BREAKFAST FOR THREE

‘When do you want me to leave’, she joked. Or at least I presumed it was a joke. She was trying to figure out when to have her father pick her up later today.

‘Never. I never want you to leave’, I let her know. That was not a joke. I then told her that she is welcome here anytime and that both her brother and I enjoy having her here. I could tell that he likes the extra non-adult companionship. Even if it entails them simply watching movies in his room.

Of course, I would like if all three of my children were here with me so that all four of us would sit down to meals together. Especially our weekend breakfasts. But things are as they are and I am glad for the moments we have.

Her wish was fulfilled. Buttermilk pancakes for our special Sunday breakfast. A breakfast for three. This time at a decent weekend time right before noontime. Sundays being a bit more involved in preparations than other mornings.

There was the pancake batter to mix. Strawberries to be sliced. The Croatian coffee to make. The berry smoothie to blend. And the heavy cream to whip. My son made sure to put the Nutella on the table. My daughter kept eating the fresh strawberries as she loves them. I cannot imagine not spending time in the kitchen, preparing food on a regular basis.

We sat indoors this morning as the weather turned a bit cooler than yesterday. It wasn’t too cold, but I sensed that the children would want to wrap blankets around themselves which just made it easier to stay indoors.

I watched my son as he made a Nutella pancake sandwich from two pancakes which he then topped with whipped cream. And strawberries on the side. My daughter ate several pancakes before deciding it was enough. The stomach ache she had later could possibly be explained by the overabundance of food.

After breakfast, we returned to my son’s bedroom to catch up on the last few episodes of Bob’s Burgers. I also made two small yoghurt cakes topped with walnuts. Then my daughter asked if I could take her home as her father went somewhere and was unable to pick her up. My son went with me to drop her off, then went on a geocaching mission on his bike as I waited until shortly before sunset to go walking.

The time we three spent together this past weekend was wonderful. I’m glad my son was able to hang out with his sister and that I was able to enjoy their presence as we shared the hours together.