This chapter ended up being a bit longer than I anticipated... Oh well, I think it's cute.
Short Summery: Mike and El's son asks his dad why he was given the name "Sam."
Dorsa, Sam: one the three brothers who created the Eggo Waffle.
Mike didn't expect to be having this conversation with his son. Then again, he should've expected it. It's a common topic, and typically it's not an embarrassing one, either. Typically. But this family didn't fall under "typically" very often.
They were sitting at the kitchen table, Mike drinking a cup of coffee while his son, Sam, was munching on an Eggo. It was fitting how he seemed to inherit El's love for Eggos. I mean, Mike wasn't against Eggos at all. In fact, he's always enjoyed them. But… El almost had some kind of love affair with them, much to Mike's despair. Never, in all his life, did he think he'd be jealous of a frozen waffle.
"Dad?" Same voice brought Mike out of his daze.
"Sorry, what did you ask?" Mike was stalling, he knew very well what Sam had asked.
Sam shrugged, nonchalantly. El said Sam looked so much like Mike when he did that. "I asked," Sam finished chewing his waffle, "Why you and mom named me 'Sam.' Is there any reason for it?"
"Not… particularly," Mike said slowly, putting his coffee down with a sigh. "I can't quite remember," he lied. He knew why they named their son "Sam," because of course he did. He's his father. But the truth was slightly embarrassing. "We really liked the name," he said simply.
Sam gave him a pointed look. "Dad, friends don't lie," he said in an all too familiar tone. It was strange having a kid sometimes, Mike thought. Because you'd see bits of yourself, or bits of your spouse, or bits of your kid being completely original to themselves. However, in this moment, Mike was hit with a heavy wave of nostalgia in his son's sentence.
"You sound like your mother," he mused allowed.
"Well, you've always said Mom's a smart woman," Sam pointed out. "Now answer the question, why'd you and Mom name me 'Sam?'"
Mike held his breath, wondering if somehow this moment would pass without him having to suffer through it. Sam continued to stare back at him expectantly, so with a heavy exhale, he complied. "You know how your mother loves Eggos?" Mike asked. Sam nodded. "Well, she loves them so much, that she named you after one of the founders of Eggo Waffles," Mike finished rather lamely.
Same nearly choked on his food, "W-what? Serious?"
"Yeah, Sam Dorsa was one of the proud creators of Eggo Waffles in San Jose, California, 1953," Mike nodded.
"Wow, that's quite the random trivia statement," Sam laughed, "How do you know all that off the top of your head?"
"I'd be stupid for not knowing who you're named after—plus your mom did a research paper on Eggos in high school that I still have drilled into my brain for some reason." Mike laughed, leaning over and snatching some of Sam's waffle.
"So I'm named after a frozen waffle creator?" Sam asked, mildly humored.
Mike scoffed, "You're lucky you weren't named after the waffle itself."
Sam stared blankly at his father. "What about Sarah?" he asked.
Mike breathed heavily out of his nose, scratching the back of his head. Sarah was their daughter. El, when they first talked about having kids, suggested a sweet and heartfelt idea to Mike regarding a name. Sarah had been the name of Hopper's daughter. So after asking Hopper, they decided to name their daughter Sarah.
"Similar thing," Mike lied. But how could he not? It's not that they cared less about Sam and that's why he got the weirder, less-sentimental name. Although, with El and her Eggos, the sentiments of both names stand pretty close to her heart.
"You and Mom are so lame," Sam decided, standing up from his chair and walking out of the kitchen. If he had thought his dad was lying, he didn't question him.
"Hey, clean your plate up—and where are you going?" Mike called after him.
Sam reappeared, grabbing his plate and hurrying to put it in the sink. "I'm going to hang out with Madd and Ethan," he answered his dad, waving lazily as he walked out of the kitchen again.
"Have fun," Mike told him, standing up and picking up their plates to put in the sink.
He heard the front door open with a startled "whoa!"
"Hey Mom, sorry Mom," he heard Sam say in a rush before leaving and closing the door.
He could hear El sigh, giving a confused, "Goodbye," to the closed door. She walked into the kitchen where Mike was putting the dishes away. "Hey," she said softly, setting down her keys on the counter.
"Hey," Mike turned around, smiling and walking over to hug his wife. "Remind me why you were up so early this morning?"
"I told you," she said, feigning annoyance. "Max and I had a coffee thing," she said, adding, "And it's not that early. I only left at 8:30 and we were meeting at 9:00. It's almost 11:00, now."
Mike scoffed, squishing her into his chest, "That's early for a Saturday."
"You know, Max gave me that same lecture when we met up even though she was the one who organized it," El sighed, looking up at Mike. "How was your morning?" she asked.
Mike shrugged, "Good enough. Our son asked why we named him 'Sam.'"
El shifted under his arms, letting out a small giggle. "It's a good name, Mike," she said, standing on her tip toes and kissing just under his chin.
"Yes, but we named him after a frozen food, El. I can't help but think that's a bit…" Mike fumbled for the word. "Pathetic."
El gasped, lightly slapping his arm and grinning, "It's an honor to be named after something so amazing."
"You have an obsession. You need a twelve-step program," Mike said dryly as she wiggled out of his grasp.
"You're just jealous," she said simply.
Mike frowned, "I am not jealous of a frozen waffle, El."
"No, of course not," she said all to innocently. "Because that'd be…" she trailed off, tapping her chin in thought, "Pathetic." Her eyes landed on him and they seemed to dance with mischief.
Mike rolled his eyes, grabbing her arms carefully and dragging her back to him. Leaning against her he smirked. "Say it again, I dare you," he whispered, drawing close to her lips.
"Pathetic," she whispered, her smile not leaving her face.
He scoffed lightly, leaning forward and kissing her. It always felt so natural, the two of them. At the end of the day, they always knew they had each other's back, and that was all that mattered. It was as if they were one person sometimes, feeling completely understood no matter what. El sighed into the kiss, letting her fingers trail up his chest to grab his shirt gingerly in her hands.
"Hey Mom, Dad, I was wondering if—" Sarah cut-off and froze mid pose in the entryway of the kitchen.
Mike and El quickly separated, but remained close. El let out an airy laugh as she let her head fall against Mike's chest, hiding. Fighting a blush, Mike stoically looked up from his wife, meeting his daughter's eyes. "Hm?"
Sarah stood there with her mouth open. Closing it, she peered at her parents with a look of mild disgust and subtle regret. "Never mind. I'm gonna go and burn my eyeballs out."
The married couple stood in silence as Sarah walked out of the kitchen and then out the front door. When they knew she was out of range they both started laughing. "At least she knows her parent's love each other," El giggled.
Mike smiled, letting out a hum of agreement before kissing his wife again. "And," he spoke between kisses, "By the way."
"Yes?"
"I'm not jealous of a waffle."
Catch you guys in my next update! I hope you enjoyed. :)
-LovelySheree
