by Aj Harmon
“Hey bud,” Matt grinned. “You’re up early. Why don’t you go and get dressed and Mom will make you waffles in just a few minutes. Is Ella still asleep?”
“I dunno,” Christopher yawned.
“Okay, well, Mom and I will get up it just a minute, ‘k?”
“Okay. What are you guys doing? Why are you lying on Mom?”
“She was cold. I’m warming her up. Go get dressed.”
Christopher accepted his father’s answer without question and wandered back out and shut the door behind him. Matt burst out laughing.
“That was not funny,” Janie muttered. “I knew this day would come, but…”
“But nothing!” Matt grinned. “He suspects nothing. He’s just as innocent as before he walked in. Now, where were we?”
*****
While there was never any doubt that Matt was Christopher’s father, after eating two Belgian waffles, three strips of bacon and two sausage patties, Janie shook her head as Christopher asked for the waffle that she was plating for Matt. At eight years old, he could almost out-eat his father.
“Three?” Janie asked. “Are you hungry?”
“Yeah. Well, I’m not, but my muscles are,” he replied.
“Your muscles are hungry?” Matt grinned and patiently waited for his breakfast.
“I’m growing like a weed according to Grandpa and my muscles are always hungry. I think that’s why I’m getting so strong,” he said matter-of-factly as he took a large bite, syrup dripping onto his chin.
Janie and Matt looked at each other and smiled. Ella rolled her eyes.
“Waffles will make you fat,” she sighed. “I wish I could eat them but I can’t risk it.”
“What?” Matt exclaimed. “You are not fat! Where on earth would you get that idea?”
“I didn’t say I was fat, Dad. I said that waffles will make me fat if I eat them. I have to avoid carbs.”
“You’re ten!” Janie was horrified. “You can eat waffles! Is that why you don’t want any?”
“I’m almost eleven,” she glared. “And Belinda was telling us all about the dangers of carbs yesterday at lunch. She said that I shouldn’t eat bread or potatoes or rice, and definitely no sugar. Her mother is having some kind of thing where the doctor is going to remove the carbs from her body, so she told Belinda that is was much easier not to eat them in the first place.”
Matt’s mouth dropped open in disgust. “You are not fat and you will not get fat if you eat a waffle. Your mother does not feed you food that will make you gain weight. We eat a balanced diet that includes carbs and sugar! Belinda’s mother needs to take some parenting classes.”
“Honey,” Janie said to her daughter when she didn’t respond to her father’s comments. “You are beautiful and healthy. You take dance classes and karate and play soccer. In order to do those things your body must have carbs. They are what produce the energy for you to dance and run and play. If you stop eating them, you won’t be able to do all the things you love. Do you not want to dance anymore?”
“I do want to dance!”
“Then you’re body demands carbs and protein. Tell you what. After school today, I’ll show you all the stuff I have on fitness and how to maintain your body and be healthy. And then you can tell Belinda to…”
“What a great idea!” Janie cut off Matt before he said something about Ella’s friend. “What do you think, Ella?”
She nodded. “It sounds interesting. Maybe I could invite Belinda over some time and you could tell her, too.”
“Sure,” Matt smiled. “Now eat a waffle!”
The sound of Ray whistling sent Christopher jumping off his stool and running through the kitchen. “Ray!” he exclaimed and grabbed his hand and dragged him to an empty stool at the island in the large kitchen. “Mom’s making waffles. Want some?”
Ray grinned as Janie filled a mug with coffee and added a dash of cream and set it in front of their good friend.
“Already had a bagel, but thanks,” he replied and ruffled Christopher’s hair.
“Are you sure?” Janie asked. “There’s plenty.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want it to go to waste,” he grinned.
And he didn’t. With everyone having eaten, even Ella, the kids were sent to brush their teeth and then Ray would take them to school, as usual. As he’d said many times before, chauffeuring the children was the favorite part of his day. His two daughters were grown and at college, and even though he hadn’t seen much of them during their teen years after his ex-wife had moved to Detroit, there was a feeling of melancholy of not having young children anymore. Ella and Christopher filled that void and he loved them like his own…and they loved him. Actually, they adored him. Ella still kissed him goodbye when she got out of the car at school, something she didn’t even do to her parents anymore. And while Ray would never admit it to Matt, his employer, he’d do this job for free. The Lathems were his family and he loved them all and took great care and pride in serving them to the best of his abilities.
He left about ten minutes before the kids were ready to go and pull the car in front of the apartment building. After kissing their mother, the children were escorted by their father down the elevator, through the lobby and to the waiting car at the curb. There was nobody else that he trusted the care of his children to more than Ray. He waved as they pulled into traffic and headed to Ben and Sophia’s apartment to pick up Alex on the way, and then they would drive uptown to St. Luke’s. With a grin, Matt returned to his wife.
*****
As Matt walked back into his apartment, he smiled at the thought of it being Thursday. How his life had changed over the past few years. Now retired, with the exception of a few meetings here and there, his life was his family, and surprising even himself, he couldn’t have been happier. He acknowledged his fortunate circumstances. Not marrying Janie until he was forty had allowed him to build his empire without ever sacrificing time with her and the children they had brought into the world together. He had begun scaling back his hours the day they returned from their honeymoon, knowing he would much prefer to spend his days with his wife than behind his desk at his office. And now he rarely went to the office as his company was being run by his brother, Ben, and when it was time for him to begin his exit, Tyler and Derek were in the wings waiting for their turn to helm the ship. Matt and Mark’s step-sons were intelligent and shrewd businessmen. They had been mentored by the best in the business and had blossomed under their tutelage.
“What are you smiling at?” Janie asked as Matt entered the kitchen where Janie was finishing cleaning up from breakfast.
“It’s Thursday and I’m here with you,” he grinned and whirled her around in a circle. “And the kids are at school!”
“I have to go to the animal shelter today. I promised to help out with the fundraiser preparations. I’ll only be gone for a couple of hours, though. Is there something that can keep you busy ‘til I get back?”
Matt frowned. “I suppose,” he pouted.
Janie laughed. “Tell you what. Why don’t you meet me for lunch at the Thai place and then we can walk home together. Maybe you can get a little action before the kids come home,” she winked.
“You know we don’t have to make love in order for me to want to spend time with you,” he said as he ran his fingers through her hair and pulled her lips to his. “I will even go shopping with you if that’s what you want to do.”
“I would never be so cruel,” she laughed. “Besides, it’s been a while since we enjoyed the desk.”
“I do love that desk,” he grinned, wiggling his eyebrows. “And I love it when you’re naked on that desk.”
“Well, let me get to the shelter and get the stuff done there and then we can think about the desk.”
Matt gave her a kiss on the tip on her nose and released her from his hold. “I’m the luckiest man in the world, you know that?”
“Yes, I do,” she replied as she gathered her purse and jacket, ready for
her morning of volunteering.
After Janie had left, Matt wandered through to the gym and used the couple of hours to work off his waffles, the conversation with his daughter at breakfast replaying in his head. The thought of her having any issues with her body at the ripe old age of ten made him sick. The day she’d been born was the day he’d sworn to protect her from the world and so far he’d been able to live up to that promise, but this was something for which he was ill-prepared.
Ella was the mini version of Janie. She had big blue eyes that screamed of innocence. Her hair was a medium shade of brown with little golden highlights that glistened in the sun. She would always be his baby and he would fight demons to protect her. He would walk on fire for her and the idea that she was already being brainwashed into what society’s notion of what beauty was scared him to death. Matt’s second wife had been vain and shallow and pre-occupied with size and the BMI chart. It drove him crazy. What he loved most about Janie was that she was who she was…there was no pretending to be something she wasn’t. It was true she’d gained some weight over the past couple of years. Hitting menopause had been hard on her, but if anything, Matt loved her more. She was soft and sweet and the size of her jeans meant nothing to him. She was his eternal love. Somehow he needed to make Ella understand that weight was just a number…it didn’t determine who she was.
