Toni's second day pt 1 breakfast

     OMG! Er Ma Gerd! She slept in late. That's to be expected after that long trek. When she woke up, she was exhausted. After that she fell apart. 

"Any coffee?", she asked as she stumbled out of her sleeping area. 

"What's for breakfast?" 

"Where's the bathroom?" 

"Where's my stuff?"

     "Good morning, Toni. The outhouse is outside to the right. There's hot water in the pot; just add coffee. Your stuff is next to your sleeping area. Breakfast isn't ready yet."

"What's for breakfast?", she asked me. 

"Whatever you make for yourself." I answered. 

     "That outhouse stinks like shit!", declared my roommate as she stomped back to the tent. "Coffee. Coffee!! I need my damn coffee! I can't believe they sent us to this shithole!" And on she went... 

     "I'm sweaty! I'm sticky!  This place is shit!!! I feel like shit! I want a bath (sobs)! What do I have to do to get a bath?" Then she broke down crying. 

     I showed Toni where her stuff was. I told her to break out a coffee packet and whatever ingredients she'd like for breakfast. She found her backpack. After rummaging for one, two minutes she took out one coffee packet that already included cream, as well as one flavored oatmeal packet. Hey, at least she kept it to food that only needed boiled water to cook it. 

     She took out her mess kit to have her breakfast. I poured hot water into her cup and bowl. She added the coffee to her cup and stirred. Holding the hot beverage in both hands, she inhaled the aroma of her creamy, instant coffee. The measured-in-and-out movement of her lungs helped her to calm down. The aroma and caffeine helping to ease the tension in her head, neck and shoulders. 

     Half way through her coffee Toni moved her attention to her oatmeal. She wanted to toss her cooled water out, but I warned her there was no running water here. "And that's another fucking thing here!" And off she went, again. She drank her coffee. I took her cup and bowl. I transferred a bit of the water to her cup to rinse it out. I convinced her to drink the rest. Nothing gets wasted here. 

     "Do you still want oatmeal?  I have an egg I can Share with you."  When I said that she pounced on me. "Where are the eggs? I want mine sunny-side up!", she exclaimed, turning over the pantry in the tent. She still hadn't adjusted to life without fast food or a refrigerator. 

     I went to a stand where I house my two eggs a day. I took one out and gave it to her. Realizing I wouldn't cook it for her, she took her mess kit and prepped her "sunnyside-up" egg.

     She took her pan and sprayed cooking oil on it. She cracked the egg into the pan and started cooking it over the fire. She added spices! Of all things. I don't know where she carried it, but she has one all-purpose seasoning spice. As the egg fried in her pan she thought about what else she could eat. She reconsidered her oatmeal. She drank the last water in her bowl. She ripped open the packet of her still-waiting, flavored oatmeal, pouring it into her bowl. She added just enough hot water to be able to cook the oatmeal in the bowl. She balanced her time between letting the oatmeal boil, and not burning the egg. 

     When her egg was done she took the pan off the fire and transferred her cooked egg to the bowl. Interesting combination. Flavored oatmeal and sunnyside-up egg. Sporking the food in her mouth, Toni occasionally made a face as she swallowed her breakfast. She washed it down with boiled, aerated water.