title: breakfast with the luthors
author: jessica
mail: thegirlinglasses@illuminatedtext.com
date: november 05, 2002
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"Nicholas!"
It's only Papa. Papa likes to yell. When he works at home, he stomps around his office and yells into the phone. When Daddy yells, it's time to get downstairs.
I run the water a little longer, make sure my toothbrush will be wet when Daddy checks, and run downstairs.
I could smell the bacon as soon as I woke up. Daddy doesn't have to yell; bacon gets us downstairs just as quick.
Daddy has his head in the fridge, so I sneak into the kitchen and sit up at the table, wait for him to see me. But when he turns around, he already has a glass of milk for me.
"Good morning, Nicky," he says and kisses me on the head. He does that to Papa too. Papa says he hates it, but Lolo says he's just "fakin' it".
"Nicholas!" Papa yells again.
"Lex, he's right here," Daddy tells him.
Papa's already dressed when he walks into the kitchen. Daddy looks funny standing next to him in flannel pajamas.
"How did you get down here so fast, kid?"
He takes the chair next to me, reaching for his paper only after mussing up my hair. Daddy fixes it for me.
"You're not on drugs, are you, Nicky?" Papa asks from behind the paper.
"Lex!"
"What? Kids need to know about these kinds of things, Clark."
"He's six."
Daddy hits Papa over the head. I laugh, until Papa turns his glare to me.
"Eat your breakfast, sweetie," Daddy says, putting eggs and bacon on the plate in front of me.
I start eating, but watch when he kisses Papa's head, and rubs the spot he hit.
"Do you forgive me, Lex?"
Papa looks at me, smiles, then looks back up at Daddy.
"Of course, Clark," and they kiss again, on the lips.
"Alright," says Daddy, then hits him again. "No talking about drugs in front of your son."
Papa rubs his head this time.
"Tell Daddy not to be mean to me," he says.
I laugh.