cheese toast

Face before the toaster door, eyes wide like curious macadamias, she had peered in. Observing quietly the golden cheese blankets rising, browning, heaving, sighing even as they rose again to smother the happy bread.

The timer buzzed and the toaster stopped. The clock on the wall chimed 3 o'clock. Papa sat at the kitchen bench, patient, smiling. He always had all the time in the world.

It had been a long time since they had done this. Both of them had missed it very much, but she had been busy for a long time. Until today, when her boss had told her to leave for the day and never come back. "We're closing down," he had whispered, "we can't pay you."

Papa had known before she said anything. He had met her near the bus stop, and they had both cried.

Now here they were in the kitchen, two long years since the last time they had eaten together. Papa looked the same; she looked tired. She realised how much she missed Papa.

Trembling, she slipped on her crimson oven mitts and laid the slices of cheese toast on the tabletop. The risen golden blankets cooled and sank slightly. Two expectant faces leaned in to take in the delicious smells. Papa ate with his hands; she ate with knife and fork. It was the way both of them liked it.

Suddenly she felt all funny and strange inside. Like a child, curious about everything - why was cheese yellow, why did it rise like this in the oven, why did it taste so GOOOD??? Like what she learned to be as an adult, tired and having to wear black suits to work to talk about boring things. Like she was happy and excited but sad and angry all at once. How could it be, that one could feel a million things all at once?

She remembered the first time Papa made her cheese toast, and her unceasing wonder at the magic of it. She remembered the time she had thrown it all at Papa, who had looked at her sadly before walking out of the room. She remembered the times they had laughed and sung silly songs together while bits of melted cheese stuck to their cheeks. She remembered crying after her rabbit died, Papa making cheese toast to cheer her up.

Papa looked up. After so long, He understood. She climbed into His lap. They ate like comrades, like hungry beasts, like happy hearts.