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Fiction

The grumbling of my stomach woke me up. I should have had something to eat before going to bed, but I was trying to lose weight. I hadn’t eaten early enough and didn’t want to eat late, and now I was paying the price.

A cramp and rumble sounded, and I thought my stomach was paying close attention to what I was thinking. I kicked off the sheets and stumbled to the bathroom. What could I eat for breakfast?

I was mentally running down the list of things in the cabinet as I brushed my teeth. Did I want cold or hot. Or maybe I wanted a pop tart right out of the foil. No, that was too high in calories and sugar. But maybe if I cut back later?

I hung the toothbrush up and quickly dressed into shorts and a t-shirt. I was going walking once I was done with breakfast.

Hmmm, if I was walking, then I shouldn’t eat too much. I didn’t want to get a cramp while I was walking, but if I did a long walk, then I would be hungry before the end of the walk. I walked into the kitchen, focused on the mission of breakfast. Hot or cold. Oh wait, I could have a snack like pop tarts or some cookies and then eat later.

No, I was trying to watch my weight, and the cookies would be a bad choice for that. I am on a health kick. Need to stick with that.

I opened the fridge. I saw the whole milk. I could have cereal and milk. Actually, that sounded really good. I could taste the cold milk and the sweet apple cinnamon cereal. That felt fresh and crisp. But would it sustain me through walking?

I shook my head. Every morning I had to make this momentous decision. What to have. What to have. There had to be an easier way.

I saw the eggs. Well, maybe cold wasn’t the right choice to make today. Maybe an omelet. Or some scrambled eggs. I could make eggs benedict! That would be a great breakfast. Wait, do I have hollandaise sauce and muffins? I looked through the fridge for components. No sauce. I would have to make it from scratch. Did I have that kind of time?

I shut the refrigerator doors and headed to the pantry. Let’s see what was in there.

Cookies. Bread. Chips. Hmmm, chips and salsa. No, that is more of a snack. Maybe later I can have that. What to make for breakfast now. Hmm, English muffins. I could make an egg sandwich.

That would be a good choice, being able to have a hot meal that was relatively quick. I could add some cheese. I headed back to the refrigerator to check.

I opened the fridge and looked in the cheese drawer. Yes! Cheese. American cheese and slices of Swiss cheese. I could make a great omelet with either of these. No wait. I was thinking of an egg sandwich. Hot and cheesy. That sounded really good! I grabbed the eggs and cheese and placed them on the counter. I started looking for a pan to cook the eggs.

I looked under the counter. Not there. I looked in the oven, nothing. Well, a cookie sheet, but that wasn’t going to help me cook eggs. I looked in the dishwasher, and there was the dirty pan.

Are you kidding me?! I grabbed the pan and turned it over in my hand. Dirty. Egg residue. I couldn’t use this.

I slammed it down on the counter. Who left it dirty? Why didn’t they run the dishwasher last night. This is ridiculous. It should have been done so that people could have clean dishes the next morning.

I practically threw the pan into the sink. Who had time to clean the pan before making breakfast and dirtying it up again.

Well, that breakfast was ruined. And now time was running out. I had to get out walking or it would get too hot.

I grabbed the eggs and tossed them back into the fridge along with the Swiss cheese. They landed on the shelf slightly sticking out. I pushed the door shut and it caught on the egg carton. I pushed harder, making them all slide in and closed the refrigerator door.

Now what. I saw the pantry open. I could see the cereal box. Well, I could have cereal. That is quick. And refreshing. And easy. And quick.

I grabbed the cereal. It was low. Really low. Maybe enough for a half a bowl. Who had let the cereal supplies run that low?

I opened the cabinet and grabbed a bowl. I poured the cereal into the bowl and turned to grab the milk. As I opened the fridge, the egg carton came tumbling out and fell on eh ground, breaking on the kitchen floor.

Are you kidding me? I kicked the carton, spraying eggs and plastic everywhere in the kitchen. I don’t have time for this. I grabbed the milk from the door of the fridge and practically threw it on the counter next to the bowl of cereal.

I tried to keep my balance and shimmied across the floor through the eggs. I opened the milk. Ewwww! My god, the smell sat me down on the floor. I grabbed the counter and slowly leveraged myself back up. I looked at the milk. Out of date by a month. Who lets milk go a month without using it?

The chunks in the milk pretty much ended my thoughts of milk and cereal. I had to get out to walk or it would be too hot and late. I grabbed the bowl of cereal and grabbed a handful and popped it into my mouth. Tasty, but dry.

Man, I had to get going. I set the bowl back on the counter and looked at the kitchen floor. This was crazy. I just wanted breakfast. And I didn’t have time for this.

Ill have to get it later. I shuffled to the door and headed out for my morning walk. Man, living alone is tough.

October 11, 2022 18:30

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