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“Yeah, I’m pretty talented,” he says and I slap him playfully on the chest.
“I mean it, though. Thank you for today.”
“Sarah, never doubt the lengths I would go to make you happy,” he says, pulling me close to him.
“Haha… Okay. I don’t doubt your abilities,” I say. “You wanted me to feel special. Well, you’ve succeeded.” I look over at him into his warm and dark eyes. “You surprise me every day, Jack.”
Jack kisses me on my forehead. “I love you, Sarah,” he says.
“I love you, Jack,” I confess again. “You won me all over again.”
“Proud of myself,” he says with a smile on his face.
“You should be,” I chuckle.
We’re better together.
Chapter Ten
SARA
Elevenmonthslater.
Jack and I married shortly after Ava was born. We didn’t want a huge affair, so we made an appointment at the courthouse and had a little reception afterward. Even though we had all the money in the world, neither of us was interested in a big wedding.
We bought a house on the lower east side of town in a beautiful neighborhood where Martin can ride his tricycle up and down the street without worrying about anything and there are plenty of other kids in the neighborhood. I gave up my career to stay home with Ava and to be a mommy to Martin and we’ve turned into the perfect nuclear family. All we need is a dog.
I feel blessed to be able to care for my children. Every day, I wake up and get to spend every second with my baby girl.
But lately, Jack’s work days are becoming longer and longer, and he’s started to “network” with his colleagues at the bar on most Fridays. He says the evenings out help him to unwind while building a strong bond with his staff.
He’s the boss now, so he needs to maintain a happy work environment or…so he keeps saying.
But when he comes home drunk, my mind reels back to our college days when he partied often and I wasn’t a priority.
The difference now is that we have a family to take care of.
I feel alone during these times when he’s out god-knows-where. I would make plans, too, but my friends are either living the single life, dating and going out, or they’re married with children, just like me, and busy as can be.
Jack’s stopped asking me on dates; honestly, I’m exhausted most evenings anyway. He’s still putting effort into helping me on the weekends by making breakfast and such, but I can see that his mind’s not always fully there with me.
I can’t help but wonder if he’s regretting our marriage.
I wonder if I feel the same.
I wake up early on a sunny Saturday morning to make breakfast for my family. My wife Sarah, son Martin, and our daughter Ava are still asleep, so I tiptoe around the kitchen, trying not to wake them.
I brew a pot of coffee. Sarah’s a coffee lover, so I know she’ll appreciate it when she wakes up. Next, I crack a few eggs into a bowl and add some milk, salt, and pepper to make scrambled eggs for everyone. I place a pan on the stove and turn on the heat to medium-low.
As the pan’s heating up, I take out some bread from the bread box and put a couple of slices in the toaster. I also take out some butter and jam from the refrigerator to go with the toast.
Once the pan’s hot, I add a little bit of butter and let it melt. Then I pour in the eggs and stir them with a spatula. I make sure to keep the heat low and keep stirring until the eggs are cooked through and fluffy.
In the meantime, the toast pops up, so I put them on a plate and spread some butter and jam on each slice. I pour the coffee into a mug and place it on the table. Finally, the eggs are done, so I scoop them onto a plate and put them on the table as well. I wake everyone up, and we sit together at the table to enjoy our breakfast together as a family.
It’s a simple breakfast, but it’s made with love, and it’s delicious. I’m so happy to have my wife and children by my side, and I feel grateful for the time we have together.
Ava’s excitedly digging into her scrambled eggs and toast and Martin is chewing on the toast while looking at a comic book. Sarah takes a sip of her coffee in silence. I can feel the tension coming off her, but that’s her normal state late. She always seems pissed at me.
