“Well,” Estelle, who couldn’t bear to listen to them anymore, said, “Can we talk about something else? Yvonne missed the meteor shower last night because she went to bed early. Yohan, did you see it? Was it pretty?”
But the kids were more interested in something else and didn’t want to change the topic.
“Mom, Dad, were you alone last night?” Yvonne asked, “In the book we read, the parents of the kids were always alone and didn’t play with them. That’s how they met the elf.”
Cristofer didn’t want to just brush off his daughters’ curiosity. He gently promised, “Mom and Dad will play with you. How about we watch the meteor shower together next time?”
“Then I want to bring popcorn and yogurt!”
“And Mrs. Moorsum’s ravioli!”
“And cheese bars and chocolate!”
“I want marshmallows!”
As the children shouted excitedly, they almost turned a romantic date to watch a meteor shower into a picnic appointment. Shaking her head helplessly, Estelle said seriously, “Children can’t eat too many snacks. So, you can’t bring so many snacks with you, I’m afraid.”
Seeing that Estelle disagreed with them, Yvonne and Christina went to persuade Cristofer, each shaking one of his hands and kissing his cheeks. Even Yohan went to massage his legs.
With the two little girls snuggling up to him, Cristofer felt so sweet, as if his heart was soaked in honey. Then he said happily, “Deal. But you can only eat snacks once. During other times, you still need to eat the meals Mrs. Moorsum cooks.”
“Yay!” Yvonne and Christina happily high-fived. One of them ran to Estelle, and the other ran to Cristofer to make a pinky promise. They both said, “Pinky, promise that we will watch the meteor shower and eat snacks together!”
Watching the three children begging Cristofer unreasonably, Estelle angrily told Cristofer, “You can’t spoil the children.” Gradually, Estelle realized that Cristofer was quite tolerant of the children. And she said to herself, ‘Maybe you act this way because you feel guilty and you think you owe the children a lot. But I hope you could set a good example for them, Cristofer.’
Meanwhile, Cristofer knew what Estelle was thinking. And then he said weakly, “Estelle, it’s rare for a meteor shower to show up. Why don’t we just let the children have some fun when it comes?”
“Really? How come every time we get into a disagreement, you’re always the good cop, and I’m the bad cop?” Estelle asked in response.
Cristofer smiled softly, “You are still gorgeous even when you are angry.”
Stunned, Estelle could do nothing but swallow her words. Then Cristofer stopped smiling and seriously responded, “Estelle, would you like to watch the meteor shower with the children and me?”
Estelle didn’t answer him instantly because she understood what he meant. ‘How often can we see meteor showers? Though you were talking about shooting stars, what you really wanted to ask was whether I would like to be with you again in the future.’ Estelle reasoned to herself.
Last night, on the rooftop, Cristofer told Estelle he wanted to look at the meteor shower with her for the rest of his life, but she didn’t answer him directly. However, he was unsure and still wanted an answer, so he chose to ask her in a subtle way.
The three children couldn’t get what these adults were thinking, so they stared at Estelle enthusiastically as if this was the only chance to eat all the delicious snacks they wanted.
A while later, Estelle breathed out a helpless sigh and shook her head, thinking, ‘The children are your Sunday punch. You know that I can never refuse them. Am I right, Cristofer?’
“Uhm…. I’m sorry that I didn’t look at the stars with you last night, kids. I promise I will bring you with me next time.” Estelle then hooked her pinky finger with Christina’s and pressed their thumbs together to complete the promise.
Instantly, the three children cheered and jumped happily in Cristofer’s arms like little rabbits who found their carrots. Cristofer softly put his arms around the children so that they wouldn’t fall off the sofa. Yet, he fixed his eyes on Estelle, giving her a glance of desire. Feeling uncomfortable, Estelle slightly turned to avoid his eyes.
“Dad, it’s your turn,” Yvonne called Cristofer out. He was so focused on looking at Estelle that he almost forgot about his daughter. Then he rubbed her hair gently and said in a fluster, “Wait. I don’t know how to make a pinky promise. Can you “Of course” teach me?”
To Cristofer’s surprise, Estelle retorted ruthlessly, “You made many pinky promises before. Why do you suddenly have no idea how to do it?”
This happened back when they were in school. One day, Cristofer confessed his feelings to Estelle in a quiet classroom corner. He said he wouldn’t let her go unless she agreed to be with him. Estelle was hungry and thought she could agree for now and change her mind later. To her surprise, the most popular guy in school, Cristofer, was so innocent that he wanted to make a pinky promise. Estelle couldn’t help but roll her eyes but eventually went along with it.
After that, Cristofer started making more requests. Like holding hands if he won a sports game or getting a kiss if he helped with homework. And he always wanted a pinky promise for each request. He got the hang of it.
Estelle teased him, “I didn’t realize you were watching me so closely. We made those pinky promises ten years ago. How do you know if the gestures have changed over time?”
Their daughter Yvonne, with beautiful eyes just like Estelle, chimed in sweetly, “Yeah, I know Dad always stares at Mom. We’re used to it.”
Estelle blushed instantly, her neck turning red. Cristofer burst into laughter again. He rarely laughed after taking on the responsibility of saving and reviving the Hans family. Usually, he just smiled briefly and got serious again. It was a rare sight to see him laugh heartily, especially in front of others.
Two people were standing by the wall outside the corridor window, quietly talking. The tall man was Vincent, and the shorter woman was Eva.
Eva, while keeping an eye on them, complained to Vincent, “Did you really bring me here just to see Mr. Hans? I finally had a day off. Couldn’t you have taken a picture and sent it to me? You could keep it on your phone.”
Vincent teased, “So, which one would you prefer, watching Mr. Hans laugh like a happy child or going on vacation?” After making a joke about Cristofer, he added, “Besides, Mr. Hans would be upset if he found out I took his picture.”