Sophie let Charlie go to pick up the boys alone. She excused herself by saying that she wanted to be a bit alone. What she really wanted was to run to the nearby store to buy the ingredients she needed for Charlie's favorite dish. Claire was still deathly sick but she wanted to pretend that for one night, everything was fine. Call her selfish but this help to keep the pain from destroying her. When she came back from the supermarket, she looked up the recipe on the Internet. She knew that she would not make it as good as Charlie's mom would make it but she could try. The potatoes were in the over and the chicken on the stove when her family decided to come home.
"Mum! We are home!"
The twins ran into the kitchen, still with their jackets and shoes and were babbling at the same time.
"Our teacher is really pretty…" started Ewan
"But not as pretty as you Mum!" finished Harry.
"You had a nice day? Before you tell me, go and take off your shoes and jackets in the hallway. And tell dad that it is forbidden for him to go to the kitchen. I have a surprise for him!"
The boys ran out with a huge grin on their faces, knowing their dad's reaction when he was forbidden to do something he liked. They knew that every day when dad got home, he put his briefcase in the bedroom before he went to the kitchen to kiss mum. Boys at the age of six found it disgusting that parents were kissing each other and the twins were no exception. It felt like mum and dad were kissing each other all the time! In the hallway, Charlie was on his way to the kitchen when twins blocked his way.
"What now?" Charlie asked.
"Mum said you were forbidden to go to the kitchen because she is preparing a surprise!"
"What if I say that I give you two sweets now before dinner would you let me pass?"
Edwin turned to Harry and looked at him with one eyebrow raised. They made some silent agreement and turned back to Charlie.
"No. If we obey mum, she will give us more candy than you. Come dad, play with us, please!"
Charlie sighed. Sometimes his boys sounded more grownup than he wanted them to sound. His routine would be have to be broken for today but tomorrow would be back to normal. He felt stupid because he would see Sophie in a moment but he missed putting his arms around her waist and kissing her in the neck. He was dragged to the boys' room and closed the door. Sophie had listened to the little situation outside the kitchen and smiled to herself. Charlie liked to stick to his daily routine. She took out the potatoes from the oven and put them on a serving dish. She laid the table and placed the dish with potatoes on it. The chicken was almost ready. She took the underlay and placed it on the table. When the chicken was ready, she took the stew and placed on the underlay. She looked at her masterpiece. Coca cola chicken with roasted potatoes. She went to Edwin and Harry's bedroom and knocked on the door. The door opened so suddenly that she took a step back. Charlie hurried out and took her in his arms, like he had not seen her in years. He was kissing her like it was the last time he would be kissing her.
"Never do that to me again!"
"Please Charlie, it was only five minutes." She laughed and ran her hands trough his hair. "Come, dinner is ready." She looked over his shoulder and at the boys who were standing behind them with an expression of amusement and disgust. "Come boys. Let's see how daddy likes his surprise."