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“Precious,” my husband agrees. His eyes are soft, filled with love. “Daniel sure is going through a phase with the bunny ears.”
I keep looking at the picture, my own eyes starting to wellup. God, I love them.
“I’m going to go make breakfast,” Alessandro tells me, getting up from the bed. “You want to come down with me, or stay here?”
“Mind unlocking me for a sec? I have to pee.”
“Yeah, no prob.”
He releases my ankle, then goes downstairs to the kitchen. I head into the bathroom, brush my teeth and do my thing, then creep down the steps as quietly as I can.
Alessandro is in the kitchen, his back to me as a pan sizzles on the stove. I glance at him, and then at the door to the outside, right by the bottom of the stairs. He’ll hear me if I open it. But he also won’t be able to get there in time.
I open the door, lock it from the inside, then run out and slam it shut behind me. As I sprint through palm trees, ocean waves crashing in the distance, I hear my husband fiddling with the lock, trying to give chase.
Epilogue III
Ava
Five years later
The sound of Daniel, Natala, and Alessandro laughing in the living room causes me to look up. I can’t quite see them from the kitchen, just the Christmas tree sparkling in the corner and the flicker of orange from the fireplace. I pour the popcorn into a bowl, dress it with butter and salt, and carry it out to join them.
“Did you put nutritional yeast on it?” Daniel asks immediately, referencing his favorite popcorn topping.
“No, because your sister doesn’t like it,” I say, putting the bowl down on the coffee table. “If you want, you can go get your own bowl and put yeast on that. You know where we keep it in the cupboard?”
“Aw, can’t you get it?”
“Mom already made the popcorn,” says Alessandro. “You can go get your own bowl and toppings. Actually, why don’t you get a big bowl. I’ll have the nutritional yeast with you.”
“Ew, yuck!” says Natala, wrinkling her nose. “Terrible taste, dad.”
I giggle at her reaction. Nutritional yeast on popcorn has become quite the divisive topic among the 10-year-olds in our house.
Daniel comes back with a mixing bowl and a container of yeast. He and Alessandro divide up the popcorn and sprinkle it with the yellow powder while Natala makes an exaggerated display of being grossed out by it.
“Okay, are we ready to start?” I ask, setting up the movieElfon the TV.
“Can’t we open one now?” asks Natala, staring longingly at the pile of presents underneath the tree. “You said we could open a small present on Christmas Eve.”
I glance at Alessandro. “Now, or after the movie?”
“Let’s do it now!” says Daniel excitedly.
“Yeah, come on, dad!”
“Well,” says Alessandro, “youcouldopen your presents now. But if you do that, I’m going to eat all the popcorn before the movie starts.” He crunches a piece. “Up to you.”
“Let’s do presents,” says Natala. “You’re just going to eat the gross popcorn, anyway.”
“Wait!” says Daniel, grabbing the bowl topped with nutritional yeast. “Don’t eat it! Let’s watch the movie first.”
I make eye contact with my husband as the kids continue to squabble, and the understanding that passes between us brings a tear to my eye.
This is perfect. As good as it gets.
THE END
