breakfast and arguments

My dad prepares the same breakfast almost everyday. And he sure has a way to make me eat. Even though I protest all the time.

That morning, I was adamant I would not stuff any of his cooking into my mouth.

"I don't want to eat."

He kept quiet.

"I don't want to eat." I said again, louder this time. "Can't you give me a break?" I have to eat the same breakfast for nearly 365 days a year. Even civil servants have 21 or 28 days of leave a year.

Still silent. I began to suspect I've made him angry.

I headed to the kitchen to stare at a plate of potatoes and broccoli, slightly guilty. I knew my dad went to some lengths to make breakfast.

"Don't finish it if you don’t want to. Just eat the potatoes." He appeared at the kitchen’s door.

"Most of it are potatoes. But okay." I did as told. The broccoli looked lonely without the potatoes, so I just ate them as well, not wanting to waste more energy arguing with my dad. I was running late.

There were still a tomato and a suspicious and dangerous-looking mixture of egg and cereal left.

"Eat the tomato. Leave the rest to me."

"What? No! The tomato is so big! I will be finishing everything!"

My dad started talking about how he cut the tomato to make it resemble a flower and how that one tomato costed two dollars.

I pointed out how the tomato seeds looked like the centre of a flower, joining in the fun. And took a bite of the tomato.

"You’re ruining the 'flower' by taking a bite at a time. Put the whole thing into your mouth."

"Everything looks the same when it comes out anyway." I grumbled, but ate the whole tomato.

And while I was eating, he went out of the house. Leaving me with the egg and cereal.

Mean.

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Today, he said, "Help me keep the bread."

I put it into my bag. And forgot to give him back.

It became my lunch.

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I was complaining about breakfast one day when my dad sighed and said, "I'm very frustrated. I have a wife who is diagnosed with cancer and eats too much unhealthy stuff, a daughter who refuses to eat anything, and a dog with heart problems and which eats everything."

This coming from a man who thinks he looks like Bruce Lee. Call me unsympathetic, but I laughed like crazy. You have to agree it was a good summary of his situation.