Through Chrissie's eyes

A time in Hampton

We stopped for a bit on the road to eat, with Brian and I taking the proper care and trying not to draw too much attention. We agreed not to bring any security with us, since it was a family trip and especially, we wanted the children to see the trip that way.

With the energies lightly recovered, we continue our journey, until we reach the entrance of Hampton right at sunset. I glanced quickly back, since the children were too quiet, and as I suspected, Jimmy and Louisa were sleeping soundly. Brian drove for another 15 minutes and, to my relief, I saw the home of my in-laws, smiling, excited and happy to be there.

My husband parked the car and then we went out, opening the back doors to get the kids.

"Get Lou, I'll get Jimmy" Bri instructed, being a gentleman, since our son was heavier than our daughter.

We put the children on our lap and Jimmy woke slowly, Louisa was still asleep. With a sigh, Brian rang the bell, waiting with a little anxiety.

"Brian!" Mrs. Ruth gave her son a hug "and hi Jimmy! Did the trip get you tired, my boy? And of course, my favorite girls! Chrissie, put Lou there in Brian's room, I've got it all set for you."

"Oh, yes, thank you." I nodded and did as she asked.

Soon I was back in the room, where I found my father-in-law talking animatedly to Jimmy. My boy was one of the rare people who could get rid of his grandfather's serious and angry way for a moment.

"I suppose Louisa is resting" said Sir Harold, holding out a hand to me. "How was the journey, Chrissie?"

"Quiet, really nice" I said, and some time later, as Brian and his father talked, I helped my mother-in-law with dinner.

Before I called, Louisa appeared in the kitchen, still with a sleepy face.

"I want candy, Mommy!" she asked nicely, but I was well trained to resist.

"No, not at all." I took her in my lap, which made her laugh. "First dinner, then we can think about dessert."

"Ah, but I wanted it now ..." she insisted a little more.

"But you're going to have to wait." I touched her nose, but Lou was still unhappy. "If you eat it all, Mommy promises to make dough, and let you shave the bowl of the stuffing."

"Only by myself?" Louisa raved again.

"No, you have to give a little to Jimmy and Daddy." I presented the conditions.

"Okay" she finally agreed, I kissed her cheek and set her down to sit down.

The whole family soon joined us for dinner. My in-laws spoke much more than we did, which on the one hand was good, because we didn't have to give some sad details of the reason for our visit. As soon as we finished, I didn't take long to start making my famous sponge cake, which, in the opinion of everyone who ate it, was as good as my mother's.

"Chrissie, rest a little, you haven't stopped a second since you arrived." Sir Harold was worried about my uneasiness.

"No, I don't mind, I want to cook now, and I need to, or Lou won't give me any rest," I said in a good mood and the three Mr. Mays smiled at me.

Lou stayed with Grandma Ruth, making me comfortable while I cooked. I felt Brian coming almost in silence, the sound of his footsteps were low, but I knew them very well.

"Hi, Bri" I turned quickly for him, and then I got back to work "came here to steal some stuffing?""

"No, but I won't refuse if you want to give me some." He jumped in, he was more tired than sorry.

"That's the most disputed stuffing I've ever seen" I said, rather impressed, laughing "you're going to have to share with the kids."

"I will do it, I promise" he promised. "I'm sorry to be disturbing you, I just wanted to thank you, I ... It's good to remember this other part of my life, sometimes I think I forget that."

"No, you don't forget," I had to stop, automatically caressing Brian's face. "You're an excellent son, a wonderful father, and a loving husband. And you're not disturbing me!"

I kissed his cheek, giving emphasis to what I said, and he smiled back, sitting at the table to watch me working, lost in a world where only I existed, making me feel dull and loved at the same time.

When I finished and I told Louisa that the stuffing bowl was all hers, she came as fast as lightning, but she let her father and her brother lick the stuffing with her.

At bedtime, we let the kids share Brian's old bed. As I put them to sleep, I found it adorable that our children slept right in the bed that their father slept at their age. Brian and I slept on a mattress on the floor, it might even seem uncomfortable, but when I felt his arms around me, I was sure it was the best place in the world.

So it was our first day of vacation in Hampton, and many more came, until the perfect day to go to the beach came. We decided to go the night before, which made Jimmy super excited and Louisa curious. She was just a baby when she was there for the first time.

Then, before one of us woke up, I heard someone calling me.

"Mom ..." Jimmy whispered, not wanting to wake his father or sister, but certainly wanting to wake me up.

"Yeah, Jimmy ..." I murmured, still sleepy.

"We're really going to the beach, right?" My son wanted to confirm.

"Yeagh ..." I said with a yawn.

It wasn't a very big answer, but I managed to convince him, since he was quiet, waiting for the whole family to wake up.

And after breakfast, we went to the beach. Jimmy wanted to run to the sea, and even ran a little, but he turned back to see how Louisa was. My little girl was always very brave, but that blue and beautiful immensity intimidated her a little. She held herself still more tightly around Brian's neck, since she was on his lap all the time.

"You're not coming, Lou?" Jimmy came to get her.

"Dad and Mom have to come along" was the condition Louisa asked, in a low voice.

"It's okay, Lou, we'll go, but let Jimmy hold your hand?" Brian suggested to her.

"Okay." She accepted and let her father lay her down.

Our son soon took his little sister's hand, and together, they walked to the edge of the sea, letting the waves wet their feet. Brian and I sat on the sand, watching them. Lou then lost her fear and even risked throwing some water at her brother. We laughed to see our children so relaxed, having fun.

Suddenly they wanted to put us in their play, Lou threw a handful of sand at Brian, who thought of revenge for his face, but didn't do anything. He did something worse, exchanged an accomplice look with Jimmy, who threw sand right at my head.

"Hey! My little boy is not like that." I was indignant, but I laughed and ran after him.

Jimmy slipped away from me, but I took advantage of Brian still sitting, otherwise I wouldn't reach his head to throw wet sand on his head.

"Oh no, Chrissie!" he complained "you will have to wash and comb my hair later."

"No problem, I love doing it" I said in a teasing tone, right in his face.

Brian took advantage of me being too close to him and kissed me.

"Not here!" Louisa complained close to us.

"Right, Lou," Brian agreed with her.

To get all that sand off our heads, we just had to take a swim, take turns watching the children when we went deeper, one at a time.

The rest of the afternoon we ended up making a sandcastle, picking up shells, watching seagulls, and just before we left near sunset, Brian left for a moment.

There was no sign of sadness in him, just an excitement, as well as when he had an idea. He came back a while later, carrying a book of my own that I used to leave in the car. He sat quietly, still close to us, but focused. I let him be alone in his moment of creation, making a song again was a good sign.