Chapter 5- Faith is the key

All three of the girl's birthdays were fast approaching. Tessa would be eighteen in just four days. Zoë's birthday, July the fourth was the biggest night of the year, and Sophie would be three by the middle of August. All three of them had president's birthdays, something that only Olivia had just recently observed. Tessa and Zoë weren't close to finishing with their punishment, but their father had forgotten all about it, or, at least that's what Zoë though. Tessa knew that he hadn't really forgotten about it, but that he had decided to just forget about it. They were thankful, as they had grown very tired, even after a day, of having less freedom than their two-year-old sister.

Michael had spent the last two days trying to teach his sister how to act like a normal three year old kid. It went pretty well the first day, but the second day was purely disastrous. He groaned at the thought of another day of teaching her how to be a kid. But, he was eager to receive what his sister had promised to do for him if he taught her. She had offered to teach him to read. He wanted to read, because he longed to be as smart as his sister, but mostly because he wanted to be able to see what baseball teams won every night on the tickertape on the news.

Only Tess was a little lonely. Andrew and Monica seemed to spend most of their time absorbed in each other. Tess wondered when or if they would ever stop acting like young people in love. Gloria and Adam were very much the same, but the primary focus of their marriage and their relationship was intellectual, not spiritual like it was with Andrew and Monica. All the siblings spent their days together, so she was alone in the day and in the night when everyone else was asleep. That morning she left the library, where she spent her nights reading and headed into the kitchen.

"Hi Tess." Came a voice. Tess almost screamed when she turned around and saw Sam. He laughed.

"It's nice to see you here, but what are you doing here?"

"I'm here because you're lonely, my friend." Tess smiled.

………………..

Andrew held his wife in his arms as they watched their children play from their bedroom window. Monica laughed, the sight warmed her heart, Andrew smiled. All three of the girls were playing tag and their shrieks of laughter could be heard from where their parents stood.

"All my girls are so beautiful." Andrew smiled, kissing his wife's cheek. "I can't believe that our oldest baby is almost eighteen."

"Neither can I, but look, she still plays with her sisters. Games that even Zoë is too old to play now. But they don't care they still have fun together."

"I know. I'm so glad they love each other so much." He rubbed her arms and kissed her neck.

"So am I. I hope that they always will. And everything's finished for their birthdays, right?"

"Right."

"I'm just making sure. They mean the world to me ya know?"

"Yeah, me too. I love you."

"I love you too!" She squealed as she turned around and threw her arms around him. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her lips softly. When their kiss ended, he kissed her again, having her in his arms, even after so many years of marriage was still an amazing, wonderful gift.

"I still can not believe how much I love you. Not even after all of these years, and after the girls."

"Me neither." She smiled.

Andrew smiled and kissed his wife again.

"Your so pretty, your soul is so pretty."

"You're the most gorgeous man I've ever met. And the most compassionate too. You're a great husband and a most excellent Daddy."

"Thank you, my sweet heart."

"Do you want to go play with the girls?"

"I'd love to." He smiled, taking her arm, and together, they went outside.

………………..

"Hi Livy." Gloria met her daughter as she entered the twin's room. Olivia was leaving.

"He's impossible." She said referring to her brother. Gloria caught her little girl just before she was about to leave the room.

"What did he do?"

"He's teaching me how to be a kid and I'm teaching him how to read so he can find out the scores of the baseball games. But he just won't concentrate long enough to listen to me."

"Sweetheart, why are you taking lessons on how to be a kid?"

"So Daddy will like me."

"He does like you honey, he does, honest."

"Then how come he can't except me the way I am?"

"Because he wants the best for you, my darling. I don't think there are any other three year olds who are smarter than you, and that's a hard burden to bare. It's a responsibility. Daddy just wants you to find a balance…to have fun."

"Can I have Plato's The Republic back?"

"No." She said.

"Why not?"

"Because Daddy said no. Try what he wants you to do sweetie. Go back in your room and play with your brother. Focus on that. You might be surprised at how fun it is." Gloria turned her little girl around and pushed her back into her room. Gloria smiled as she watched her children she had faith that things would work out fine.

………………..

A while after Monica and Andrew went to watch the girls the sky began to grey a storm was coming. Tessa was excited, she loved the rain. She and her sisters wanted to stay out in it, but their parents brought them back inside as soon as it began to sprinkle.

"Outside Mommy pwease?" Sophie asked.

"No honey, it's too cold out." She took her little girl in her arms. "Why don't we go have a snack, huh?"

"Okay." Sophie agreed.

"It looks like it's going to be a big one." Tess said, looking at the window as Monica set Sophie down on one of the kitchen table chairs.

"Yes it does. It's summer, I hope it's only like this for a while."

"It'll probably pass over quickly angel girl."

"Play outside pwease."

"Sophie, what did Mommy just tell you?" Monica asked.

"No outside."

"That's right, no outside." She smiled as she gave her littlest daughter a sippy cup full of warm milk. "Go play inside with your sisters, and don't spill your milk, okay?" Sophie simply nodded and wandered off to find her Dad and her sisters. Monica laughed as her daughter left the room.

"It seems like just yesterday that Tessa was her age."

"I know." Monica smiled.

"I can't believe that Tessa is almost grown up."

"Neither can I. I just love her so much. I'm so proud of her, but I'm going to miss my little girl." Monica began to cry.

"Oh darli'n come here." Tess held out her arms and Monica gladly ran to them.

"You know this had to happen sometime, don't you?"

"I know. A lot of things have to happen sometime and you know what I'm talking about." More tears came to her eyes as she spoke of this.

"I know they do baby, have faith. Faith is the key."