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Knowing she couldn’t keep her eyes open after her long night, Madison had taken precautions to keep his children safe while she was asleep.
“When are you coming home, Dad?”
“Not for several hours.”
“Ah, Ms. Madison?” Mark’s voice rose. “You awake? Dad’son the phone.”
“Don’t wake her, Mark.”
Too late he heard Madison’s sleepy voice. “Rick, all’s well. Don’t worry. We’re okay. Bye.”
“Dad, she went back to sleep.”
God bless you, babe. You’re a gem.
Reassured, Rick chuckled. “Talk to you later, Mark. I count on you and Mickey to be good boys.”
***
A loud ring woke Madison from a dreamless slumber. She patted around her, couldn’t find her phone to stop the noise, and scrambled up. The kids were still playing in a far corner, one holding the puppy on top of the fire truck and the other moving it around.
“You’re awake, Ms. Madison? Good.” Mickey started the fire truck siren that exploded inside her head.
“Please, not so loud. Where’s my phone?” she lamented, her hands covering her ears.
“On my desk. I left it there,” Mark answered.
“All right. Dinner in fifteen minutes.” Stopping the phone’s alarm, in dire need of strong coffee, she unlocked the door and ran downstairs.
Unable to see clearly, she washed her face, brewed a pot of coffee, and opened the glass door to the backyard to fill her lungs and brain with fresh air. Back inside, she headed to the powder room and gasped at the picture of the disheveled flight attendant in the mirror. She hadn’t removed her uniform, and her hair was a mess. Opening her carry-on, she pulled out her cotton sweatsuit, changed, and pulled her hair into a ponytail.
Two cups of coffee later, she was back to her normal self and examined the fridge. Arlene had enough leftovers for a week. Blessing her wonderful friend and cook, Madison warmedthe roast, green beans, and risotto for dinner, and called the children.
“Dinner time.”
They ran down, one carrying the puppy and the other the fire truck.
“No noise, please. I have a huge headache.”
“Eat dinner and go to sleep. Your headache will go away.” Mickey bobbed his head with importance.
“Is that what Grandma says?”
“Yes, and she’s right.”
“Tonight, you can sleep on the couch in our room. It’s very comfy,” Mark added. “We’ll all be together. Mickey and me in our bunk beds, Douby in his crate, and you on the couch. Like a real, loving family.”
Madison arched her eyebrows. She with the two boys and the dog. Was that the definition of areal,loving familyto Rick’s sons?
After dinner, she reached for her phone to call Rick and read his text.
Sorry for imposing this on you. And thank you so much.
She texted back.
Not to worry. I enjoyed being with them. We had dinner, and I’m going to sleep on the couch in their room.Remembering Mark’s words, she added,the boys in their bunk beds, the puppy in his crate, and me on the couch.
“What do you do before going to bed?” she asked Mark.
