The next morning, I woke to find a note from my mother.
Had to run out for groceries early, they were having an early bird sale at the local market. I'll make your favorite dinner tonight when you come home, and you can tell me all about your day. Don't let your aunts buy a new pet, you can take Emiko with you, she's really yours in the first place. Have a great day and don't spend too much.
Mom
I knew she had left early because she couldn't bear to see me off. I went down into the kitchen feeling a little sad to find Aunt Matti making breakfast, her wand waving around and making things fly to the kitchen table. I loved watching magic. It fascinated me. My mother knew this, and it was the reason we had stopped visiting my Aunt's at their houses. I watched as bacon flew from the pan to the table, one piece after another. I saw paper towel unfolding itself and chasing after the bacon to clean up the grease. Eggs were turning themselves over in the pan. A jug of orange juice flew past my face and landed on the table, spilling only a small amount. The paper towels that had been chasing the new slices of bacon changed course and wiped up the spilled juice, crumpled themselves into a ball and arched gracefully towards the garbage, which opened automatically and gave a little blech after swallowing its contents. I couldn't take in enough at one time. Plates started filing themselves out of the cabinets and laying themselves on the table, only slightly off center. Utensils flew from the drawers, flying in a high arch towards the table. Some of the forks landed standing straight up, slamming slightly into the table and quivering in place.
"Oops!"
Exclaimed Aunt Matti as she flew around the room, waving her wand gracefully. She twirled and hummed to the radio as she moved. Small flashes of light blinked in time with her wand movements. The curtains were fully closed on all of the windows, including the little window on the front door whose curtains were stiff with misuse. Three more things landed on the table and then suddenly everything is still.
"What's wrong?"
My Aunt Matti had stopped suddenly in the center of the kitchen. The table was between us, but her eyes met me across it. They moved down to the note that was still clutched in my hand. I quickly put it behind my back but felt it suddenly yanked out of my grasp. I spun around.
No one was there. The note had been magically summoned from my hands by my mischievous Aunt. I spun back around in time for my other Aunt to come in from the back garden. Aunt Nancy walked in and started reading the note over her sister's shoulder. They exchanged a look. I knew what they were thinking. I put on my best smile and sat down.
"That was the most incredible magic I've seen you do in a long time, Aunt Matti. It was mesmerizing!"
I helped myself to a slice of bread that had just been cut from a knife moving on its own. I grabbed the butter and spread some on my bread. I chanced a glace up at my mother's sisters. They were still watching me.
"What? Do you not know what "early bird special at the market" means?"
I asked, trying to project teasing into my voice. It was particularly easy as this was the usual way we spoke to each other. They both smiled a little reluctantly, but Aunt Nancy said,
"No hunny, we know. Are you ok with your mom not being here?"
Ah, Aunt Nancy, she always gets to the point, that woman.
"No, I think it will be a fun day with just you two! Mom mentioned that she had a lot of work to do, and my favorite dish IS a bit of work… You know how I like delicious food! Breaded Clearswamp Frog Legs take lots of time to catch and cook, so I've heard. Grandma and Mom are the only ones who've made it and I've never been allowed to watch yet!"
It seemed to be working. My aunts looked a lot more relaxed. I scooped an egg off the platter and placed it right on my buttered bread. I grabbed a slice of cheese and put it directly on top. I copied this on another slice of bread and started to eat. Soon my aunts joined me. As my aunt Nancy ate her breakfast, it was in the same way every day, she had three easy over eggs directly on top of two steaming hot pancakes complete with butter and syrup. My aunt Matti had an omelet with toasted bread pieces and bacon. I snagged two pieces of bacon off the extra plate as my father walked in.
Andy was a mostly normal guy. He was into sci-fi and stocks. He paid his taxes and drank tea late at night. He ate his breakfast a different way every morning. Today he had a bowl of Cherrio's and two eggs with a piece of toast and his normal morning coffee. He worked an office job and liked to build model creatures in his spare time. He was always supportive and made awkward dad jokes. His hair was still slightly disheveled, but he smiled warmly at me and I returned his smile.
I popped my second egg yolk and started cutting bites off and popping them into my mouth. It tasted bland and dry in my mouth, but I chewed enthusiastically, trying to avoid awkward questions from my dad as well. He propped open the newspaper and started to read. He read it front to back every single day.
Aunt Nancy had finished eating and had started to clean up. Suddenly there came a loud bark at the front door. It was Tasha, my parent's old golden retriever asking to be let inside. Apparently, she was done terrorizing the squirrels for the morning and had decided she wanted to be where the excitement was. Or for the food, I'm never quite sure which. Nancy flicked her wand at the door and it opened long enough for the old girl to come in and shut itself behind her. She huffed her way over to her water bowl and started to drink.
"So, what are you looking forward to most on this trip, Lucy?" My father asked me. He hadn't looked up from his paper, but I knew he was always listening. Even when we didn't think he was. I thought about it for a second.
"Probably seeing Grandma and Grandpa! I haven't seen them in what feels like forever!" The answer came willingly, almost unexpectedly from my mouth. It was the truth, I did want to see them. A true smile finally lit up my face.