The Labors of Love: Short Stories

Dinner Time

Genevieve sits down with her family at the dinner table. It's a regular Tuesday night and all seems well except for a few tiny frowns on the other side of the table. Prince looks at his wife hoping she can ask the kids what's wrong. He's never been good at starting these conversations but they've never been able to ignore their mother.

"Children?" She starts, picking at her food. "What are all these sad faces?"

The three kids look at each other and look down at their plates. They've become pretty hive minded and won't say anything until someone else does.

"Silence? Have my sun and moon left me tonight?" Will my little comet not appear in the sky?"

"Oh great ruler of the cosmos, surely you can tell me what darkness plagues my children?" She wails dramatically earning little giggles from her children.

"We're okay, mommy. We're just bummed." Eli says pushing around a piece of broccoli on his plate.

"Yea, they're having a bunch of parent days at school and they said you can't come." Lyra adds.

"What's a parent day?" Prince asks taking a sip of his wine.

"It's when they invite the parents to school to do arts and crafts and have snacks with their kids."

"And we can't go because?" Genevieve asks looking at her husband. In case he understood and she didn't.

"Cuz you're famous." Cadence says flopping down in her chair.

"Look at me, children." They all turn their heads unenthusiastically. "Am I your mother?" They all nod. "Are you all our children?"

"They better be." Prince scoffs before watching them nod again.

"Well, then I will be at your school everyday this week. However, we did have a talk about not waiting until the last minute for school things."

"Really?" Eli asks excitedly.

"Sure can you tell me what the activities are?"

"It's different everyday but Friday after school there's gonna be a carnival!"

"Can Daddy come too?" Cadence asks softly.

"I'm sorry, Cadybug. I can't make any promises. I have some meetings this week that I can't miss but I will be at the carnival for sure."

"And I will bring him to anything during the school day that he is free for."

"Promise?" Elijah asks looking at his mom. Genevieve holds out her pinky to her baby boy and he takes it in his. Quickly, the family links all of their pinkies together.

"I promise to be at each school event during the day and at the carnival." Genevieve says looking at each of her children then at her husband.

"I promise to be at the carnival and at anything else my schedule will allow." Prince adds.

"I promise to tell mommy when things are happening at school before they happen." Lyra smiles guiltily.

"I promise not to hide flyers in my cubby at school."

"That's why you never know what's happening in school." Prince says looking across the table at his son. Eli shrugs knowing his dad is right.

"Cadence, do you have a family promise?"

"I promise to wake up when mommy tells me to so we aren't late for school."

"Cady, you're supposed to make promises you can keep!" Eli fusses.

"You aren't gonna bring your papers home!" She yells back defending herself. Their arguments have always made Genevieve giggle. They remind her so much of Tyler and Jack Jack when they were small.

"I think you both picked promises that will be hard for you but I believe you both can do it if you try really hard."

"Alright, Nelsons. Left hand then right hand. One, two, three!" Prince smiles watching his family finish out their tradition. They created this as a way to keep commitments to each other as a family. Everyone plays a part, even a small one in Cadence's instance, and each promise is sealed with a kiss. As a family, they lock pinkies then kiss the other side of their hands before finishing their meal.