blame me, though, can ya? Oh hey, listen. The music stopped.”
With the music now off, the individuals waiting outside opened the door and disappeared.
“Let’s see what happens here,” Ted said.
Chapter 9
A fter the events of yesterday, I figured now was as good a time as any to make pancakes for breakfast. Everyone was sitting around the fire or at the picnic table. Even the dogs were lying in the sun, all three of them. That’s right—three. The creep’s dog followed us home, and we decided to let him stay. Little Bit was sitting close to Mel. She hadn’t ventured very far from us since she returned.
I felt like one of those hibachi chefs, with everyone sitting around watching me mix up a bowl of pancake batter. I used the pancake batter we had left and cut it with about one-third cattail starch. I had the stove set up with two cast iron skillets heating up some of the rendered pig fat. I scooped up a spoon of batter and let it run out into the bowl.
“How’s that look?” I asked.
“Looks good to me,” Mel said.
“Looks yummy!” Little Bit said, bouncing up and down in her seat.
“Get to cookin’, man!” Jeff shouted as he banged a fork on the table.
“All right, all right, if you guys just can’t wait,” I said as I turned to the skillets.
“We can’t! Now get crackin’!” Danny said.
I spooned the batter out into the skillets, making cakes nearly the size of the pan.
“All right, who gets the first one?” I asked.
I was showered with shouts from everyone at the table. I laughed and watched for telltale bubbles to form in the batter in the pan.
“Daddy, can I flip them?” Little Bit asked.
“Sure, come on over here.”
I helped her get the spatula under the cake and she flipped it successfully, then did the next one. When the other side was browned, I had her take them out and put them on a plate as I quickly poured in more batter. I then took the plate from Little Bit and set it on a grate near the fire to stay warm.
“We’ll wait till there’s enough for everyone,” I said. Naturally I was met with a chorus of jeers.
In about ten minutes there was quite the stack of cakes. Jeff reached for the first plate, a huge smile on his face. I slapped his knuckles with the spatula. “Ladies first, you damn Neanderthal.”
He jerked his hand back, shaking it. “Damn, that hurt!”
I set the first plate in front of Mel, then another in front of Bobbie.
“Lee Ann, how many you want?” I asked.
She didn’t look up, just shrugged her shoulders.
“Come on now. One or two? How many?”
“I don’t care,” she replied.
I slipped two onto a plate and set it in front of her, then served her sisters. Once all the ladies had their breakfast, I passed a plate to Thad. He quickly poured syrup on them. Taking a big bite, he looked at Jeff and smiled as he chewed. “
Mmmm, mmmmm
,” he moaned.
Jeff sat there shaking his head. “Y’all ain’t right.”
With a big smile I set a plate in front of him. “Here ya go, princess.”
Once everyone had a plate I sat down with one. “Well, how are they?”
“These are just like the ones you used to make, Dad,” Taylor said.
“They’re great!” Little Bit shouted.
“Yeah, these are really good,” Danny said.
It was universally agreed that they were a hit. It didn’t take long for the table to be littered with empty plates, except for Lee Ann’s. She had barely touched her food. I looked over at Mel and nodded toward Lee Ann. She put her hands up in the air as if to say,
I don’t know
.
After finishing up the meal, Doc took off, thanking me for the breakfast. We said our good-byes and the rest of us sat around the table a bit longer, full from the pancakes.
“Guys, we got to get serious about hunting. We’re almost out of meat and the other stuff is nearly gone too. We need to focus on getting some protein,” I said as I stirred the fire with a stick.
“I’m up for some hunting,” Jeff said.
“Me too,”
With the music now off, the individuals waiting outside opened the door and disappeared.
“Let’s see what happens here,” Ted said.
Chapter 9
A fter the events of yesterday, I figured now was as good a time as any to make pancakes for breakfast. Everyone was sitting around the fire or at the picnic table. Even the dogs were lying in the sun, all three of them. That’s right—three. The creep’s dog followed us home, and we decided to let him stay. Little Bit was sitting close to Mel. She hadn’t ventured very far from us since she returned.
I felt like one of those hibachi chefs, with everyone sitting around watching me mix up a bowl of pancake batter. I used the pancake batter we had left and cut it with about one-third cattail starch. I had the stove set up with two cast iron skillets heating up some of the rendered pig fat. I scooped up a spoon of batter and let it run out into the bowl.
“How’s that look?” I asked.
“Looks good to me,” Mel said.
“Looks yummy!” Little Bit said, bouncing up and down in her seat.
“Get to cookin’, man!” Jeff shouted as he banged a fork on the table.
“All right, all right, if you guys just can’t wait,” I said as I turned to the skillets.
“We can’t! Now get crackin’!” Danny said.
I spooned the batter out into the skillets, making cakes nearly the size of the pan.
“All right, who gets the first one?” I asked.
I was showered with shouts from everyone at the table. I laughed and watched for telltale bubbles to form in the batter in the pan.
“Daddy, can I flip them?” Little Bit asked.
“Sure, come on over here.”
I helped her get the spatula under the cake and she flipped it successfully, then did the next one. When the other side was browned, I had her take them out and put them on a plate as I quickly poured in more batter. I then took the plate from Little Bit and set it on a grate near the fire to stay warm.
“We’ll wait till there’s enough for everyone,” I said. Naturally I was met with a chorus of jeers.
In about ten minutes there was quite the stack of cakes. Jeff reached for the first plate, a huge smile on his face. I slapped his knuckles with the spatula. “Ladies first, you damn Neanderthal.”
He jerked his hand back, shaking it. “Damn, that hurt!”
I set the first plate in front of Mel, then another in front of Bobbie.
“Lee Ann, how many you want?” I asked.
She didn’t look up, just shrugged her shoulders.
“Come on now. One or two? How many?”
“I don’t care,” she replied.
I slipped two onto a plate and set it in front of her, then served her sisters. Once all the ladies had their breakfast, I passed a plate to Thad. He quickly poured syrup on them. Taking a big bite, he looked at Jeff and smiled as he chewed. “
Mmmm, mmmmm
,” he moaned.
Jeff sat there shaking his head. “Y’all ain’t right.”
With a big smile I set a plate in front of him. “Here ya go, princess.”
Once everyone had a plate I sat down with one. “Well, how are they?”
“These are just like the ones you used to make, Dad,” Taylor said.
“They’re great!” Little Bit shouted.
“Yeah, these are really good,” Danny said.
It was universally agreed that they were a hit. It didn’t take long for the table to be littered with empty plates, except for Lee Ann’s. She had barely touched her food. I looked over at Mel and nodded toward Lee Ann. She put her hands up in the air as if to say,
I don’t know
.
After finishing up the meal, Doc took off, thanking me for the breakfast. We said our good-byes and the rest of us sat around the table a bit longer, full from the pancakes.
“Guys, we got to get serious about hunting. We’re almost out of meat and the other stuff is nearly gone too. We need to focus on getting some protein,” I said as I stirred the fire with a stick.
“I’m up for some hunting,” Jeff said.
“Me too,”
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