Freeman woke with a start. Sitting up, he waited for his brain to catch up with the adrenaline that was coursing through his taut body. Slipped his feet over the side of the bed, feeling the worn down carpet of his apartment under his feet. He leaned forward, steadying his breath and his heart that beat faster the the wings on a hummingbird.
He looked at the digital clock on his nightstand, the soft blue glow that illuminated the numbers, letting him know it was 6:33 AM. He was about to chalk it up to a nightmare, considering laying down until it was time to get the girls up and ready for school when his body had other ideas. He looked back at Faye sleeping peacefully next to where he’d been laying, smiling to himself as he noticed she had fallen asleep not bothering to put her pajama’s back on after they’d made love.
‘Actually, a bath sounds nice.’ He thought to himself as he leaned over to pick his jeans off the floor, flinging them over his shoulder. He contemplated waking Faye up, he ached to be inside her. To kiss her entire body. To taste her, but he took a deep breath and let it out slowly settling on a cold shower downstairs would suffice instead. He’d just slipped his jeans on when he heard a clatter coming from the kitchen. Freezing instantly, his fingers barely touching the fly of his jeans, he waited.
There it was again! Quickly he fastened the button on his jeans and pulled up the zipper, he attempted to open his bedroom door as quietly as possible so he didn’t wake up his girls. He could make out the soft glow from the light in the refrigerator splashed against the wall opposite of the room, casting the shadow of the intruder. With stealth movements, Freeman moved towards the kitchen, stepping from carpet on to the cold, tiled floor of his kitchen. He took a steadied breath before he jumped out and grabbed the handle of the refrigerator, the intrude let out a high pitched scream. Screams, was more like it.
“Amora! Sophia! What are you girls doing?” he was shocked to see both girls awake, but even more so because Amora had Sophia around the waist and had hoisted her up so she could reach the next shelf in the fridge. Shaking his head, he looked at both their faces and before he could open his mouth to ask them again, he was cut off by the cries of his cat, Tonto.
“What the hell?!” He reached into the fridge, grabbing the fat feline and placing him back on the tiled floor, scratching him between the ears. He turned and looked at both his daughters who stood with eyes watering and bottom lips picked and trembling. “Whyyyyy,” he dragged out, “was Tonto in the fridge?”
Amora wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her favorite sweater that was much too large for her, but it was gift from Emily because she liked it so much he and Faye agreed she could wear it to play in or to bed. Sophie wore an identical one to it in size, but hers had a giant blue T-Rex whereas Amora’s had writing that couldn’t have been truer to her nature.
“Daddy!” she began, sniffling, her voice cracking as she tried her hardest to not cry. “We were just trying to make breakfast..”
“But we couldn’t reach the eggs,” Sophia bursted out.
“And so I lifted her up.”
“So I could reach it.”
“And TON-TO ran up us like a mountain lion!”
“He scratched my arm, Daddy, look!” Sophia cried out as he pulled up her sweater to show Freeman her side.
“We was going to save you some.”
“Yah, we was!”
Freeman pressed his lips together, trying to not making any facial expressions that might give away that he wasn’t being very serious. He looked down at the cat, “Is that true, Tonto? Did you use the girls as a latter to get into the refrigerator?”
The cat rubbed against Freemans knuckles and then walked around the girls, swishing his long fluffy tail as he walked by each one. Freeman started laughing, the sound boomed through the apartment startling the girls and making them cry. They’d clearly been up longer than they were willing to admit. He leaned forward and hugged them both tightly, kissing their salty cheeks.
“It’s ok.. I’m just glad that neither of you were hurt... badly.” He said pointedly, looking at Sophia. “Would you like Daddy to clean your owie and give you a bandaid?”
“Can I have a Minion’s one?”
“Of course!”
“Alright, let’s go to the bathroom. Amora, why don’t you go get dressed for T-K, while Daddy fixes Sissy up, ok?”
Amora, still wracked with sniffles, wiped her face and walked slowly into her bedroom. While Freeman took Sophia into the bathroom to play Dr. Dad. After the girls were dressed, he sprayed detangler in both of their hairs and brushed them out while they ate their scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. Freeman had just finished doing the girls hair for school when he turned and saw that the clock on the microwave shown it was 8:02 AM and Faye was still asleep. Not wanting to bother her, he ushered the girls to finish their breakfast and readied their toothbrushes and stools in the bathroom before quietly entering his and Faye’s room to get dressed.
He looked down her very exposed beautifully naked body, before he grabbed the sheet and covered her, kissing her softly on her lips and to be an ass, he flicked the end of her nose with his tongue. He suppressed a chuckle, shaking his head. She hadn’t even budged.
‘Must be because how warm it is.’
Even though it was winter time, it was still oddly warm here. Midday sometimes peaking at 83-85 degrees. Either that or she was getting sick. She didn’t normally sleep this deeply. He walked out of the room, leaving the door open as he poked his head into the bathroom.
“Let’s see those pearly whites!” Freeman said cheerfully as Sophia and Amora turned their heads simultaneously, smiling widely. “Ahhhh, so beautiful! Alright, let’s go grab our knapsacks and jackets and Daddy will grab your snacks.”
“Can we have cookies?” They both chimed at the same time, giggling in unison at each other.
“How about carrot sticks and maybe we will have cookies after school.”
“Okay!” They both answered, ensuing another fit of giggles and a couple snorts from Amora.
Freeman had just put the tray of carrot sticks, broccoli, celery, grapes and cheese tray into the back of his rental and walked into the house when both of the girls and turned at him. He was struck by how much they’d grown and demanded to take a picture or he wasn’t taking them to school.
“How did you guys grow up so fast?!” He asked teasingly.
Sophia chimed in with a response before Amora could open her mouth, “It’s cause we eat out veggies!”
“That explains it!” Smiling down at them, he started to usher them towards the front door. Grabbing their knapsacks off the kitchen chair and slinging them up into the crook of his arm. “Before I know it you’ll be taller than Mommy!”
“Welllll,” over emphasizing her L’s, Sophia looked up at him out of the corner of her eye. “If you stop making us eat our veggies, then we will be little forever!”
“Really?”
“Yup!” Amora backed her sister’s theory. “It’s a scienteriffic fad!”
“I believe the words are ‘scientific fact’,” Freeman corrected. “However, I am going to have to pass on the no veggies prompt ladies.”
“Than can we JUST eat Green Beans, Daddy?” Sophia batted her long eyelashes at him, which reminded him of Faye.
“No,” the look of disappointment spread across their tiny features. “However, we can have green beans with dinner.”
“YAY!” Amora and Sophia started clapping as he finished buckling them into their booster seats.
He climbed into the drivers seat, buckling his seat belt before turning the heater down and pressing on the break before shifting the gear into reverse. He turned his upper body, a habit that he will probably never break, and backed out of the parking spot. He shifted the gear into drive, turned to look back at the girls he smiled and asked, “You girls ready to ROCK THIS JOINT?!”
They both threw their hands in the air, screaming as Freeman turned up the volume to ‘Back in Black by ACDC’ before driving out of the apartment’s parking lot and turning towards the highway.
@charsimatic