I originally posted this one-shot this year before mother'sday, but never got it to post here due to minor free time.
Ruby Langerak was spending Saturday night at the house of the grandparents of her paternal side. She sat on the ground by the coffee table making a drawing, while behind her on the couch sat her grandfather Dustin watching ice hockey together with his neighbor Jack Bunch, as both were supporters of the same team.
"Come on, Johansen! Through the legs!" Said Dustin loud hoping for the player on the TV screen to hit the goal, but the puck on TV hit the leg of the goalkeeper. "Helvete!" Shouted the blonde making Ruby chuckle as she understood the bad word coming from her grandfather's mouth.
From the kitchen, stepped out Dustin's youngest daughter, also the aunt of Ruby, Kaylynn Langerak holding a bowl with a whisk in her hands staring in the men's direction.
"Dad, Mom has already told you to stop swearing in foreign languages in front of Ruby," Kaylynn warned. "You don't want Parker again to get in trouble, because of something you caused,"
"Our girl here knows well, she can't say that word, right princess?" Asked Dustin looking down at Ruby who cackled about her grandfather.
"My own dad didn't mind, mom just got annoyed, cause she didn't know it was a bad word, and neither did I that time," Mentioned Ruby making Kaylynn nod.
"This is why sometimes it's better to ask someone about certain words you don't know. Mostly you now. You see your dad is both Swedish and Portuguese, your mom's Irish and American. Both speak three languages well, you sure speak English and Swedish, but that doesn't mean you can know everything in both languages. You already see sometimes how both your father and I struggle to find a specific word in one language and end up saying it in another one," Stated Kaylynn making Ruby nod.
"Yes, when I learned Portuguese…boy it was hard to get through it," Dustin commented with a smile earning a nod from Jack, then Dustin dropped his smile immediately. "Then my second problem happened to be, I took the wrong classes. Instead of going with European Portuguese, I picked the Brazilian one,"
"The fact you learned a different language in sake of love was a really outstanding move," Confessed Jack making Dustin nod.
"Iliana was the one and only back when I met her. Meeting me somehow also helped her out with her job. She learned Swedish from and for me. She now speaks at work around five different languages,"
"Whoa, since when?" Questioned Jack surprised watching Dustin shrug his shoulders.
"Well, Portuguese she learned at home, then she learned English, afterward she learned Spanish at school, somewhere later she learned Italian and when she met me she went with Swedish. Basically, most languages are relatable by a few words, so it made her life easier," Dustin explained, then noticed Ruby listening to him. "Right, Ruby? Grandma Iliana is quite smart, she knows five different languages, huh?"
"I will someday learn Portuguese and Irish too," Stated Ruby proud making Dustin cackle.
"You meant Italian, right?"
"No," Answered Ruby chuckling. "My mom knows Irish,"
"Ah that's good too," Commented Dustin making the girl nod and focus on her drawing, then Dustin glimpsed over his granddaughter to look at the drawing trying to recognize, what it was. "Honestly, soon or later I should get myself a pair of eye contacts or glasses,"
"Why thought?" Asked Jack curiously.
"Can't see my granddaughter's drawing," Commented Dustin while Ruby listened to her grandfather and looked at the small lines she had made for her Mother's Day present, which were just a draft.
"Actually, they're just a draft, so I can pass by with another pencil or something thicker," Commented Ruby looking back at her grandfather making him smile.
"Don't worry. It's normal, your grandfather is getting old too," Commented the blonde making Ruby shake her head amused, then look down at her sheet to continue her drawing.
"It's quite fascinating how different you are from Mr. Bunch. He's a few years older, has raised four kids and he doesn't seem to bother getting older," Stated Kaylynn making Jack shrug his shoulders.
"Well, what can I say? I'm more of a man, that appreciates the present,"
"Oh don't worry, the Langerak DNA doesn't have that in anyone's blood. We watched Puss in Boots the other day and I think it needs more, for them to learn the appreciation of life," Kaylynn mentioned. "Zelda eventually learned it and this is why you don't see her so often now in Sunset Valley,"
"Well, she's a lucky woman. She now with the money she earns, she can afford on going on vacation anywhere she wants," Dustin stated making Jack nod. "She could have done that as a flight attendant, but you don't get that easy or not as easy as getting into a theatre,"
"You know, now the laws have been slightly altered. Now you can become a flight attendant with under 160cm as far as I'm aware of it," Mentioned Jack. "Easier if you went to the military, of course,"
Ruby got up, then made her way into the kitchen to see her aunt empty the liquid from her bowl into a cake form, then Ruby got in front of the raven-haired woman.
"Aunt Kaylynn, do you have any idea, what else I could draw?" Questioned Ruby watching Kaylynn spread the liquid above the form, then pondered about the question of her niece.
"Good question…..what about something you've both experienced lately, that you liked?" Questioned Kaylynn watching Ruby think about it.
"We watched a movie in 4d?" Asked Ruby. "How should I draw and show, that it's exactly that?"
"Well, for something that you have never done, I would suggest you…you could simply draw as an example two seats with you and your mother, then make the movie screen with the characters running out of the screen…..To make it seem, like you were in a 4D run, you could draw rain over the seats or draw a wave demonstrating smells or that the chairs are moving," Suggested the aunt. "That's the easiest way to show someone, what it means,"
"Good, I can try it out," Stated Ruby. "What I think I will do as well, is draw my mother somewhere helping me with the homework. She often helps me out in Math,"
"That's a good idea. Or if you like this idea, list down the many things you're thankful for having your mother around," Suggested Kaylynn watching Ruby ponder about it, then she had a different idea.
