The next morning,my father was strangely cheerful.”Good morning, Essie 4 ever!”he said sweetly,his lisp present.”Hi, Dad,”I said quitely.”I made you heart and star shaped pancakes,”he went on,gesturing to the breakfast he was making on the stove.”That sounds great,”I replied,offering a small smile.Daddy grinned.He started to hum a happy tune,but that still didn’t fill the silence in the bright kitchen on the sunny morning.As he put the plate of bacon, eggs, and cute pancakes down in front of me, I began to eat, to my dad’s satisfaction. “You know,” he said, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Studies show that kids who eat breakfast do much better in school than kids who don’t.” I nodded my head. “Well, even though you may not have the biggest appetite, you’re still the best student a parent or teacher could ever ask for,” he added. I had to say something. “Maybe if I learn to cook, I could make you rainbow waffles for your birthday,” I said. I was quite surprised at myself for saying this.