Unsettled

Bedtime Story

They are The Sun and The Moon. They light up his life. But why must they always be separate? They make each other so angry, and sometimes so sad. He's heard enough to know that Daddy messed up. Daddy made a mistake.

MISTAKE. Meaning an action or judgement that is wrong.

But when Max does something wrong they still love him. If it is bad enough he apologizes and gets punished for it, but then he is forgiven and life goes on. What Daddy did, Mommy won't forgive him for. He's heard about that, too.

CHEAT. To act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage.

Daddy's cheating had hurt Mommy so badly that her punishment had been a lasting one. His time outs are horrible, boring, sometimes painful things – sometimes they even take his toys – but Daddy's has been for as long as Max can remember.

They try to hide it from him, how sad they get after one of the big fights. Mommy waits until after he's supposed to be asleep. On bad nights he sneaks into her bedroom and crawls into bed with her, cuddling to make sure she's ok. He doesn't like hearing her cry.

Daddy is harder to catch, and harder still to comfort. But Max has figured out the reasons behind certain actions. Repetition of certain foods. Certain stories.

They love each other. Max can see it when they're not fighting. And even when they are. What he can't understand is why they can't move past it. Why isn't I'm sorry good enough?

FAIR. That one he knows. And he knows it is what life isn't.

But Maximilian James Hiddleston has a plan.

–

Izzy's reward for agreeing to help wrangle the children was that she got to take home half the cake. Taking home half the cake had been necessary, because Tom had once again gone overboard and... This time you're almost certain it wasn't for wanting to show off or rub your nose in the fact that he could go to the best bakery in town and order a sheet cake larger than Max was tall.

No, this time, like you, Tom had been determined to make sure everything had gone off without a hitch.

And then Max had done those paintings. Tom had managed a glance at his son's artwork, closely guarded as they were. Max had spotted him quickly, and had nearly flung himself over the canvases to keep the artwork hidden – and Tom had spent the rest of the party in a sullen mood. Sceneries – a pair of them – something you were able to discover while Max was distracted with ice cream: a bright blue sky with clouds and a radiant sun, and a blue and purple nighttime scene dotted with stars and an ivory, luminescent moon.

Why had they sent Tom retreating within himself? It wasn't that he'd slipped into a dangerous memory. You couldn't feel the tug that usually pulled you down memory lane with him. Offering him a lifeline, trying to draw his thoughts elsewhere, had hardly put a dent in his mood. Even the wine that gets uncorked and offered to the few adults chaperoning – those with rides coming or a short distance to walk – barely helps.

The wine does bring out a more flirtatious manner in you and that is something that doesn't go unnoticed, particularly by Izzy. She's made her displeasure regarding this reconciliation known more than once. It's your life to live as you see fit, your heart to be broken if things don't work out for one reason or another. Your best friend's glares are the other reason to send her home with half the cake. Distraction by means of sugar. She hints you should ride with her, that she'll drop you at the house and the pair of you can retrieve your car in the morning. You wave her off, reminding her that you have an obligation to help clean up. Co-host responsibilities and all that.