As he ran on the treadmill and worked out on the weight machine, he wondered if it would help to have Ella see a therapist, but as quickly as the thought came, it was replaced by a better one.
“I’ll have Mom talk to her,” he said to himself as he headed for the shower. “Nobody tells it like it is better than Mom!”
*****
At precisely noon, Matt met Janie in front of their favorite Thai restaurant just a few blocks from their apartment. Like newlyweds, they sat side by side, fingers entwined as they ordered lunch and sipped their drinks, Janie a lemonade and Matt an iced tea.
“So tell me all about your morning,” she asked.
“I just hit the gym,” Matt shrugged. “My favorite thing to do wasn’t there,” he grinned.
“I should hit the treadmill this afternoon,” Janie sighed.
“Not on my account,” he replied as he caressed her thigh. “You’re perfect.”
“That’s sweet,” Janie smiled, “but you lie,” she chuckled.
“I do not! You wound me with that accusation. You are perfect and I can’t imagine loving you more.”
Janie kissed him on the cheek.
“What exciting things did you do today?” he asked.
“Centerpieces,” she said. “Each table is going to have the story of one of the rescued animals, so all the photos needed to be trimmed and put into frames. It was very glamorous work,” she grinned.
The annual humane society benefit gala was very important to Janie and Matt. Just three days after they’d first met, he’d taken her to the lavish fundraiser that his company donated large amounts of money to every year. Once married and living in New York City, Janie had become very involved with the organization and she and Matt attended the function each year. Now just three weeks away, she was spending several hours a week in preparation, as she was on the three-woman planning committee made up of volunteers to assist the director in his quest to outdo the past years’ donations. She was committed to the cause and enjoyed directing her attention to it when the children were in school.
The waitress delivered their food and with gusto, they each devoured the noodles placed before them.
“Sticky rice and mangoes?” Matt asked Janie as they finished their entrees.
Janie was non-committal in her response.
“You’re gonna need your carbs when we get home,” he winked.
“Okay, then,” she laughed.
*****
The view from their bedroom window was glorious. With sweat dripping from their joined bodies, Janie’s legs still wrapped around her husband’s waist, she leaned back on the desk and gazed at Lady Liberty.
“I’m so glad we didn’t move our bedroom when we remodeled. I can’t imagine not having this view.”
“Me either,” Matt agreed, although he was looking at his wife’s breasts as he spoke.
Janie giggled and threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “We’d better get dressed. The kids will be here shortly and I don’t think you could talk your way out this,” she laughed.
With a quick kiss on her forehead, Matt released her and helped her off the desk and into the sprawling marble bathroom. Cleaned up and dressed, they walked hand in hand through to the kitchen where Janie began making a batch of oatmeal cookies in preparation for an afterschool snack for her kids, although she knew Matt would eat most of them.
It wasn’t long before the sounds of backpacks being dropped on the floor and three identifiable voices were heard and the kitchen once again became the heart of their home. Ray declined the offer of cookies and milk and headed down to the garage to clean the car. Both children said goodbye to him and then climbed up to the island and impatiently waited for their mother to retrieve the first batch from the oven.
With glasses of milk for Ella and Christopher and coffee for Matt, the three of them devoured the first plate of twelve cookies in less than two minutes. Janie just smiled as she continued to drop scoops of cookie dough onto the baking sheets.
The sound of the front door closing had all eyes looking up as Adam sauntered into the kitchen.
“I see I arrived at the perfect moment,” he grinned and hugged his mom.
“Adam! What a terrific surprise. I thought you’d be working,” she said as she grabbed a glass from the cupboard. Pouring him some milk, she put the glass on the island in front of the empty stool.
“I took the afternoon off.”
