Breakfast of champions

John and Cyn had taken their time in the shower, having their fun, but they had decided not to waste all the hot water. After all, John’s dad hadn’t showered yet and it was just bad manners to let the poor man take a cold shower because they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

So with their hair still a bit moist, Cynthia and John were sitting down, John nursing a cup of coffee and Cynthia drinking a glass of orange juice while Brenda scooped some bacon and eggs onto two plates. Brenda was acting like nothing strange had happened just a little while ago, she was smiling, friendly and showed no signs of awkwardness at all.

Just as John was going to dig into his bacon, his phone buzzed twice in quick succession. Looking at it, John’s jaw dropped. The app his school had developed that would normally tell him about schedule changes now showed a rather odd message. “Due to a malfunction in the generator room, a fire started at Ashcroft. For at least the following two days, Ashcroft will close its doors. Classes missed will be offered again at the end of the school year.

John scratched his head as he looked at his mother. “Well, it looks like I won’t have to catch the bus in a few minutes,” he told her as he put the phone in front of her.

Brenda furrowed her brows as she read it, then she nodded in understanding. “Well, that’s true. I take it you are going to spend the day in your room then?” she asked in her tone John recognized as the ‘here we go again’ tone.

Before John could reply, Cynthia piped up, “Well, John, I kinda wanted to ask you a favor. Seeing as you have the day off now, I don’t even have to wait for you to be done with school. I ordered something at a shop down town, could you go and pick it up for me later? I’d go myself but I just remembered that I had to do something today.” She casually let her eyes go over Brenda before winking at John.

John chuckled at that and nodded. “Alright. I’ll bite. Where am I going and what am I picking up?” he asked as Cynthia pulled her wallet out of her jeans. She fished a piece of paper out of her pocket and placed it in front of him.

While John finally started to eat his breakfast, he looked over the piece of paper. It seemed to be a rather normal order slip, Cyn’s name, some address of the store, a bit of info on child privacy and the like. When John wanted to look at the other side to see what he was actually picking up, Cynthia placed her hand on his and shook her head.

“Tsk, tsk, John. Respect a girl’s privacy. When you bring me the box, I’ll show you what's in it. Deal?” she asked with a teasing wink, earning her a laughing shrug.

“Alright, I’ll do it. I’ll go to this Felicity’s store and pick up your package like a good boyfriend,” he teased her back, causing his mom to let out a soft, “Aaw, so sweet,” which in turn sent both John and Cynthia into a small giggle fit.

Brenda then seemed to realize what John had just said. “Felicity’s?” she asked Cynthia who gave her a small nod.

“You know the place, Brenda?” subtly changing how she addressed her to be less formal.

“I do. Eric and I go shopping there once every so often. I didn’t think you would have heard about it,” Brenda replied, smiling as she sat down with her own plate of food.

“With all due respect, Brenda.” Cynthia leaned forward across the table, winking playfully. “There are a lot of things you don’t know about me yet.”

Brenda blushed and laughed softly. “Oh my.” She looked over at John to see if he found it weird how his girlfriend was talking to her, but he seemed to be reading something on his phone.

“Do you think I can help you around the house a bit today, Brenda? The appointment I mentioned just now isn’t till 12, but if I had to go into town and back, I am unsure whether I could make it and still look presentable. You know?” Cyn explained. “It might give us a bit of time to get to know each other. I mean, if I am going to be seeing more of you, I think it’s only right that we talk about life, right?”

Brenda looked at John and asked him, “Do you mind John? I mean, I would understand if you’d rather spend that free time you have with your girlfriend and then go to pick up that thing when she’s busy. I mean, I don’t want to intrude, she’s your first real girlfriend and all,” Brenda gushed with motherly worry.

John, however, shook his head, placing one hand on Cynthia’s and one on his mom’s. “Mom, don’t worry. I think it’s a great idea for you two to spend a bit of time together. After all, I think it’s a good idea for the two most important ladies in my life to get along.”

After John had said that, a yawning Eric Newman walked into the kitchen. His hair unkempt and a bit of stubble clear on his face, he scratched his neck openly, ruining the little moment of intimacy with a firm slap to John’s shoulder. “Ah, John. Morning, Son. Brenda, dear. And… Barbara… Michella…” he looked at Cynthia a bit puzzled, his eyes showing he was not really awake yet.

“Cynthia, sir,” Cyn re-introduced herself. “We met yesterday?”

“Oh, right. Cynthia. Sorry. I am horrible with names, honestly. I kept calling him Son for a year because I had forgotten what I had written down on the birth certificate,” he joked as he pointed his thumb at John.

Before Eric could say anything to embarrass him further, John cut in, “Hey Dad, when you go into town later, do you think you can drop me off at the mall?”

Brenda placed a cup of coffee in front of her husband and slapped his hand playfully with a greasy spatula. “Eric Newman, don’t go and bully the poor boy in front of his girlfriend. And what did I say about showing up at the breakfast table looking like some scruffy hobo?”

“Sorry. Ouch, yikes. Ok, ok. I’m sorry!” John’s dad said as he held up his hands, recoiling as Brenda raised her spatula again. “I’ll go get cleaned up, and yeah, I can give you a ride. You’ll have to find your own way back later though,” he replied to John’s question, getting right back up from the table to go and get freshened up. “I’ll be back in a few, Brenda, love. Please put the spatula away. I’ll be good. I promise,” he said as he blew his wife a kiss.

“Get! You dork.” Brenda laughed as she shooed him off under the watchful gaze of John and Cynthia, who had placed her hand on John’s shoulder.

“Guess what they say is true,” Cynthia whispered into Johns ear, “like father like son. Both are huge dorks.”