Page 8 of Rhyot & Nyelle
Five
Rhy wokeup for the first time in a while and didn’t hear the sound of inmates yelling or guards screaming it was time for a shower or chow hall. Instead he woke up in the comfort of Ny’s living room. Even the couch he slept on felt better than the flimsy thin layer they called a bed. It never failed, Rhy was in the habit of getting up before seven a.m. and today was no different as he grabbed his phone and looked at the time.
The television’s volume played low but he knew from the sound it was cartoons. His eyes scanned the room and he found Rhyelle sitting at her kiddie table to his left, wrapped in her blanket, holding her pink sippy cup, focused on her cartoon. He didn’t know which show it was but the blue dog had her attention.
She must’ve felt his presence because she soon turned around. Her big, brown, curious eyes took him in. He understood he was a stranger to her. The two just stared at one another until Rhy’s voice broke the silence.
“Ay,” Rhyot said groggily from just waking up, “You up early, baby girl.”
Rhyelle didn’t respond, just continued to stare at Rhyot, which caused him to chuckle. He could tell off rip she didn’t justlook like Nyelle, she acted like her too. And he loved Ny down so he already knew he was gonna love her too.
Rhyot got up and did a light stretch before he went in search of Nyelle which didn’t take long as he opened the door to her bedroom and spotted her with her bonnet half off and lips partially open. He chuckled, being careful not to wake her, before returning to the living room to see Lil Rhy staring in his direction.
“You hungry, Lil Rhy?” he asked the toddler, even though he didn’t know how in hell to cook. He was at least going to try. Especially with his own stomach rumbling.
Rhyelle nodded slowly, like she was unsure of his cooking skills.
“I got you, say less.” Rhyot smirked, heading toward the kitchen. “Come on. I’mma whip us up something real quick.” He walked to the kitchen with Rhyelle’s chunky self wobbling closely behind him.
He picked her up and placed her in the high chair as he washed his hands before he got to work, moving around the small but modern kitchen. He grabbed eggs, sausage, pancake mix, & hashbrowns. He’d learned a lot from watching videos and also while incarcerated he made spreads. However, he’d soon learn there was a difference.
First, he started with the eggs. He had a few hiccups, such as a few shells getting into the bowl, but he removed them with a fork. He rinsed his pan and turned the stove on high, setting the pan on top. He then grabbed butter and placed it inside the pan. Next he grabbed the pancake mix and small bowl, carefully reading the directions before deciding fuck it. He used a twelve ounce coffee mug as a measuring cup. The mix was now watery, which he’d thought would be okay. He shrugged and proceeded.
He looked over at Rhyelle to see her happy and clapping her hands in anticipation of the food. This motivated him to keepgoing, to keep trying. Then he went for the hashbrowns, placing them in a pan, turning the oven on, and tossing them in. He looked around the kitchen at the mess he’d made and sighed. Finally, he got the sausage links and a frying pan, rinsing it off before placing it on the stove, the handle pointed inward. He then put butter and sausages in the pan while moving around, putting bowls in the sink and food materials back in the right space.
The smoke coming from the pan with the eggs caught his attention.
“Damn!” Rhyot hissed, turning off the burner to stop the eggs from burning any further. “This shit can’t be that hard. Niggas make breakfast every day on TikTok.”
The smoke detector suddenly shrieked loud as hell.
“Aw, fuck!” Rhyot jumped back, waving a rag at the air like that was gonna help. “Shut the fuck up!”
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” Rhyelle repeated, clapping her hands happily`.
“Noooo, baby girl, you can’t repeat that!” Rhy scolded softly as he continued to wave at the alarm, only stopping briefly to speak to her.
That was when Nyelle came flying out of the bedroom, bonnet tilted, eyes wide.
“What the fuck is going on in here?” she yelled over the alarm, looking from the stove to Rhyot then over at her happy toddler who continued yelling fuck while sitting in her high chair, clapping her hands. The whole scene was enough to overwhelm anyone.
“I was trying to make her some breakfast!” Rhyot barked back, frustrated as hell. He grabbed the burnt pan with a towel, tossed it in the sink, and flung a window open. “Baby girl said she was hungry, so I figured I’d chef something up. Shi…stuff just ain’t come out right.”
With just a shake of her head, Nyelle snatched the rag out of his hand, climbed up on a chair, and hit the reset button on the smoke detector. Silence filled the kitchen.
She turned to Rhy with her arms crossed and her face twisted up, trying to conceal her laugh. “Rhyot, you know damn well you don’t even know how to boil water. So what in your right mind made you think you could cook breakfast?”
Rhyot pointed at the remaining pans on the stove “Nah, I learned how to cook in the joint. It ain’t that damn hard.” He grew a bit defensive. He wasn’t the best cook but he at least deserved some credit.
Nyelle rolled her eyes so hard he swore they’d get stuck. “Just throw it away and I’ll figure something out!”
Rhyot did as she said without protesting. He watched as Nyelle grabbed a now upset Rhyelle from her high chair and stormed off.
They ended up ordering from Pancake House on the Munchies app. Rhyot had fried catfish, cheese eggs, grits, and home fries with a sweet tea. For Nyelle and Rhyelle they got sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches on white bread with sweet teas and a side order of cheese home fries.
After breakfast Rhyot quickly showered and put on a fresh set of clothes he had in his car. Rhyot reached out to his Aunt Emma, known to the hood as Miss Emma. She was a D-Ville staple really known for having some of the best drinks in Diamond Falls. She was surprised to hear his voice. She informed him that she was headed out to buy supplies for the upcoming block party. Rhy offered to take her and she agreed, letting him know she was getting ready.
Not only was he gonna take his aunt out and get her the supplies she needed, but he was also going to do a little shopping for Lil Rhy.
