Nick had woken up early before the room had lit up and quietly slipped out. It was cool outside and the air fresh from dew and cut grass.
The town was only just waking up. He envisioned early morning coffee makers percolating while families dressed their kids for school. The main road had empty parking spaces waiting to be filled by employees and shoppers. The buildings were mainly brick with storefronts showing bolts of materials or local crafts. He saw a few stragglers from a local bar sleeping it off in a door front wondering what woes they were hiding from.
He could smell the bakery approaching and saw a woman walk in the screened door that slammed behind her. Turning in for some coffee himself, he overheard small talk between obvious regular customers.
"Hi there" he said when it was his turn. Can I get six pink sprinkly donuts and a large black coffee?"
"Sure thing hon" the red haired plump woman said smiling at him. She bagged the donuts up and he handed her a twenty.
The coffee was strong and bitter but felt good after such a long day yesterday. He only hoped he could succeed this morning with his one true task.
He stopped on the street corner trying to remember details. Feeling confident, he turned to the right and continued on the sidewalk.
Then he saw it. There it was. He felt relief flood over him. Breathing deeply he continued walking with a fuller chest smiling to himself at how good it felt to be alive today.
He opened the door to his room and there she was, sitting on the bed wrapped in the star quilt looking at a book. She looked up at him smiling and he put his finger over his mouth to signal her to be quiet.
"Where have you been" she whispered?
He sat on the edge of the bed next to her. "I went for a walk. Here, I got these for you" he said as he handed her the bag of pink sprinkly donuts.
"I also got you this" and he pulled out of his pocket a perfect rosebud that was white with blue tinges. "This is called a Blue Beauty sweetheart."
She smiled and took it in her hands. She leaned down and smelled it.
"But that's what you always call Mommy. Blue Beauty."
He looked over at his wife, pretending to be asleep under the covers. Her soft pink lips upturned into a tiny smile. Her long eyelashes fluttering as she softly swallowed staying quiet. His eyes looked down her body to her large tummy he could see through the blankets. His son growing inside, getting stronger everyday.
He leaned over to his daughter kissing her on the forehead. "That's right sweet pea, that's what I call Mommy."
He took a donut out of the bag and they both sat and ate them looking down at her picture book. He breathed a sigh of contentment glancing again at his family and counted his lucky stars...One, two, three.
By mayalala
The End
Thank you my kind friends that have followed along with such a long read. There is a lot of my own life in this story so it's kinda funny that only strangers will ever read it.
Special thanks to Lena Guffi, Newgirl78, imeantsomethinglikethat (both) and allaboutnewgirl for being the most supportive strangers!
I would also like to **announce** that coming soon will be "Before The Open Road" a prequal story. Hope you like it!