CityView Magazine

20 | October 2017 he segued to preparing a pot of grits while I arranged five pieces of white bread on an aluminum pan. I adorned the bread in irregular patterns of chunky butter pats, maybe five to a slice. Reggie flipped the bacon for the initial singeing of the other side and thereaer stirred the grits. ere always came an indefinable point in the bacon cooking when Reggie turned down the heat and took hold of the same oversized two- pronged fork he would use later that night at the grill. For the next five or ten minutes, every hump caused by the shrinking bacon was pressed back onto the frying pan surface with that fork. Every hump on every strip. Grease would pop and briefly he would withdraw, but he quickly returned to the task of cooking every square millimeter by pressing it into the pan. Finally, he would deposit perfectly browned, humpless bacon onto paper towels to drain. ere was a Maxwell House coffee can under the sink into which some, but not all, of the grease was poured. At that moment, I would put the bread into the oven and shovel a big pat of butter into the grits. Reggie then cooked four eggs, two at a time, in the bacon grease. Over easy, such that the yoke never hardened. When we le for the morning's run through Lockwood Folly inlet in "Reggie's Boat," there would be le at home two rinsed but unwashed dishes in the sink, a third of a pot of grits on the stove, a piece of toast, and two strips of perfect bacon waiting for Zula when she chose to roll out of bed. I never thought much about that part of her day though. I was too busy looking for that night's supper that was somewhere swimming underneath a flock of diving seagulls just out of my sight. Sinus pain, congestion or pressure? Call us, we can help. For an appointment, call (910) 615-3060. Cape Fear Valley Ear, Nose and Throat provides state-of-the-art medical and surgical solutions for most head and neck problems. We treat children and adults and offer allergy testing and shots. 1565 Purdue Drive | Suite 301 Fayetteville, NC | 910 615-3060 Allergies? It always transpired in the hour prior to our leaving to go fishing. I was feverish from waking, frantic to board the boat, a boat which (like every other boat at the beach) had a name. Quite cleverly, Reggie's boat was named "Reggie's Boat." On the CB radio, you would hear, "Reggie's Boat, this is Sea Lark, come in, Reggie's Boat." While it was admittedly an acquired trait, I came to appreciate the methodical pace of breakfast at Long Beach. For Reggie, Long Beach breakfast was a full chapter of a day to come. He situated his large iron skillet over a medium hot burner. He lined up the bacon in symmetrical rows. As the bacon began to singe,

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