Chapter 2

I went inside, and returned to my room but there was no way I could get back to sleep. I did some floor exercises, push-ups and sit-ups and crunches, and a few leg stretches, but basically just waited there quietly until I heard Emma moving around in the hall. And this is where I learned exactly how little I knew about the routines of young women in the morning. For guys, the morning process is the three esses: Shit, Shower and Shave, and the whole process doesn't take ten minutes from start to finish. Throw on a little deodorant, do something to your hair and you're good to go--twelve minutes, tops!!! I heard Emma go into the bathroom that we shared, heard the door shut and the water begin to run, and run, and run, and run. I have no idea how long she was in the bathroom that morning, but it had to go well beyond thirty minutes, probably closer to forty five. I gave her a minute or so to get back to her room and then I went in, did my thing and was down to breakfast before she even knew I was up.

I was very surprised to see someone else in the kitchen cooking something for breakfast. I started into the kitchen to introduce myself but was stopped short of the door by a somewhat large woman holding a knife in one hand and a frying pan in the other.

"Don't chew even think about comin' in my kitchen," she said. "First day here and you brings da' poll-eece. Get you skinny butt back to the table and sit there until I tell you that you can leave."

She did not look like the kind of person that even wanted to hear my side of the story. She had no idea who I was; she just knew that the sheriff's deputy had come to the house, and to her, that was not a good thing. How else can I start this day off wrong, I wondered?

I sat in my chair at the table for at least thirty minutes, in silence, waiting for someone else to join me. I could hear the woman in the kitchen humming or singing softly and paying absolutely no attention to me, but I was not about to get up and test her instructions. Finally I heard movement on the stairs and Emma came to my rescue.

"Good morning. Why are you just sitting there like that? What are you doing up so early? Have you eaten yet? Has Mom been down yet?"

I raised my hand, as if in school and prepared to answer the teacher's questions. Emma laughed.

"I am sitting here because there is a strange woman in the kitchen holding a knife. I started to introduce myself and she turned on me, and told me to come in here and just sit until she decides otherwise. I always get up this early. No, I have not eaten anything yet, and finally, no, your mother has not come down yet."

About the time I finished my responses to the rapid fire questions of Emma the Interrogator, my knife wielding challenger appeared in the doorway. "Miss Emma, let me tell you 'bout dis man you done brought into dis house. He's no good. Done already brought da sheriff hisself, and you know dat's bad! Miss Emma, if you know what's good for you, you better run him off."

"Miss Lottie, you are soo bad!!! You know darn well who this gentleman is. We've been talking about him for a week, so don't you pretend you didn't know!"

"You never said nuttin 'bout no poll-eece, Miss Emma. You know dat I don't like those folks."

"Everything's fine, Miss Lottie. His name is Kyle, and he is a very nice person."

With that, she turned to me and asked what "bringing the poll-eece" was all about.

"I just went out for my morning run and managed to upset a few of the dogs in the neighborhood. The next thing I know, the sheriff pulls up and wants to see some identification, which, of course, I don't have in my running clothes. So I ran back here and pounded on the door until your mom woke up and made it all right with the cop. Once he was gone, I had the pleasure of a lecture from your mom about getting up too early. What time do you get up in the mornings anyway? Do you guys sleep all day?"

"No, but this is a little early, wouldn't you agree?"

Just at that moment, Miss Lottie entered the dining room with an enormous plate of bacon, eggs, toast and fresh fruit. I looked at the plate, and at her. "That's looks delicious, but who is it for?"

"One look at chew and I knew your momma must not feed you, so I figured you was starvin'. It's for you."

"Well, thank you, but I cannot possibly eat all of this myself. I wouldn't eat this much for breakfast in a week."

"An dat's why you got yourself such a skinny butt. Now, eat up!"

Emma smiled but said nothing. Lottie returned with a small bowl of fresh fruit for her. My questioning look evoked another response from Miss Lottie. "Don't chew be sayin nuthin! She's got to maintain that beautiful figure."

"Well, I agree that she is very pretty and has a gorgeous figure, at least from what I can tell."

"Don't chew be getting any ideas bout dat either, hear!"

"That's enough, Miss Lottie," Emma finally said in my defense. "Kyle is going to be with us for a month or so, and you need to be kind to him. Besides, he looks pretty good to me just the way he is."

"Hmmpf," was her only comment as she returned to her stronghold.

What are your plans for today?" Emma asked as we finished our breakfasts.