It was nearly midnight when Thomas heard the knock at the door. This was strange as he was not accustomed to people coming to his house that late at night. He thought that the person who knocked was either a rambunctious teenager looking for trouble or a person with a genuine need for help. In any case, he felt he needed to answer the door. The couch made noise as he got up from it. The noise of a couch with old springs that needed to be replaced sooner rather than later. As he made his way to the door he thought about what the coming day entailed.

He knew that it was going to be busy; Fridays were always busy at the school where Thomas taught. Thomas taught math at a local high school. He liked his job but sometimes it got very hectic. He knew that he should be in bed if he was going to be his best for class tomorrow. But first he had to see who was at the door.

He was a little confused by the late caller as he lived in a respectable neighborhood and people did not usually come by after eight or so. But, He walked through his tidy house to the door and opened it. He looked out his door, but he did not see anyone. Assuming it was just some teenagers having fun he closed the door; no harm no foul. He figured that he ought to go to bed as it was rather late and he had to get up early in the morning to finish preparing for the coming day. But, as he was walking back through his house, his nose picked up the distinctive odor of pancakes and bacon. This was odd because he hadn’t made pancakes or bacon for years and never in this kitchen.

It’s funny, pancakes and bacon used to be Thomas’ favorite meal. He and his family ate it religiously growing up. Every weekend his father would get up early and make breakfast. Thomas and his family all got up and ate together; it was one of the few times throughout the week when the whole family was together. Those were nice times, everyone was calm and it seemed as if the world stood still for a little bit. That was all in the past though, people grow up and things change. In fact, he hadn’t been home for nearly six months, this was something he regretted. He hated that he was growing apart from his family, but going home required effort and planning, neither of which he had the energy for.

Thomas walked through the house and found that the smell was wafting from the kitchen. He pushed the door open and walked into the modern kitchen. Sitting on the counter were two plates, the first piled high with pancakes and the other was piled high with bacon. Very freaked out, he considered calling the police considering that someone must have broken into his house to deliver these items. However, they looked and smelled so enticing and reminded him so much of his childhood that he decided to sit down and eat them. They were some of the best pancakes and it was some of the best bacon he had ever eaten.

This remains to be one of the strangest encounters of Thomas’ life. However, the stirring of old memories did inspire him to visit home more often and now he lives in the same city as his parents and visits them most weekends with a steaming pile of pancakes.