"Travis! Wake up, you'll be late!"

"Coming, coming!"

Katie Gardner could hear the thundering of steps coming out the stairs with rush. Even after years of knowing each other, Katie could never understand why Travis was always late for everything- or at least, he always seems late for things, arriving just in time. Was it something to be the son of the God of Roads?

"Your Dad loves to makes my life difficult, isn't that right, Rosie?" She spoke to her almost-two-year-old daughter, who was giggling while drinking from her sippy cup. Katie smiled at her and kissed her forehead.

"I'm here!"

"Dada!" Rose pointed at him, her cup still in her mouth. Katie turned to him just in time to watch him swoon over Rose, who was even laughing more when Travis picked her up and pretended to munch on her chubby cheeks.

"Travis, let Rose be and get ready... You'll be late for real!"

"Relax, Katie-Kat, I still have some minutes to spare..." Katie sighed but let him enjoy some time with Rose, as she would be the one with her all day. With the beginning of the pandemic situation, every person that was deem essential was put to work. Reason why, since Travis some months short of graduating, he was already patrolling the streets. And why Katie was staying at home.

"Dada!" Rose named him again, and Katie saw the smile on his face.

"Just a cute baby!" Travis praised her before kissing her forehead and placing her down on her high chair. "Be good for your Mommy while I go to work, OK? Don't do so many messes..." Travis winked at the baby girl, who cooed at him, not completely understanding him. Katie simply rolled her eyes.

"Buh-bye, Dada!" Rose waved her hand, the other one still firmly attached to her drink.

"You do know that she doesn't understand half of what you're saying, right?"

"One day, she will. And that day, I'm not only going to enjoy it, but she's going to drive you crazy, promise!"

"When and if that day comes, I'm sure I'll manage to handle it... I mean, I handle you?" Travis gasped and dramatically placed a hand on his heart.

"Oh, Katie-Kat! You wound me!"

"OK! Enough drama! You have to leave now!" Katie started to push Travis out the door, not forgetting to hand him a brown bag. "Your lunch and your ambrosia for when you return... And please, find out who took it last week, we have to look after it since the next time the delivery comes is in two weeks..."

"Trust me, Katie. I'm finding the bastard who stole from me, you can swear on it." Katie noticed the gleam in Travis' eyes- he was not letting this one go. "Also... You know!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know..." Katie smirked and waved at him while Travis left to work. Once inside, she turned to Rose, who was still having her breakfast milk from her sippy cup. "Alright, young lady... What would be our plans for today?"

Since the beginning of the lockdown, while it was not necessary, Katie decided to make daily house chores with Rose more fun and educative, so she would learn along. The day came when she saw Rose fascinated with the Twister roulette, she loved to twist the arrow and would clap completely entertained.

Obviously, that only made her more talkative too.

"Wound-wound!" Rose raised her hands in the air as if that was the most exciting thing in the world. Katie chuckled and pulled out the roulette, making the baby clap in happiness. "I tuwn! I tuwn!"

"Of course! Who else would do so?" Katie overdramatized her answer, making Rose giggle again. Her small hand held tight on the arrow before spin it. While the arrow went around the different chores, both mother and daughter began clapping, singing a made-up song. "The arrow goes around and around, choosing a chore today! What chore should we do? Only the arrow will know!"

"Gawden! Yay!" Rose cheered as soon as she saw the arrow stop in the drawing on the plants. Katie chuckled with her. Apparently, today was going to be a clean the greenhouse day. "Pway wif fe pwants, Mommy?" Katie put a thinking face, while Rose pouted a little bit.

"Only if you bundle up cozy enough, it's very cold out there..." She ended up saying and Rose nodded with all her might, deciding that being in the high chair was not fun anymore. Katie immediately picked her up and took her to her room to change. It was a weird sight, a complete bundle up kid to go clean the greenhouse, but Katie simply found it adorable. "Are you ready?"

"Yef! I'm weady!" Rose agreed before following her mother to the greenhouse. As taught by Katie, Rose headed directly towards the aprons and gloves. "Hewe, Mommy! P-pwo-" Rose scrunched her face in annoyance at the long big word, stumping her little foot. "Weaw fis!" She pouted at Katie, upset that she couldn't say the word yet.

"You're right, Rose... We have to protect ourselves before we start working." Katie kissed her daughter's cheek, making her chuckle and smile before tilting her head.

"Pwote?" She repeated, not fully saying the word, but it was enough for Katie.

"That's right! Protect!" She beamed at her before picking her up and making her sit on the counter, so she could help her. "Just like we have to protect these little guys from the cold, otherwise they will get weak..." Rose nodded, hearing what her mother was saying. "First things first, we have to clean them!"

"Baf?" Rose asked, confused.

"Bath time for plants come later, honey..." Katie patiently explained, while taking out weeds that may have grown in between the plants. "See this?" Katie showed her the weeds she pulled out. "These are the toys of the plants. We're putting them away since they have been very naughty..." Rose's eyes gleamed with wonder and Katie beamed in happiness.

That's all that mattered to her now.

1/2. A/N at the end.