Mary was woken up by the alarm clock on their bedside table, she reached for it with all her might as she tries to untangle herself from her husband that is still peacefully sleeping beside her, she gently removes his hand that envelopes her hips and then she finally got up from the bed, she adjusts the blanket and she covers her husband's naked chest before softly kissing him on the cheek. Mary looked for her blouse but as usual she can't seem to find it anywhere so she puts on Francis' shirt instead. She tied her hair in a pony tail and walked towards the kitchen. The apple green color of the kitchen wall gave the atmosphere a lively glow, she prepared bacon and eggs that has somehow been the favorite breakfast dish of her children, she also prepared some pancakes for her and Francis. She woke up extra early today to prepare the kids for their first day of school, it will be Anne's first time to be a grade-schooler while James is now on his third grade. Francis leaves early for work too so he just drops the kids to school on his way to work, while Mary on the other hand stays at home to be a full time mom, Francis said she need not to go to work because his job is enough to pay the bills. She was mixing the ingredients of the pancakes when she felt someone hugging her from behind
"Morning" Francis lazily said as he puts a tender kiss on the back of her head
"Morning" Mary said quite cheerfully as she continues to prepare their breakfast
"You're up awfully early today" Francis said as if complaining while helping her fry some bacon
"It's Anne and James' first day of school, I don't want them to be late, oh and I already made some coffee, darling" Mary said as she busies herself in the kitchen, as soon as she's finish, she arranged the table and made milk for the kids
"wake up James and Anne upstairs?" Mary asked Francis, he simply nod in response and walked quickly upstairs. Moments later she saw Anne in Francis' arms, her head buried on his neck as she sobs quietly.
"What happened?" Mary said worriedly
"I don't wanna go to school, mommy" Anne said as she rubs her eyes
"Sweetie, it's going to be okay, James is going to be there with you, and you won't be alone" Mary said as she soothes Anne's back while Anne is still clinging to Francis' neck
"But mommy I'm afraid, what if they won't like me?" Anne said while wiping her tears, her blue eyes nearly identical to her father's are still wet from crying, her brown curls still messy and impossible to manage
"They will baby, you're going to make a lot of friends and you'll have fun and before you know it, it's already time to go home" Mary said as she cheers her daughter up
"How about we make a deal? If you go to school today and you don't enjoy it, you won't ever have to go to school for the rest of your life—"
"Francis!" Mary said reprimanding her husband
"deal!" Anne squeals, her mood lightening up
"It's not fair, you didn't offer me that deal when I was on my first grade, dad" James said as he runs down from the stairs, he seemed oddly excited for school; his blonde curls seemed to bounce as he skips some of the steps.
"you've always been so excited for school, just as you are now" Francis said as he beams to his son, he ruffles James' hair when he got closer and it made his curls even messier. James quickly sat and picked up his spoon and fork.
"hurry Anne, we're gonna be late" James said but what he really meant was eat your breakfast Anne, it would make you feel better, I really hate it when I see you cry, but of course he won't say that out loud because he can't seem to speak nicely to girls (including his little sister)
Francis put Anne down and wiped her tears
"remember your deal with daddy, okay? You just have to try it first, see how it goes, who knows, you might actually like school" Francis said softly to Anne before kissing the top of her head, he then walks toward Mary who's eyeing him carefully.
"we'll talk about that 'deal' later" Mary whispered, Francis just smiled while playfully bumping his elbow to hers
"she'll enjoy it, I promise" Francis said confidently
"and if she won't?"
"she will" Francis said as he looks at his two children that are already enjoying their breakfast, he looked at Mary and noticed that she still have that worried look.
"you're worrying too much, darling… I know Anne can and will overcome her shyness, just like someone else I know" Francis leaned closer and looked at Mary knowingly, she smiled at him and decided to trust his instincts. Francis placed a soft kiss on her temple and they finally decided to join their children for breakfast.
~o~
She was already sleeping when she felt Francis lie beside her in bed, she turned and faced him as Francis tries to give him a bright beam, but all he was able to give was a tired smile, it has been a tough day at work and he's usually home early but this night is one of the many exceptions.
"Sorry I woke you up" he said to Mary few seconds later
"no, it's okay, I was actually waiting for you to come home… I—I need to tell you something
"oh… what is it, is there something wrong?" Francis asked
"everything's fine, I just don't want to wait another day to tell you this" Mary said as she smiled and caressed her husband's cheeks
"well then, I'm, all ears"
"uhm.. do you think Anne and James would mind if there will be another curly headed child running around the house?" Mary asked, her voice both ecstatic and excited
"are you saying you're… wait, are you—?" Francis said, he can't seem to find the words for what he's about to say
"yes! I'm carrying our third child… I just found out this morning, I was about to call you the moment I found out but I knew your reaction would be priceless… and of course, I need to see it in person" Mary said, her voice quite louder now, full of bliss and delight
"oh Mary, this is the best news we've got for a long while, I'm sure Anne and James would be happy as well, but of course we need to decorate a new nursery and a new room when our third child gets older and oh we need to add a fifth chair to our dining table and his/ her own set of plates and utensils and a mug that's designed especially for him or her… do you think it would be a girl? Oh wait I don't think Anne would be willing to share her dolls, but what if it's a boy? By the time he's born, maybe James would be old enough to move on from his toys and give it to his younger brother, what color will his eyes be? Anne has mine, James has yours, and his curls, I wonder if he's going to be blonde like me or—"
"Francis, slow down… I'm only seven weeks pregnant"
"but we need to plan for the future, right? Do you think he'll like my cooking more than yours? Anne and James would always prefer your cooking, it's not fair you know… I mean, I can cook their favorite food too"
"yeah and it's either raw or burnt" Mary said jokingly as she kissed the corner of his lips
"but we love you anyway, you'll always be the best husband in the world, nothing would ever change that"
"not even when I accidentally burn your favorite dish?"
"yes darling, not even then" Mary said as she giggles
"I love you Francis…and don't worry about the future, so long as we spend it together, as a family, we'll be alright, okay?"
"okay" he smiles, he stares at her as if looking at the stars above, filled with awe and wonder
"what did I ever do to deserve you?" he added after a few moments
"trust me darling, I ask that question every day too, and maybe we'll never know what we ever did to deserve each other, but what's important is that we're together now and we're happy… we don't know how long 'now' will last, but it's all we've got and it's all we'll ever need" Mary replied, her hands traveling to her curls as she gently touched his temple with her thumb, their foreheads touched and their eyes closed, moments like this are what they look forward to every day, after a long busy day spent with other people in different places, all the different chores and works, all the problems they encounter, will not really matter when at the end of the day, they fall on the same bed, in each other's arms, this is where they find peace, this is where they strengthen their love, this is where they find comfort, and indeed at the end of the day, it was all worth it.