Breakfast at 7

The blurry image of a white ceiling with glow-in-the-dark stars appeared when Jason groggily opened his eyes. His daddy had put them up; thirteen green stars and a red one. Jason closed his eyes tightly again. The light coming from his bedside light was too bright for his liking. Daddy had said that the red star was where he came from, but Jason had never understood how someone could live on a tiny plastic star.

Jason rolled over with his eyes shut, and felt around for his glasses. He located them next to his inhaler and his alarm clock on his nightstand and put them on. This time his room was much clearer when he opened his eyes. Rubbing his eyes, Jason sat up and threw the blankets off him. It was then that his foggy mind cleared a little and he realised what day it was. My birthday! Jason jumped out of bed and snatched Snot from his pillow. Would it be too early to get his gifts? Would mommy and dad be awake yet? Jason glanced at his Mickey Mouse alarm clock. Mickey’s short arm pointed at the ‘6’, and Jason pouted. Mommy had told him he wasn’t allowed to go downstairs until Mickey pointed at the ‘7’

Still, a wide grin spread on Jason’s face at the prospect of cake and lots of presents. Would mommy have remembered to buy the train set? He’dhave to wait until Mickey pointed at ‘7’ before he could find out.

Jason walked to his closet. There, on the doorknob, hung the clothes that Mommy had bought especially for his birthday and next to that; his mirrorJason stood in front of it and looked at himself. He didn’t look 7 yet. 7 year old boys were bigger than 6-year-olds, but Jason didn’t think he was any larger than he had been yesterday. He turned around, and looked at himself from the side. Or maybe he was. Lifting his arms high above his head, he noticed the sleeves of his pyjamas pulled back to reveal his bare wrists. He beamed. If his clothes had become too small, he had grown. Now he really was 7.

Suddenly, Jason heard a sound. A voice. He let his arms fall down and listened. Was that Daddy? Did that mean he was already awake? There! Jason head it again, a little louder. It was definitely daddy. And Mommy too. So they were awake? Jason jumped up. If they were already awake they wouldn’t mind if he went down a little sooner, right? Jason could just picture himself unwrapping the train set and he glanced at his alarm clock again. Mickey was now pointing at a place just between ‘6’ and ‘7’. Should he go? Mickey’s ticking eyes went from left to right every second, like he was saying “no”, and a new thought suddenly struck. What if Mommy and Dad did mind when he got down early, and he wouldn’t get his presents? Jason crashed down on his bed and pulled Snot towards him. It was better to wait.

Jason sat on his bed for only a few seconds when he heard a loud crash downstairs, and his parent’s loud voices. Jason’s head jerked up. What was that noise? What was happening downstairs? They weren’t – Jason’s eyes widened – they weren’t fighting, were they?Jason knew very well that Mommy yelled when she was upset, and Sophia from school said that daddies banged on the table when they are angry. Jason hugged Snot close. He didn’t want his parents to fight, especially not on his birthday. Another shout from his mother sounded from downstairs and Jason made up his mind. He got of his bed and slowly opened his bedroom door. The hallway was dark and deserted. Jason clutched Snot by its long ears and slipped out of his room. His eyes quickly grew accustomed to the darkness. There were two sources of light in the hallway; pale light from the sun starting to rise came from the windows, and a yellowish light that came from downstairs. Jason’s bare feet made slapping noises on the wooden floor as he walked towards it The closer he got to the stairs, the louder his parents’ voices seemed to become. Even though he still couldn’t hear what she was saying, Jason was relieved to notice his Mommy’s voice didn’t sound angry. That put some of his worries to rest, but he still was curious as to what was going on downstairs. And what had that crash been?

Step by step Jason descended the stairs, and with every step he took he got a better view of the living room. He was thrilled to notice the colourful balloons scattered everywhere, and his excitement of the coming day grew even bigger. Soundlessly he jumped off the last two steps and tiptoed into the living room trying not to breathe. Mommy and Dad had were nowhere to be seen, which surely meant they had to be in the kitchen.

The kitchen! Of course. Jason smiled as he realised what they were doing. They were making him a breakfast… yes, that had to be it. After all, he and Dad had made Mommy breakfast on Mothers Day. He heard Mommy laughing in the kitchen andinched closer. What would they be making? Toast with strawberries? Blueberry pancakes? Jason inhaled deeply. There was no scent in the air.

The rummaging and laughter in the kitchen suddenly stopped and a whispered voice, sounding like Dad’s, said “Shhh!”, only a second before Jason walked into the kitchen.

It was a mess. The counter was wiped clean and several papers and the fruit bowl were lying on the floor. Mommy was sitting on the counter, but jumped off real fast, like she was caught or something. Daddy was fastening his belt rapidly with a very red face. Both of them were looking nervous, and Jason smiled. He knew what was going on; a surprise breakfast! He wasn’t supposed to know about it yet. But then why was Mommy sitting on the counter? Surely there must be an easier way to make breakfast?

“J-Jason!” Mum straightened her blouse. “What are you doing down here this early, munchkin?”

“I heard a noise. Mickey said I couldn’t leave, but I wanted to know what had happened. And I saw you and Dad-” Jason tipped his head to the side. “Were you making a surprise breakfast?”

“Surprise breakfast?” Mommy looked at Dad quickly. “Erm, yeah… that’s it. We were making breakfast.” Jason beamed, satisfied with his investigative skills, and then winked. “I promise I’ll be surprised.”

It was silent for a while; Mommy and Dad shared relieved looks, while Jason scanned the decorated living room. “So, is it too early for my presents yet?”