A Brown Boy Morning

"Y'all did this to me," Franklin, who is brown, says standing on the other side of the counter.

I shrug my shoulders,

"Yeah!" he continues, taking a break from the prep work taking place at The Breakfast Club in the morning before it opens.

"You and John O'Neill!"

I sip my coffee and look the other way.

"I was a small impressionable child when I started here and y'all were already here. It's your fault."

Franklin is making these wild allegations because he said something remarkably crude to Judy O'Neill as he held her hand.

She left pretty quickly afterwards.

John missed it all as he'd already departed for his job as "Supervisor of Redneck Love Services" at the Ocean Plaza resort ... where cigarettes are available in the swimming pools.

Perhaps it's because I'm the Rev ... or it's a predawn Sunday morning ... or he's afraid Judy left to report what he said to the Island Paramilitary Police ... whatever ... the brown boy is both confessing, looking for an alibi and lining up his defense.

"It could be the people you work with," I say, getting up to pour myself another cup of coffee.

"Oh yeah," he exclaims. "They've ruined me too. You've seen the people I work with."

Glancing over his shoulder I see Ryan's head covered in a blue Cubs hoodie while eating breakfast still asleep (an incredible feat!) ... Kim is doing her hair while eating breakfast ... Denise is talking while eating breakfast ... Randy brushes his teeth while eating breakfast ... Caroline smokes while eating breakfast ... and I'm afraid to study what Richard is doing for breakfast but it looks gross.

"You got a point there Brown Boy," I say sitting back down.

"MIKE!" Jodee yells, "TRY THE FISH! You can't get this dish outside of France!"

Jodee is my friend, one of the world's greatest Chefs, a key cog in the "Carnival of Friends," owner of The Breakfast Club, mouth harp player, voracious reader of books, boat Captain, can fix anything that's broken and makes Sarah special cocktails when they're together.

"Gotta go Brown Boy," I say standing again to make my way to the back dining room.

Franklin returns to the Hollandaise he is making.

On a table in the back is a plate prepared by Jodee consisting of four Trout he caught yesterday swimming in a brown and yellow sauce with white and brown sprinkles on top.

I taste it and ... the Kingdom comes on earth as it is in Heaven!

"My God Jodee!" I say in religious ecstasy, "that is great!"

"Isn't it?" agrees Mike, who lusts after Sarah's oldest Maddie and cooks, says sitting next to me eating his breakfast.

Maddie's 13.

Mike's old enough to know better.

"I didn't think it would good but ... man that's good, he continues "eating something besides the fish."

Finishing my coffee, I stand and say, "Alright goodbye kids! I gotta go check on Sarah and the girls!"

"BYE MIKE!" they yell as though Sesame Street characters.

"MORNING MIKE!" Jodee yells wishing me a good morning.

It's a great way to start a day ... well ... except for Franklin who is brown.

He wishes me a good morning with verb and a pronoun.

I have no idea who he learned that from.