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“God, you’re such a child,” Tracy said with a roll of her eyes.
Jo smiled at her children, enjoying their time together that would soon come to an end with her daughter moving in with her boyfriend. She knew the two would miss each other even if their constant bickering suggested otherwise. They always had each other’s back.
“All right, guys, be nice. Your mother went through a lot of trouble to make breakfast for you, so please don’t argue at the table,” their father stepped in.
The siblings stopped their back and forth but kept giving each other death glares.
“You’re not staying to have breakfast with us?” Jo asked as he added Saran Wrap to the plate in his hand, packed with food.
“I can’t. I need to get to the office. I have to get through some important paperwork that I’ve neglected,” he explained. “But I’ll be home early.”
“Okay, honey.” Jo rose from her seat and went over to grab the travel cup from the cupboard before pouring the hot dark liquid into it. She then handed it to her husband.
Charles took the cup before pecking her lips. “Thank you.”
Jo smiled lovingly at him. “You look really good, by the way, scrumptious even,” she complimented, running her hands down the lapels of his jacket.
“Oh yeah, you think so?” Charles asked, batting his eyelashes daintily.
This elicited a laugh from her as she lightly tapped his chest.
“I’ll see you later,” she spoke, reaching up to kiss him again.
“Hey, you two. Break it up,” Nicholas interrupted their moment. “Dad, can I get a ride with you later, please? I’m going by the dentist to get my wisdom tooth pulled this afternoon, so I’ll be in your neck of the woods.”
“Sure thing, Son,” Charles replied, reaching down to take his briefcase from the floor where he had placed it. “Just come by the office when you’re done.”
Jo stood by the front door, watching her husband pull out of the garage and onto the street. Charles tooted his horn as he waved goodbye. She waved at the man who had been the love of her life and her best friend for the past twenty years as a warm smile graced her lips. She pulled her cardigan around her as she watched the car drive down the street until it disappeared.
When she stepped back inside, she could hear the raised voices of her children as they traded insults. Jo shook her head as she made her way toward the kitchen/dining room.
“Shut up, dork!”
“All right, guys. That’s enough fighting for the day. You two need to learn to get along more. Soon you won’t be under the same roof, and I know you’ll miss each other despite your behavior toward each other,” Jo chided her children as she took a seat at the table.
Both looked at their mother with remorse.
“Sorry, Mom. It’s just Nick rubs me the wrong way, and his jokes aren’t even that funny,” Tracy rationalized. “But I’ll be the bigger person. I’m sorry, Nicholas, for calling you a couch potato with no social life.” Tracy smirked at her brother.
Nicholas opened his mouth to respond, but Jo quickly held up her hand, halting whatever insult she knew he was about to throw back at his sister under the guise of an apology. “Let’s just eat first, and then you can go back to what you were doing before.” Her children nodded in agreement.
After grace, everyone dug into the food before them, taking as much as they could consume.
“Mom, you really went all out with this. It makes me excited to see what you’ll make later,” Tracy complimented.
“It won’t be such a surprise,” Jo returned.
Tracy looked across the table at her mother, her brown eyes so reflective of her mother’s, filled with question.
“You’re going to help me prepare it,” Jo explained. “Look at this as the beginning of your practice for when you move into your apartment with Josh.”
Tracy never had the patience to sit and help with the cooking and always had an excuse as to why she couldn’t help in the kitchen. Jo hadn’t forced her, knowing that when the time came, she would probably seek her out for assistance. It appeared that time had come. She would be living with her boyfriend Josh in an apartment closer to the University of Washington Tacoma, where she would be attending come this fall. Even though they lived in Tacoma, the university was located on Commerce Street, and the family house was further north-eastern in the Proctor District. Tracy had presented her argument that she was now an adult and should be able to make her own decisions concerning how the rest of her life would go. Charles had given his blessing on her decision, and Jo had begrudgingly given hers too.
“By the way, how is the move coming along? Do you need any help?”
“No thanks, Mom. Josh came by yesterday to help me get the last of my things into boxes. He carried a few of them in his jeep, but the movers are coming tomorrow to move the rest,” Tracy informed her mother.
Jo gave her daughter a small smile. “Sounds like you’re all set.”
