asked, rubbing her tired eyes. She looked at her clock, which prompted a groan. "You must be out of your mind, waking me up so early on my free day!" She shot up, fully awake.

"It's your birthday! Don't you remember?" Benjamin looked at her, confused.

"Oh, yeah," Beyoncé replied, scratching her head shyly. "Y'all didn't get me anything...did you?"

"Pops, and I made you breakfast. Come to the kitchen," He took his sister's hand, gently pulling her out of the bed.

Beyoncé laughed. "I'm too young to die," she joked while following her brother out of the room.

"Ah, baby, you're up!" Mathew sang happily when she saw his daughter emerge from the hallway. He turned, switching the stove off with a large grin. "Ben and I fixed you some breakfast."

"I heard." Beyoncé smiled, sitting in the chair that Benjamin had pulled out for her. "You're turnin' into a regular ol' gentleman," she teased as her father laid a large plate before her. "Thanks, it looks..." She looked down at her plate, doing her best not to cringe at the food; this is why she did all of the cooking. She looked up at her brother and father, who watched her with extreme pride. She didn't have the heart to crush their spirit. "It looks great!" She said with a near grimace.

"Now, Ben and I sure ain't chefs or anything, but we can scramble an egg or two, fry some bacon, and whip up a biscuit," Mathew proudly informed his daughter, folding his arms over his chest.

Beyoncé looked at the lump of nearly burnt dough resting on her plate, assuming that was the biscuit her father was referring to. Bravely, she took a bite of her eggs, for they didn't look too lethal.

"Is it good?" Benjamin asked.

"Very good," Beyoncé nodded. She took some more small bites. "Where's your breakfast, y'all?"

"We ate already; we have to leave for our course soon," Mathew said, putting on his jacket. Now, Beyoncé, I'm trusting you'll hold down the fort."

"I'll be fine, I promise Daddy." She assured him.

"Ok, Ben and I are in Lancaster, and if anything happens, we'll be right over, you hear?" Mathew added.

"Yes, sir." she nodded.

"Now, we'll be back on Monday so that we won't be gone that long." He bent over to kiss his daughter, and Ben followed suit.

Beyoncé tilted her head. "Daddy, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me; learn about engines and all that stuff."

Mathew nodded, opening the door slightly, turning to his daughter, wishing her a happy birthday one last time.

Beyoncé waved goodbye to her brother and father as the door closed. She quickly looked down at her plate the moment they left and threw it in the trash. She wasn't one for wasting food, but hardly anything else was edible. She wasn't that hungry anyway. Standing alone in the kitchen, her hands on her hips, she wondered what she'd do with herself now that she didn't have to run errands for her family. The carpet caught her attention in the living room. "Hmm...that carpet could use a good scrubbing. And that bathroom, I'll clean that up too...and that dress needs mending..." Her mind wandered to all of the little chores around the house that needed completion, and she felt reassured that the day wouldn't be wasted with idleness.