Growing Up

Chapter 48

On Christmas morning, Mariska got up early and started to turn on all the Christmas lights in the house. She made her way from the top floor to the bottom one, before finally having the whole house filled with only the colors of about a million strands of lights. Once she was done, she walked into the kitchen and started to make hot chocolate for her children and tea for herself. She could care less about what Peter would want to drink while opening gifts, so she ignored making coffee.

As she was pulling the kettle from the stove, the door from the left-wing of the house opened, and Peter walked into the kitchen.

"Morning, Rish." He mumbled as he walked over to the coffee pot. He grabbed a mug from beside it before reaching for the pot. He started to pour what he thought was coffee into the mug, but nothing left the coffee pot.

"I didn't make your coffee, Peter. And what did I tell you? I no longer want you to call me Rish." Mariska replied. She moved from the kitchen, the mugs on her tray as she heard her children start to wake up.

"Couldn't you at least act like my wife, Mariska? Make me coffee in the morning after you know that I had to tape last night?" Peter huffed, and Mariska rolled her eyes as she moved towards the living room.

"Don't walk away from me!" Peter yelled, and Mariska quickly set the tray down before stomping into the kitchen. She looked up at her husband and shook her head.

"You knew that as soon as you met me, that I wasn't going to be some stay at home wife and mother. You knew that even with my daughter, that I was still working. I won't just do everything for you when you are very capable of doing it for yourself. So, find the coffee grounds and the filters. And that thing over there, that is the sink. If you turn those knobs water comes out of the spout." Mariska hissed.

===

At seven, Sophia walked up the steps of her mother's house. She went to ring the doorbell, but the door opened as Peter stomped out. Sophia stumbled back a bit, before turning and watching as Peter quickly walked to his car.

"Mom?" Sophia asked, as she turned around and walked into the house. She could feel the tension in the air, and she knew that this might be her fault.

"Sophia." Mariska breathed, as she moved from the kitchen. She had coffee on her nightshirt, and it looked like she and Peter had really fought. Hopefully not physically.

"Mom, what happened?" Sophia asked as she took her jacket off.

"We got into a fight. It started with me not making Peter coffee, and ended with him tossing it on me." Mariska sighed. She took the towel that was in her hand and tried to dry the coffee, but there was no use. Nothing was going right today or in the last few months.

"Mom, I can go-"

"I promised you when you were just a baby that I would always pick you first. I will always pick my children over my husband. Because in the end, you three are my only children. There can always be another husband." Mariska sighed.

She still loves her husband, but she wishes that he still loved all of their children. Not just the twins.

"There will never be a man in your life that you will love the way you love Peter... Mom, go after him. I'll get the kids some cookies to eat real quick, then when you get back home they can open their gifts." Sophia smiled softly.

"Kid-"

"You want him, Mom. With your whole heart and soul. He's the one for you. You need to admit that." Sophia breathed.

Mariska ran her fingers through her hair before tossing the towel on the table before sighing.

"Do you really think that everything will be okay?" Mariska breathed.

"I think you two will be good. Just go. Before he gets too far away."

===

Sophia got her siblings some breakfast because it was taking Mariska and Peter too long to return. They ate their breakfast before starting to whine about not being able to open their gifts.

"You both just need to calm down." Sophia sighed, as she lifted Missie up and carried her away from the massive fir tree and the gifts that were nestled below it.

"It's almost 8, sissy! We were supposed to have opened gifts by now!" Luke cried. Sophia rolled her eyes. Before she could respond, the front door opened.

"Momma? Daddy?" Missie asked, as she and Luke quickly jumped from the couch and went running to the front door. Sophia stood slowly and smoothed the bottom of her dress before slowly walking to the door. She stopped when she saw Peter and her mother hugging the twins.

"Are you both ready to open gifts?" Peter asked, and the twins quickly nodded.

"Yes, Daddy! Come on!" Luke exclaimed before they both pulled him towards the living room. He slowed down when he saw Sophia, before giving her a small nod and an awkward smile. Mariska walked over to her daughter and kissed her temple gently.

"Thank you, Sophia. For opening my eyes." Mariska whispered as she rubbed her daughter's back gently.

"I'm gonna head back to Jack's. Thank you for inviting me though." Sophia replied.

"Why?" Mariska asked.

"Because it's Christmas. One that doesn't need to have any more drama than it already has. The kids have eaten breakfast and now demand gifts. Have a good day, Momma. I love you." Sophia breathed. She leaned over and kissed her mother's cheek before moving to the door. She pulled her jacket on before leaving quietly.

Mariska watched as her daughter left and a small sigh left her lips.

"Where'd she go?" Peter asked, as he quietly joined his wife.

"Back to Jackson's house. Uh, let's go open gifts." Mariska breathed, but her husband moved past her and swung open the front door.

===

Sophia was almost to her car when Peter called her name. Sophia turned around and swallowed hard when she saw her stepfather standing on the top steps.

"Yeah?" Sophia asked.

"We bought you gifts. Wanna come open them with us?" Peter asked, and Sophia's eyes went wide.

"Really?" She breathed.

"It would mean a lot to me... especially since you help me and your mother."

"It was no big deal. You two are meant to be together. But to make sure that nothing else ruins today, I'm gonna go back to Jackson's. Thanks though... Love you Dad." Sophia spoke.