Linda thought that Jeannie's old bedroom must have faced the east. Bright rays of sunshine beamed down on her early the next morning. As she started to wake up she could hear conversation drifting up from downstairs. She could also smell sausage cooking and hear griddles sizzling.
A clock radio across the room read "7:45." She thought that they should get in their clothes right away to venture downstairs but realized that Lauren still languished deep in slumber. "Come on, sleepyhead," she said, nudging Lauren's arm. "They made breakfast for us."
Lauren groaned. "Is it morning already?"
Linda laughed. "Yes. Duh." Her friend turned over to face against the wall, away from the sunlight. "I wanna sleep some more."
"Just a little more, but I want to get going soon." She went downstairs by herself. In the kitchen, she found Jeannie and Greg's mom busy at the stove while Jeannie and Greg sat down at the table, both of them still in their pajamas. By the time plates of sausage and pancakes settled onto the table, Lauren wandered into the room, bleary-eyed and tousle-haired.
"Good morning sleeping beauty," Greg said.
Linda realized that she was ravenously hungry. She attacked a stack of buttermilk pancakes covered with blueberry syrup, but delicately sliced and dined on three sausage links. The four of them carried on a spirited conversation about the concert. Jeannie and Greg's mother smiled and said "It's so great that these big time musicians come on out to play for all of you kids." The wall phone rang, startling Linda.
She wondered who would call so early, assuming it was the father, checking in from his business trip.
Greg answered it. As the other person on the line spoke, his features curled into a smile. "Hey buddy! What's happening?"
"Seth," Jeannie said, through a mouth full of toast."
Lauren, whose eyes had still flickered at half-mast, brightened and revitalized suddenly. She smiled and turned to Linda. "See! What did I tell you?" She nudged her playfully with her elbow.
"So?" Linda said.
Greg then called to her from across the kitchen, holding the phone. "Hey Linda, he wants to talk to you."
"He does?" she replied weakly.
Lauren started to laugh and rock from side to side in her hair, fully awake now. "What did I tell you? What did I tell you?"
Linda stood up to take the phone, receiving it in her hands daintily, as if the phone had been made of cut Swarovski crystal. She said "Hello?"