His statement took Matt by surprise. His stepson was one of the hardest working men he knew. As a pediatrician with a booming practice, time off was one thing Adam didn’t do.
“And you came here?” Janie asked.
“To see you guys,” he grinned at Ella and Christopher and gave them both a hug.
“Can you stay for dinner?” Janie was hopeful to have some time with her son.
“Nah,” Adam shook his head. “I promised Shelby I’d help her study. She has exams starting on Monday.”
And there it is, Matt thought. Over the past few years, Matt had wondered what Adam and Shelby’s relationship was. Yes, they were basically family, although not related in any way. Shelby was a very close friend of Katy’s, Matt’s sister-in-law. In fact, she was more like a surrogate daughter. And while Matt considered Adam his son, they were not biologically related at all. At family gatherings, Adam and Shelby seemed to spend a lot of time together, but there had never been anything out of the ordinary…never any signs that they were anything more than friends. Matt, however, wondered if he was just missing something. Now to hear that Adam would take time off work to help her study had him questioning even more.
“This is it, right?” Matt asked. “She graduates next month?”
“Yep. Just has to get through finals and she’s all done with school. Then comes the hard part,” Adam nodded.
“What could be harder than school?” Ella asked.
“When you want to be a doctor, you have to go to school for a long time and then you have work in a hospital and that’s usually harder than school,” Adam told his little sister.
“You don’t work in a hospital,” Christopher noted.
“Well, not very often,” Adam agreed. “But I did until just a couple of years ago. And it was hard work.”
“Is Shelby going to be a doctor like you? Will she be our doctor, too?” Ella asked.
Adam shook his head. “Nope. I’m your pediatrician and you get to come and see me until you go to college. Shelby is going to be another kind of doctor.”
Ella and Christopher took another cookie leaving Janie an opportunity to talk to her son. “So where’s Shelby then?”
“She had lunch with some friends. I’m going to meet up with her in a just a bit but I had a few minutes to kill so I figured I’d swing by and say hi.”
“Well, I’m glad you did,” Janie smiled. “If only Tyler were here,” she sighed.
“He’s in Berlin ‘til Saturday,” Adam informed his parents. “He said he’d be back for Sunday dinner.”
Adam turned his attention to his younger siblings. At first, it had been strange for him to have a younger brother and sister. After all, he’d been in his mid-twenties when they’d been born. Now, however, he couldn’t imagine life without them. He adored them and they, in turn, adored him. He was their big brother, their pediatrician, and he loved them dearly.
After almost thirty minutes of chatting with his family, Adam said his goodbyes and the children went to the family room with their father to do their homework. That left Janie to tidy up the kitchen and begin preparing dinner. As she unloaded the dishwasher, and absent-mindedly opened drawers and cupboards putting things away, her mind drifted over the past few years and the happiness she felt.
Still madly in love with her husband, Janie thanked God every day for meeting him in the Portland airport all those years ago. Their life had been blessed with two beautiful and healthy children, a lovely home, and a comfortable life. She acknowledged her blessings and was grateful for them.
As she peeled potatoes for dinner, Janie couldn’t help but smile. Life was simply marvelous. The telephone rang and interrupted her thoughts. Wiping her hands on a tea towel, she smiled as she saw her in-law’s name appear on the Caller I.D.
“Hello.”
“Janie?”
“Oh, Liko. Hello.”
But as she heard the words come through the phone, the smile disappeared from her face and she suddenly felt ill.
“Matt!” she screamed, with her hand covering the phone. “God, no!” she cried. “Matt!”
3.
Mark & Katy
Typically, Thursdays were Katy’s favorite day of the week. Monday was the day Mark spent at the office. Tuesdays and Wednesdays were the days that Katy volunteered at the women’s shelter. But Thursday was the day that began the long weekend that she fiercely protected as family time. Whether it was just her and Mark, or with Derek, or Shelby, or the whole family, Katy loved the promise of Thursdays and the weekend.
