My Morning Routine

Alan got up in the morning. He was the only one left in bed. Checking the clock, he turned over, hugging someone’s pillow and wrapping around it. It smelt like Satsuma – Jeff’s pillow. For some reason that man could spend a year sweating in a desert and he’d still come out smelling like Body Shop soap.

Kingsley came into the room screaming, being chased by Georgia with the mixer. Both of them jumped on the bed which contained a (now groaning) Alan. “Father, mommy wants to know if you want pancakes,” she said, shaking him. “She has new blueberries.”

“Fine,” Alan said, receiving a wink from Georgia.

“You’ve gotta get up or you’ll be late for work,” Georgia said, flipping the mixer on and off.

“Fine,” Alan repeated, crawling out of the bed.

Georgia and Kingsley waited until Alan actually got out of bed before running out of the room in a fit of giggles. In his privacy, Alan reached into his silk pyjamas to adjust himself before heading into the bathroom. He relieved himself while Jeff was in the shower. He always took too long in the shower, and there was never any hot water by the time Alan stepped in.

Jeff goosed Alan on the way out of the shower. It was the same conversation every morning. “You’re not eating breakfast in your towel,” Alan said.

“No, I am eating naked,” Jeff said.

“I really don’t think I want to lose my appetite this early in the morning,” Alan said. “Georgia’s making blueberry pancakes.”

“You love this,” Jeff said, shaking his stomach. “I’ll get dressed.”

“Good,” Alan said, unbuttoning his shirt.

“Unless you need company in the shower?”

“Get dressed,” Alan said.

Alan had a very quick and very cold shower. Once he stepped out and dried off, he put on his work uniform and headed into the kitchen where he found his family at the table. Tinkerbell, Kingsley’s giant stuffed dinosaur, had her own seat and her own pancakes. Jeff picked pieces of the pancakes off Tinkerbell’s place when Kingsley wasn’t looking. Alan took his seat at the table, and he pulled the business section out of the newspaper on the table.

Jeff read the entertainment section, Kingsley read the comics, and Georgia read the main section. Tinkerbell had the personal ads in front of her. Before Alan even got a bite in, Georgia said, “You’re going to be late.”

“You need to open your shop early,” Alan said, “so I can be late.”

“You’d never get out of bed without me,” Georgia said.

Jeff noted, “I’d get him out of bed.”

“You’d keep him in bed,” Georgia replied.

“Could I stay home from school if Father stays home from work?”

“I’m going to work,” Alan said, shovelling pancakes into his mouth.

“Then go already,” Georgia said, checking her watch. “What do you say to your first appointment when you’re late?”

“I apologize,” Alan said, kissing Kingsley on her forehead. “I’ll pick you up after school, okay?”

Kingsley nodded, making a face and wiping her forehead.

“Great pancakes,” he said, pecking Georgia on the lips. “Thanks.”

“Get out of here,” Georgia said.

“What about me?” Jeff asked.

“Don’t have time,” Alan said. “Gotta get to work.”

“You gotta get to work on me,” Jeff said.

“’Bye everyone,” Alan said, ignoring Jeff.

He received murmurs of goodbyes, and a blank stare from Tinkerbell. And then he stepped outside to run to work.








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This is a work for myself, how exciting.
These amazing and well-developed characters belong to me.