"I think I will start my drawing again and do something else," Commented Ruby. "I will draw at least depending on how much space I have, all the things my mother has done for me. Eventually, I might need a second sheet," Commented Ruby making her aunt nod.
"Sure, I'll get you another one. If you'd like you can stick three or four sheets together and make something like a placard for your mother about everything you love about her or what you loved, that she did for you," Suggested Kaylynn. "What do you think?"
"Hmm…..It's a good idea. I just need to notice down first, what my ideas are before I draw it down," Commented Ruby making Kaylynn nod.
"Sure, you can take a cut post-it note from my desk and notice down your ideas. If you want, you can give it to me to read it. Eventually, we figure out, other things you haven't discovered yet," Mentioned the aunt making the girl nod.
"You're the greatest, Aunt Kaylynn," Said Ruby holding her hand up for the woman to high-five her. "I just hope I will finish it in time,"
"I can ask your father or mother to let you stay here overnight," Suggested Kaylynn. "Let's just say you…were tired from playing and fell asleep," Suggested Kaylynn. "I'm sure they will let you stay,"
"Great idea!" Said Ruby excited making her aunt grin amused.
Ruby spent the night in the house of her grandparents sleeping in the room, where her father used to sleep when he grew up.
Downstairs, Kaylynn was cutting down a slice of the cake she had made last night and placed it on a place to take it to the kitchen table, where she had prepared for herself a slice of toast with jelly. Kaylynn licked her lips, then heard someone knock on the door and looked through the window behind the table to see her sister-in-law River McIrish standing there waiting for someone to open the door.
"That went fast," Kaylynn commented surprised at the brunette's arrival, then walked to the door to open it to see the woman in person, while the husband stood down inside the car with the side on top of the sidewalk waiting. "Good morning, River. Are you here for Ruby?" Questioned the raven-haired woman.
"Yes, sorry if we happen to wake you up. Parker just said later, when we left, that he had made a reservation for Mother's Day at the bistro to have all breakfast together," Explained River making Kaylynn nod.
"Oh alright, Ruby must be in Parker's room sleeping. Perhaps I would give her five to ten minutes to get ready," Mentioned Kaylynn making River nod.
"Shall I come up?" Questioned River watching Kaylynn shrug her shoulders.
"I think it should be okay, she's done, with what she planned to," Mentioned Kaylynn stepping aside for the brunette to step in.
"Did she plan something?" Questioned River.
"Well, I would ask her that. It's her gift after all," Stated Kaylynn making River grin, then she got into the house and went upstairs to get into the room, where her husband used to reside, when younger.
River encountered the girl sleeping in the bed, then she entered into the bedroom to nudge her gently on her face.
"Ruby, wake up," River whispered watching the girl turn her face up to the woman, then open her eyes. "Morning, little girl,"
"Mami?" Whispered Ruby quietly, then yawned making her mother grin amused by seeing her daughter yawn.
"Dad's taking us to have breakfast at the bistro. You're invited too," Said River watching Ruby sit up to stretch her arms. Ruby got down from the bed and noticed the sheet, she had on the desk and remembered it was Mother's Day.
"Happy Mother's Day!" Shouted Ruby turning around to hug her mother surprising her at how instantly the girl remembered it. "I have on the table there a gift for you,"
"Oh really? Can I see it?" Asked River, then watched Ruby walk to the door to turn on the light in the bedroom, so her mother could look at the poster she made with four different A4-sheets, showing little drawings she made of herself with the mother and a word above each picture.
"Most of the words don't really fit. I just added a word related to the image," Commented Ruby, then pointed at one drawing showing herself sitting on a chair, while behind her stood her mother. "This one is you, helping me out with the homework. When I couldn't move further you have mostly figured out how to help me with it," Ruby explained making River nod, then she looked at the next one.
"Crying?" Questioned River confused looking at the next picture to show Ruby crying and River standing next to her. "That's new,"
"When I felt so bad I had to cry, because of something you would have comforted me, hug me, talk to me. Other times it would be Maro as well," Explained Ruby making River wide her eyes now understanding the picture.
"Oh, right. I did legit not get it at first," Admitted River making Ruby chuckle, then River caressed her daughter behind her back. "That one looks like the cinema,"
"You take me out on a lot of girls' nights only when daddy's at work or busy with something else. That's a time we can both have a lot of fun," Commented the kid making River nod, then look at the other picture. "Can you guess that picture?" Questioned Ruby pointing at one drawing with a bed with Ruby in it and a temperature stick in her mouth, while River was drawn with a sad face looking at the child.
"Aww…this is me taking care of you, when you're sick," Mentioned River wrapping her arm behind Ruby's back, followed by the daughter hugging her. "I didn't feel very good about knowing you had a 40° of fever. Thank goodness the tea my mother suggested me to give you, helped your fever improve," Commented River making Ruby nod, then River pecked her daughter on the forehead, "What are the other ones?"
"Most of them are now a few hobbies you taught me. Roller skating, painting, and sketching. What I liked the most is how supportive you were despite some different likings," Mentioned Ruby making River smile and get down on her knees to open her arms at the daughter, which embraced her.
"Thank you for this wonderful gift. You know Mama would do anything for your well-being," Stated River earning a nod from the daughter, which embraced the woman tighter.