Holiday Traditions
College and all nighters in her case, jobs and making sure every detail was right in his, Arthur and Ariadne were used to getting very little sleep. But even with that was nothing compared to having children. A baby crying every few hours, then later having to wake them up for school or being woken up because they want to play, well, most days it just wasn't enough.
And then there was this. Although they were, at the moment, still sleeping, both of them tensed up as if preparing for what they knew was coming next.
Sure enough, moments later they both woke up to a small figure jumping on their beds.
"Mommy! Daddy! It's time to get up!"
Christmas. Like other years, they would open presents, then Arthur would make them waffles for breakfast. After that, they'd go over to Cobb's house where the kids would show off all their presents and prove that they got the best deal. It was a tough call, seeing as how everyone loved to spoil the kids rotten. After that they would play with the new toys, and Cobb would make a really nice dinner. Eames usually brought a different woman to every occasion, but then, no one ever said he was the type to settle down. Even Yusuf's cat made an appearance now and then now that the children were old enough not to pull its tail.
Arthur looked at the digital clock next to his bed and groaned when he saw the time.
"Charlotte, it's five in the morning." He knew it was pointless to reason with an excited five year old girl, but he gave it a shot anyway.
"But I wanna open my presents!" Charlotte replied, pouncing on him.
If there was one thing Arthur had learned about being a father, it was that sometimes for your own sanity you had to lie to your kids.
"Char, Santa might not be here yet. What happens if he comes and you're still up?" Arthur asked. Charlotte suddenly looked panicked and ran to her room. Later, he would feel guilty for the lie. But that was later. For now, he was happy to roll over, curl up to his wife, and sleep for a few more hours.
At seven, Ariadne shook him awake. She told him that they should get up before Charlotte's curiosity got the best of her. The girl was in her room with the blanket pulled over her head. She wasn't really sleeping but hoped but if it seemed like she was trying, well, Santa would forgive her for not really being asleep.
"Charlotte? You can get up now," Ariadne said. The response was instantaneous.
"What do you say to opening presents on Christmas Eve next year?" Ariadne whispered to Arthur as they were let down the hall. Her only response was a short laugh.