Cooking Together

Shelagh could see the beam of sunlight filtering in through the window before she even opened her eyes, she could hear her husband's steady breathing, she could feel his strong arms wrapped around her waist and the coarse hair of his forearms beneath her hands, and soon she would taste him as they pulled each other close for a good morning kiss. She greeted her day the same way almost every morning since they had been wed, and Shelagh found the constancy of it to be quite reassuring, especially in those early days when everything was so new. Even now, exactly one decade later, she was thrilled for her senses to be awakened the same way each morning.

Except this morning, there was one sense that felt… wrong. As she drew another deep breath, there was definitely the scent of Patrick as there always was, but there was also something else. What was it? It couldn't be, bacon, could it? Or was it eggs? Did she smell toast? Shelagh jumped up, startling Patrick awake.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Patrick mumbled, still trying to process why Shelagh was out of bed so quickly on a morning he longed to spend some time with her before waking the kids.

"Don't you smell that, Patrick? You don't think the children are trying to cook their own breakfast, do you? They'll burn the house down with all the different foods I smell!"

"Angela is ten, she's old enough to make a little something if she wants it," he said with eyes lingering on his wife's figure in the morning sunlight, "come back to bed, I'm sure they're fine."

"I smell a full breakfast! She's not quite old enough to handle bacon and eggs and toast and - do I smell pancakes too?" Shelagh rushed out the door and down the stairs before he could stop her, stopping short at the sight of her children cooking together. There was Teddy spreading jam on toast, Angela pouring two cups of tea, and "Timothy?!" her mind was reeling seeing him frying bacon, "why aren't you at university? What are you doing here?"

"Mum! You ruined the surprise! We were supposed to be bringing you breakfast in bed!" Angela pouted as Teddy ran to give his mother a hug.

"I found out yesterday that this today's class was cancelled, and since it's Friday I thought I'd come home for a long weekend." Tim looked at his mother with a questioning gaze, "I hope it's alright - I thought maybe I could pick up Angela and Teddy after school, it is your anniversary after all." Tim's face blushed as he added, "I thought you might want to be alone."

Shelagh gathered her children close and hugged them tightly, placing a kiss upon the tops of Teddy and Angela's heads and one upon Tim's cheek. She glanced at Patrick as he came confused into the kitchen, his hair still mussed up and the buttons of his pyjama top askew from his haste pulling it on, her heart skipping that familiar beat, "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about, Timothy."