Layla took a kitchen stool and reached for the top of the kitchen cabinets that were far away from her reach. She took four trips up and down the stool grabbing this and that can before her husband, dressed in a black robe, walked in silently and watched her as she tried to take one more thing. She was dressed in her silky grey nightdress and some warm comfortable woolen fluffy sandals.
"Good morning," Paul told her as he leaned himself on the wall that separated the kitchen and the dining room. Sunlight filled the room to its fullest despite the colder climatic conditions outside.
"Good morning too." She answered him as she gave out a grunt, trying to reach for another object.
"What are you making us for breakfast?" He asked her with arms crossed before his chest.
"I don't know. I really don't know. And when you talk of us, are you including your daughter?"
"Oh, that girl. She's been avoiding me of late. You know, she still blames me for Ethan being in jail." Paul spoke so softly as if he was hurt. "Layla I tried. I tried to help him. Even though I was late I did all I could-"
"And you paid for it with a six million dollar fine, I know." She stopped reaching for what her hands were searching for in the upper cabinet and dropped her arms on her hips as she stared at the man below. "And I thank you for that. That was fatherly of you."
He walked towards her, arms still folded in front of his chest. "Will you talk to her?" He told her.
"What?" She scoffed.
"We still have one child around. Maybe we can save her before she digs herself in a predicament."
"Paul I don't think Ingrid's in a mood for chatting with her parents."
"She's got no one to talk to now. She's grounded. We took her phone and her computer. Trust me, she's so bored she wouldn't mind having a conversation with you. A mother-to-daughter situation. I know you can get to her and see what's wrong with her."
"Everything is wrong Paul! Everything! For sixteen years we have tried to fix every bad loophole we had in our lives as a family and we have been successful. Until that Elena incident happened. We even haven't gone to see our son in prison!"
Paul was now standing beside the stool, with Layla looking down at him. His mane on his chin was shaved.
"Judge Freeman saw to it that our son would be put far from our reach." He told her. "Where maybe we couldn't plan to visit him often and maybe even break him out of prison. He was punishing me. I think he had already figured out everything by the time the trial started. Stupid fool! Double-crossed me! Beat me at my own game."
"I hope he goes to shower and slides on the bathroom floor and hits his head!" Layla teased.
"Or drowns in his own pile of shit!" Paul added. The two looked at each other longingly before bursting out in happy laughter. They laughed for a long time before taking deep breaths in the end. Layla looked at her husband with a smile filled with happiness. He took his hand and slowly rubbed it against her leg so softly and lightly as she gave out a soft inaudible moan. He continued this sensational touch as he climbed up her thigh. She arched her head upwards, closing her eyes in pleasure, and gave out a soft moan once again.
"Eew! Get a room!" Ingrid drawled at the two from the other side of the room on the kitchen island. They immediately stopped what they were doing and turned around to see their daughter racing towards a stool and sat on it. Ingrid grabbed a strip of bacon that had already been prepared, took a bite out of it, and swallowed so wallowing.
"This is good!" she said taking another bite.
"Someone's having a good day," Layla teased as she got down the stool with a can of raw bacon in it. "Why the jovial mood today?" Paul headed out of the kitchen room in an attempt to excuse himself from the two so that they could converse. Ingrid didn't want to talk to him either way. Or so he thought.
"Dad, wait up." She squeaked in her tiny cute voice.
Paul stopped and turned around. Ingrid got down from the kitchen stool and walked towards her father in a calculated manner. She stopped in front of him and looked up at that handsome old face. They stared at each other lengthy and before he knew it, Ingrid jumped into him spreading her arms wide enough to hug him. Paul was shocked at first and even exchanged a confused look with his wife before finally embracing the little girl below him in a lovely fashion.
"Thank you," she said so softly into his black robe, "thank you."
Paul looked at the girl below, eyebrows knitted in confusion. "For what?" he asked.
"For trying to save Ethan." She spoke up once more. "I never thanked you for that. The moment I realized how deep you had involved yourself in this case and what you paid for in its wake, I knew that you truly loved him and would have done anything to help him. Thank you."
"So... you're not blaming me for him being in prison?" Paul asked her dumbfounded in his speech.
"No, not anymore. What happened, happened."
Paul got Ingrid out of his comfort. He brushed her hair back her ears before kissing her on the forehead. Paul nodded and walked out of the room. Ingrid turned to her side to see her mother smiling broadly at her.
"What's gotten into you today?" Layla asked as she slithered towards her.
"I don't know. I kinda feel positive about life. Sure, the past two weeks have been hard on us since Ethan was taken away but we deal with what we have and make use of most of it." Ingrid spoke as she took another bite out of the bacon again.
"Where's Ingrid? What have you done with my daughter you alien?" Layla snarled at her playfully.
"Mom, it's me... the same Ingrid." She chuckled. "I want to be happy because I'm pretty sure that Ethan wouldn't want us to be saddening up at his absence. He would want us to go and live on. He would want us to soldier on. And that's what I'm doing." She smirked.
"Wow! I'm impressed."
"What are you making for breakfast though? I would like to help with what you're cooking."
"I have no idea. Suggest one for me."
"Umm Ingrid..." A voice broke the conversation. They whipped around to the direction of where the voice had come from to notice Paul who had gotten back downstairs. The two gazed at him.
"Yes?" She inquired egging her father.
"I was wondering if you would drop to Ethan's house and supervise the cleaners there," Paul asked her.
"Sure, no problem!" She agreed in a second.
Layla asked out in a sudden rush, "Wait, wasn't the house under police investigation?"
"Yes, it was. But after the case was closed, well it's been returned back to our custody." Paul cohered.
"Oh, I didn't know that." Layla skimmed at the two finally being at par.
"Catch!" Paul blurted out as he threw some keys towards Ingrid. She caught them in a cool-like manner smirking at the awesome grab. She studied the keys for a second before everything clicked in.
"You'll drive his car and bring it back here when you're done for the day. The cleaners will meet you there."
"Oh, yeah. Sure. No problem. In fact... I'm gonna prepare myself right now and head over there." She finished as she skipped out of the kitchen leaving the two adults on their own.
"What is she up to?" Paul furrowed his eyebrows at Layla who was also expressing the same face, full of confusion.
"Yeah, I know. Ingrid is always this good if she wants something in return." Layla agreed.
"Perhaps she wants to ask us if she can go and see Ethan," Paul said heartily.
"Oh, my son! I miss my little boy," she cried out as she sought comfort from her husband.
"Don't we all?" He snaked his arms on Layla's waist. "Now that we have the whole trial thing behind us, we can focus on how we can improve his life in there. And Ingrid's too."
"We should pay him a visit one of these days. I know he's probably scared in there, longing for faces that he can relate well with. He's being bullied for all we know."
"Don't worry, Layla. Come here." Paul pulled her even closer against himself as they got lost in their own thoughts. "It's going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay."