Ticktock Love

[18] Fool Intentions

I spent my Sunday morning burning blueberry pancakes and making my little sister laugh.

"Do it again!" she giggled when I flipped the pancake in the air. Being the best sister ever, I complied with zest and silly dance moves.

Berlioz hunted the flying item with his eyes, and all four of his tiny feet launched into the air when the oval piece plunked back in the small pan. I turned it over with a spatula since it chose the wrong side to fall on, and after my semi-successful attempt, I was happy to see golden specks instead of scorched batter. Two particularly pitiful attempts had already ended up in the discard pile, destined to be eaten by coyotes.

"How much longer?" my sister whined, surreptitiously feeding a small, cooled piece to the kitten. I watched him carefully sniff it before scoffing and licking his front paw instead.

"One more," I promised as I transferred the last one onto the steaming stack. Maybe it was a good thing I had messed up already – a few extra, and the tentative tower would have easily toppled over.

Maddie took her fork and a butter knife and started drumming them against the table. "We want pancakes! We want pancakes!"

"If you do the multiplication table real quick for me, maybe they'll be done sooner," I teased her as I scooped the remaining batter with a spoon and poured it into the hot cookware.

Her tiny face twisted in a grimace. "You are cruel, Lizzie."

"Fine. Then tell me which boy you have a crush on." I paused for a second. "Or a girl."

Still frowning, Maddie put the finger on her chin and pretended to think. "I don't know. Amira says that I can have Ryder from Paw Control, but she wants to marry SpongeBob SquarePants."

I snorted as I grabbed the warm handle, shaking it to detach the hardened batter from the pan surface.

"What's so funny?" my sister crossed her arms.

"Nothing at all. So, only fictional TV characters, huh? My kind of girl."

I put my hand up for a high five, and she reluctantly gave me one, unsure if I was covertly making fun of her. I heard her blowing a raspberry behind my back just in case.

"Do you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, Lizzie?"

I suddenly got way too interested in the pan, hoping she couldn't see my blush. "Oh, look! The pancake's ready."

"Yay!"

After I turned off the stove and laid the towering stack in the middle, I slid the bottom pancake onto her small plate and looked at the selection. Maddie had lined up all the condiments along the kitchen island in the alphabetical order, and I wasn't sure if it was a happy coincidence or on purpose. I put my index finger on my chin, pretending to think about all the combinations.

"Butter? Maple syrup? More blueberries?"

Her eyes gleamed. "Everything."

Three minutes later, the sugar monstrosity had been created. Maddie licked her lips in anticipation, and Berlioz jumped onto the chair next to her, his tiny, curious nose poking from under the table.

"Dig in," I encouraged her while I worked on my own creation, and it didn't take her long to obey.

Having opted for a simpler variant in my own case, I watched in amusement as Maddie cut off a piece, making sure that each bite contained the perfect ratio of cake and syrupy concoction. If she ever gave up on becoming a zoologist, she would have made a fantastic chemist.