Them [O. H. S. H. C. ]

36 | The Otoris

"Mommy! Tom and Jerry's on now!"

The petite five year old yanked at her wrists.

"I know, baby," I glanced at the grandfather clock gracing the wall,"Give mom one minute."

"One, two, three..."

She began counting on her chubby little fingers, struggling past ten.

"E-love-on."

Her father strolled into the living area, sipping a cup of steaming caffeine.

"That would be eleven."

"That's what I said, dad!"

He punched a red button on the remote, kickstarting the Smart TV.

"Channel 5! Put it on channel 5!"

The little girl plopped onto the carnelian love seat, pulling at her father's slender fingers as he attempted to click the numeral.

"Mom! Is lunch ready yet?"

Their second daughter, who had just arrived at the proud double digits, walked into the kitchen. She searched for anything resembling a homemade meal. What she, instead, located was a Japanese takeout menu (the corner saturated with spilled water, and the phone number cut off by the subsequent page).

"Find out what your dad wants and order! I have an important phone call to take!"

"Okay!"

The eldest child skipped into the room, collecting requests from each family member. She dialed the number on her recently acquired cellphone and placed an order for delivery. I darted down the stairs, tossed a twenty on the table, and headed straight for the laundry machine which was blaring the end of a cycle.

I heard the kids quarreling about the TV show of choice and the stern voice of Kyoya silencing them. Then I caught the low hum of background music as Tom and Jerry held yet another competition. I thought of his ability to subdue them and smiled.

What a hectic family.

Finished! Like a boss, Kyoya, honestly! Hope you enjoyed. Please leave feedback in the comments!