Bacon, No Eggs

( @Heather225 another fictional story!)

As Mom dropped me off in front of Uncle Bennie’s house, I felt a wave of guilt wash over my whole body. After Joy left, apparently both Mom’s brother and I had been lonely. The porch had unfinished painting marks all over the front. I knocked on the door and waited a few minutes.

Mom was still in the car, waiting. “Maybe he isn’t home,” I called out. She shook her head and made a nasty face. “He’s always home.” She called back.

After another few minutes, the door opened. A tall, slim, black-haired man opened the door with a cigarette in one hand and another in his mouth.

“Hi there,” he mumbled a bit. Just as he waved at Mom, she sped off. She told me I’d be staying with him for 3 days. 

“Come inside, make yourself at home, alright?” He threw the cigarette in his mouth onto the ground and stepped on it before leading me inside. “Okay,” I eagerly followed him inside. Inside, it was smaller than I’d expected. He had a desk near the front door full of music sheets and a few trophies. In the kitchen, there was a pan full of bacon frying. He opened the fridge and pulled out a drink. 

“Want one?” He placed the drink on the counter where I was supposed to sit. I laughed. “I don’t drink,” 

He laughed too and went to check on the bacon. “I keep forgetting who you are, Pretty. You don’t know me like that, I don’t know you like that.” Uncle Bennie grabbed a plate and placed it on the counter. He turned around and started placing some of the hot, steaming, bacon onto it. “Thank you,” I sat down and placed my bag down so I could start eating. 

He asked me, “Do you want to see your room?” Mouth full of bacon, I nodded as I got up and followed him again. We went down a lit hallway, and into a room filled with yellow. Yellow walls, yellow bed, yellow everything. We walked back into the kitchen. “Want more bacon?”

“No thanks,”

“I wasn’t even expecting anyone today,” he grabbed a lighter and lit a new cigarette. “Really?” I asked while looking up.

“Mhm,” he sighed. “Your mom never calls me or anything, so this is a surprise.”

“Oh, she tends to do that to her friends.” I sighed along.

“How’s Joy?” he puffed, threw the cigarette away, and started frying more bacon.

I felt my eyelids get heavy. “She left 8 months ago to go to university,” 

Uncle Bennie turned around. “You’ve been by yourself?” He asked with a hint of worry in his voice. “Yeah,” I ate some of the bacon crumbs on my plate. I continued, “Mom said that you… hunted two of her rabbits.”

“I already told her, the first bunny ate our carrots that was for our mom when she was sick. That first bunny walked into one of the traps. Second one was sick and ran away.” He narrowed his eyebrows. “She’s been holding that stupid grunge since Joy was born!”

I shyly spoke. “Mom talks really bad about you.”

He gave a sore laugh. “I’m surprised she even talks about me!” Uncle Bennie went into the fridge and got some salt. 

“Salt? On bacon?” I judged. “Oh yeah! Where’d you think your mom learned how to make bacon so good?” He sprinkled some in the pan.

“Oh my goodness… give me some more!” I got up and ran to get more bacon.

“Those are for me!” He laughed and blocked my way to the stove. “Go in your room and unpack. I’ll bring it for you.”

I grabbed my bag and walked into my room. Before I walked into it, I stopped.

“Thank you,” I shouted into the kitchen.
“For what?” He continued frying bacon.

“For making me feel safe.”

I heard him chuckle.