Josh tumbled out of bed when he heard Mr. Durban’s truck start up. His neighbor, Mr. Durban, always left home at 5:30 in the morning rain or shine. Josh always wondered where Mr. Durban had to go so early. This morning, the sound of the truck was a welcome alarm as it meant Josh had 30 minutes to plan his surprise.
Josh tripped over the toy truck he’d forgotten to put away the night before. He picked up the truck and placed it in the toy box. His mother always checked to make sure he put away his toys before bed but last night she hadn’t. She wasn’t feeling well yesterday and when she came home from work she had gone to bed and stayed there.
Josh had gone to bed after making himself a sandwich and some chocolate tea. He missed his mom putting him to bed but he didn’t cry. Josh just prayed and asked God to heal his Mommy.
Now it was time for Josh to get to work. He headed to bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face. He tried to take his time to brush his teeth like his mother and the dentist said he should, even though he was in a hurry.
He crept passed his mom’s door which was still closed. He headed straight to the kitchen. He was going to make her breakfast. She always said how much she liked his scrambled eggs and that was on the menu.
There were only two eggs left in the box and Josh wondered if he should use both or save one for another day. He decided to use one and add some milk to the eggs. He looked in the fridge to see what else he could include. There was only a small piece of sausage and a slice of cheese.
Josh gathered all the ingredients for the breakfast and found a bowl in which to put the egg.
He stood with the egg in his left hand, a fork in his right. Now, to hit it just right, Joshua thought.
Too hard and the egg would splatter all over the place and he could only use one. He attempted to tap it lightly but nothing happened. So he used the fork to hit it harder. The egg cracked and everything fell into the bowl. The egg was now shattered and there were egg shells all mixed in.
“Oh no,” he cried then muffled his own mouth. How was he going to get all of the shells out?
Josh knew he would just have to clean it up.
He took his time and picked out all the shells he could see. Then he added some milk, a bit of salt and pepper.
His mom had shown him how to turn on the stove and before too long the frying pan was warm and the eggs were bubbling away. He didn’t like them too dry and neither did his mom, so as soon as they started to harden he put the scrambled eggs in the plate.
The piece of sausage was next to go into the pan. When it was cooked Josh added it to the plate as well. The cheese, he placed on top of the warm eggs and it immediately began to melt. Then, came the toast with a little butter.
There were no fancy trays in the house, so Josh looked around for something on which to carry the breakfast. He found his little sister’s art case. It was wide enough to hold everything. As he was about to pick up the tray, he remembered he needed to have something for his mom to drink. He got a glass from the cupboard and poured a glass of orange juice from a jug in the fridge. As he put back the jug of juice he noticed some tomatoes and lettuce. He remembered seeing his mom put lettuce and tomato on their plate on Sunday mornings. This was not Sunday but it was a special day, so he figured it was a good idea.
“Yes,” he said to himself. “This is perfect for Mom.”
He rushed to get the card he’d written the night before and placed it on the tray next to the knife and fork and headed for the bedrooms.
Josh had to put the tray on the floor to knock on his mother’s door. He heard his mom’s voice saying “come in” and he opened the door to see her still covered up in bed.
“Good morning Mommy. I have a surprise for you,” he said with a big smile.
“Good morning Josh. I wonder what that surprise could be,” she replied.
Josh bent and picked up the tray and headed for the bed.
“Oh wow, you made me breakfast!” she exclaimed although her voice sounded hoarse. “I thought I was dreaming that I smelt eggs and sausage.”
“No you weren’t. I made it all by myself Mommy. I want you to feel better soon,” he answered.
She sat up in the bed and took the tray from him.
“Hmmm this smells heavenly Josh,” his mom said. “You mean I have such a big son that he can make me breakfast in bed?”
“Yep! I wanted to make it for you since you weren’t feeling good,” he explained.
“So you made some for you too?”
“No! I only used one egg for you.”
“Well come sit here and share this with me,” she patted the space next to her. Josh got into the bed trying not to shake the tray.
His mother broke a piece of toast and added eggs and some sausage. She handed it to him and Josh took a big bite.
“Oops,” he thought his eyes opening wide. He’d just bit on a piece of shell. Gosh, he hoped that was the last piece. He ate it anyway because he didn’t want his mom to see him spitting it out.
She was eating it all up. When she was done, they shared the orange juice and both gave a big burp. Joshua doubled over in laughter at the look of horror on his mom’s face at the sound of her own burp.
“Oh my, that was nice,” she said wiping her mouth with the napkin. “I feel so much better already.
“Don’t forget the card Mommy,” Josh answered handing the homemade card to her.
His mother read the words on the card silently.
“To my Mommy”, it said.
“You deserve the best because you give us the best. Feel better soon.”
His mother wiped a tear from her eye.
“You’ve made my day and it’s barely six in the morning my love,” she said squeezing him.
“I love you Mommy and I want you to feel better,” Josh said resting his head on her chest.
She rubbed his head and said “I am okay darling. I love the card, enjoyed sharing my orange juice and definitely thought the scrambled eggs were quite tasty, even with the egg shells in them.”
Joshua burst out laughing as his mother began to tickle him. He tickled her back and soon they were both crying with the laughter.
Josh snuggled up next to his mother happy that he’d been able to surprise her and help her feel better. Before too long he was fast asleep.
About the Author
Nerissa Golden is an author and motivator, who encourages others to pursue their passions in every facet of life. She publishes Truly Woman and TrulyCaribbean.net, free Emagazines, and she is the founder of the Young Entrepreneurs Symposium (YES) conferences for the Caribbean. She is the author of Truly Caribbean Woman’s Guide to Good Love and The Making of a Caribbeanpreneur: Strategies for Overcoming Fear and Building Wealth. Nerissa is the Director of Information for the Government of Montserrat where she currently lives with her four children.
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