It was evening, and it hadn't been long since Ciara had returned from her place of work. She was on her system right in the dinning section after dinner had been taken with Herzl and uncle Kent's wife, Elsie, that now resides with them.
Elsie was always with a smile on her face whenever she was busy in the house or not
-even if she was heartbroken and still in grief due to her husband's death, it did not hinder her from her usual personality.
Herzl, who was watching his favourite show, jumped down from the couch and went for the remote, switching off the television. He was wearing a displeased look on his face as he dragged his feet towards the dinning room, whinnying and grumbling under his breathe.
"Mom..."He called out with a stern expression on his face, his arms folded across his chest -he was standing before his mother, his hard gaze on her.
"Do you want something, son?" Ciara requested in reply with her gaze still at the system, her fingers doing their usual wonders on the system's keyboard -she appeared really busy without sparing her son a glance.
Herzl did not reply to his mother's question, instead, he glued his left foot to the ground, stomping the other foot. It was making a distracting noise, which forced Ciara to pause her fingers abruptly and look up from her system.
"I ask you, Herzl; did you want something?" She told him in a calm voice, trying not to sound frustrated or distracted by his actions. He did say nothing, just an awkward stare at his mother. "If you really need something, you should go meet Aunt Elsie; you can see that mom is busy and occupied at the moment."
"Why is mom still working at home after spending a long day at the office?" Herzl asked, his tiny voice was laced with worry as well as demand.
"Mom is doing this to prepare for tomorrow's long day."She replied to him with a warm smile on her face. "Almost every day is a long day for mom at work, so she needs to prepare against it. Do you understand, big guy?"
"It's almost bedtime, mom." He whined in complaint. "You aren't supposed to be working. If the work is too much, why don't you quit it and find something much better that won't demand a lot of work or a long day like this."
"Every work is demanding -and besides, I can't quit this one. If I do, the company will collapse and be in ruin." She explained, still smiling sweetly at him. "So, you see; it's mom's duty to work hard to keep the company standing tall as always."
"But still, mom -it's almost bedtime." He insisted, not giving in to his mother's explanation. Ciara sighed and closed the laptop, knowing that her son would not let her be unless she did as he asked of her.
"Mom will stop working now, are you happy?" She asked him, her expression was soft and warm.
Herzl nodded his head quite several times before replying. "Yes, mom. I am." He reciprocated his mother's smile as he grabbed her wrist with his tiny fingers rushing. "Come with me, mom. Let's watch the television together before bedtime."
********
Ciara and her son, Herzl, are enjoying a quiet evening together. It's almost bedtime for Herzl, and they are doing their normal every evening routine. Ciara, as requested, is watching a show with Herzl, who is snuggled up next to her on the couch.
They're both comfortable and content. Aunt Elsie walks into the room, carrying a tray of snacks and drinks forthem.
"Thank you for bringing us some snacks, Aunt Elsie. I'm glad you could join us this evening." Ciara appreciated her warm gesture.
Elsie smiles and says. "I'm glad to be here! You two look so cozy and content, it's nice to see you spending some quality time together."
"It's our evening routine, Herzl wouldn't let me be, else we do this as usual. But I must say; It's a great way to wind down and relax at the end of the day." She said in reply.
"I knowjust what you mean." Elsie enunciated. "Sometimes it's the simple things that bring us the mostjoy, isn't it? Spending time with family, watching late evening shows, and enjoying some yummy snacks with drinks. It's the little things that make life worth living."
Ciara nods in agreement. Elsie sets the tray of snacks down on the coffee table before speaking. "Well, I'll leave you two to enjoy your evening. I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing."
Ciara thanks her again, and Elsie gives them a little wave as she leaves the sitting room.
Ciara and Herzl turn their attention back to the show they're watching. It's a classic story, one that they have watched quite a number of times before, but they never get tired of it.
As they watch, she pauses occasionally to ask Herzl questions about the story in the show. He always has such insightful answers, showing that he's really paying attention and absorbing the story.
After a while, Herzl yawns and snuggles a little closer to his mother.
"Are you getting sleepy, big guy?" Cara asked slowly, smiling at her son.
"Yes, mom. A little." he nodded in reply.
Ciara switched the television off, dropping the remote on the table before them. "How about we head to bed, then? It's getting late, and we both need our rest. Tomorrow is a big day." She said in suggestion.
Herzl nods and gets up from the couch. Ciara follows him to his bedroom, where he gets to change into his pajamas. Then they sit down on his bed and Ciara begins to tuck him in. As she does, she asks. "Do you want me to tell you a bedtime story?"
"Yes, please..."Herzl uttered, his eyes already beginning to droop as he lay comfortably on his bed.
Ciara thinks for a moment before replying. "I'll tell you the story of the three little pigs." She enounced. Herzl's eyes light up, and he gives a sleepy grin.
Ciara smiled at him and sat at the edge of his bed and began to tell the story, in her best storyteller voice. She makes all the different voices. And Herzl, on the other hand, listens with great interest, his eyes growing wider and wider as the story unfolds.
As the story reaches its climax, Herzl interrupted his mother's story. "He's not going to blow the house down, is he?" Herzl asks, his voice full of concern for the little pigs.
"Well, you'll have to keep listening to find out!" Ciara said, with a twinkle in her eye. She continues the story, and soon the big bad wolf has met his fate and the three little pigs are safe and sound.
Cara finished the story and asked him. "Did you like that story, son?" Herzl nods enthusiastically, and then yawns again. "I think it's time for bed now." Cara uttered, giving him a kiss on the forehead.
"Good night, my little piggy." She enunciated with a warm smile, and then tucks him in, nice and snug.
"Good night, mommy," Herzl replied sleepily. Cara turns off the light and quietly leaves the room, closing the door behind her. She sighed softly in relief with the intention of going back to her unfinished work in the dinning.
She couldn't help but wonder how great it would have been if only she had a husband for herself and a father for her son. Likewise, she was jealous of her childhood days and feel bad for her son -even if he never pesters him for it, she believes he is missing the fatherly care he isn't getting...