If it wasn't the sound that woke her up, the lack of a bodily presence next to her on the bed most certainly did.
Clarabelle was no stranger to having potential intruders enter her house, she knew how to defend herself.
But, if Goofy wasn't asleep next to her, she would begin to worry.
She bolted up and noticed the door was open.
Yes, he was definitely gone.
And knowing him, he was probably going to get himself hurt.
Clarabelle threw on a bathrobe and grabbed one of Max's baseball bats that he left out in the hallway.
"Thank goodness he didn't clean up when I told him to," she thought as she tiptoed towards the stairs, hearing some more noises, but this time the person making them was trying to be more quiet and subtle about their actions.
Clarabelle quietly made her way down the stairs and noticed the kitchen light was on. Whoever this intruder was, if they hurt her husband, may God help her..
She jumped into a defensive position and readied herself for anything.
Only to be met with the sight of Goofy's face stuffed with food along with a mixure of surprise and confusion.
"Goofy! What are you doing up? It's 4:00 in the mornin'!" Clarabelle harshly whispered, upset that he made her worry so, but she breathed a sigh of relief.
Goofy swallowed his food before speaking, knowing full-well that this wasn't a regular occurance.
"Gawrsh, sorry, Clarabelle. I got kinda hungry and couldn't sleep a wink, so I thought makin' some midnight snack might help me sleep."
Clarabelle observed the small mess, there was a box of graham crackers, whipped cream and some chocolate pudding on the stove. If she wasn't so tired, she would actually oblige and join him, but again, it was super late. Even if it was summer, she knew Goofy still needed to get up early to go to work.
"Goofy, honey, you know what time it is?" She ran a hand over her tired eyes, willing that she have the patience to deal with this matter right now. This sort of behavior was expected of a growing boy like Max, but when it's coming from her husband, someone who was far from being young, she knew something was up.
"Hmm.. 4:00 in the morning, ya said?" Goofy didn't seem to be bothered, it would've been 4:00 in the evening and nothing would have changed.
"Yes, and you know you don't really do this unless you're always hungry.."
"Or you're upset."
That stopped Clarabelle in her tracks, she looked at Goofy, who was now looking sullen, almost like he felt guilty.
Knowing exactly what this meant, Clarabelle shut off the stove and moved the pudding to the table, she was now wide awake to give Goofy her full attention, but that didn't stop her from making a fresh pot of coffee.
Goofy ate silently, though Clarabelle couldn't tell because her back was facing him, she measured the ground coffee beans and started the machine before moving to the kitchen table to take a seat, facing him.
"What's bothering you?"
Both Goofy and Clarabelle had been married long enough to know not to beat around the bush, Goofy knew she would always find a way to figure out what was troubling him and while he wouldn't be able to figure out what was bothering Clarabelle, she was always upfront and honest with him too.
"It's nothin' much, I've just been thinkin'.."
Clarabelle waited patiently, realizing that it was serious if Goofy had trouble talking. She wanted to rush him, but knew that wasn't how you did things. She waited for either him to speak or her coffee to be finished, whichever came first.
"Actually, I had a dream, Clara.. well, I guess you could call it a nightmare."
The coffee finished and Clarabelle quickly poured herself a cup and sat right back down without taking her eyes off of him.
"What was the dream of?" She spoke softly in between sips.
Goofy sighed and looked off into the distance, until Clarabelle looked at his direction and noticed he was staring at an old photo of him and Max when they went to a water park together. Max didn't look older than 5 or 6 then, but their faces were filled with joy.
"Was it.. about Max?" Clarabelle inquired, her question was confirmed when Goofy nodded and looked down towards the table.
She said nothing else as she got up and wrapped him in a hug, soothing him as she did.
"It wasn't about the dream, Clarabelle.. I just worry that.. me and Max are gonna drift apart."
When he didn't say anymore, she rested her head on his and thought for a while before speaking.
"Well.. he's gotta make his own life, Goof, but you'll always be his dad and he'll always be your son.. er, I mean, our son." She giggled sheepishly, since it hasn't been too long since she adopted Max to make their family complete.
"But.. what if he doesn't want to visit anymore?"
"Oh, hush, you worry too much, honey.. Of course he'll visit, if he knows what's good for him."
That garnered a laugh out of Goofy, which made him look up at her lovingly.
"Ya know I love you, right?"
"I should hope so, ya did marry me," Clarabelle shot back before planting a kiss on his forehead and holding him close.
"I know you care a lot about Max, but he'll be okay. He may go out to the world, but he's always going to be welcome here at home. Then, he might have a family of his own, who knows? Either way, you're the most important figure in his life and if he wants to do things right, he should learn from you and.."
Clarabelle stopped when she realized Goofy was snoring, having fallen asleep in her arms.
She smiled warmly and planted another kiss before picking him up and moving to carry him back to their bed. Sure, she made a mess in the kitchen, but she'd deal with that later, it was her day off and the kitchen needed a cleaning anyway.
But, for now, she would enjoy these precious little moments they shared.
As she went up the stairs, she thought about how fortunate she was to have married a sap like Goofy, he really was perfect for her.
Right before headed into their room, Clarabelle took one look at the picture of Max's mother and smiled.
"Don't worry, Loofa.. I'll take good care of him."
With that, the door shut and silence fell on the house once more.