Mr. Tan

Chapter 44: The Reunion

It was now the next day after Ava came back to Mississippi. For the remainder of yesterday after Adrian went home, we just hung around the trailer and took it easy. Poor Ava was so tired from her flight that she slept most the day and even went to bed early, around 10:00. She slept soundly in her new room through out the night. Ava was 12 years old and in the 5th grade. Earl was gonna take her and enroll her in a local elementary school. All of her transcripts were already sent off in the mail and Earl was expecting them any day now so he could go ahead and enroll her in school to finish the 5th grade. Ava was a quiet girl who didn't do much talking. When it came to asking how she was treated by her foster family in Saint Louis and how she was doing in school, Earl did most of the question asking. It was okay, I'll chuck it up to the fact that she was jet lagged. Since we were all being lazy, no one felt like cooking so Earl took the liberty of ordering barbecue from a local place called "Smokey's". He ordered two whole racks of pork ribs, pulled chicken sliders, cole slaw, turnip greens, barbecue beans and Cajun steak fries. We sat at the kitchen table and ate while making conversation. I assume Ava was so tired that she didn't have much of an appetite. After Ava freshened up in the bathroom, she went to bed. Earl and I were so tired that after we put away what was left of the food, we called it a night. It was now the next morning, Wednesday. Earl woke up to make his usual stick to your ribs breakfast. I passed by Ava's room on the way to the kitchen, the door was still closed. 

"Ava still sleepin?", Earl asked as I walked into the kitchen.

"Yep", I replied, taking out the coffee filters and coffee can from the cupboards.

I whipped up half a dozen eggs in a medium sized orange ceramic mixing bowl as Earl heated up a cast iron skillet on the stove top. He tossed a big spoonful of butter into the hot pan, it made a soft sizzling sound. I handed him the mixing bowl after I was done lightly seasoning the beaten eggs. He poured the eggs over the melted butter and began stirring them slowly with a whisk. 

"I betcha the smell of my breakfast cookin' gon' wake 'er up", he said with a smile. Shit, I 'member back when she was an itty bitty girl, da smell of my breakfast cookin' is what woke 'er up in da mornin'.

"Well, I know that's what wakes me up", I said, giving him a smile.

We exchanged a soft kiss on the lips and then continued preparing breakfast together in the kitchen. Once breakfast was ready I set the table; a plate for me, one for Earl and one for Ava. I set out coffee mugs for me and Earl and a glass for Ava as well as forks. Earl and I made waffles, scrambled eggs, sausage links and buttery grits. It was 9:30 in the morning and I heard a door close in the back of the trailer, Ava finally emerged from her room and into the kitchen. Her hair was down and a mess and she was in a short sleeve light blue night gown and barefoot. Earl and I were sitting at the table and fixing our plates.

"Ah, there's my lil princess", said Earl as he looked at Ava and smiled. Mornin' baby girl.

"Morning dad", she grumbled in reply.