The next day, Chris got ready for kindergarten. He waited downstairs for a while but didn’t see his parents coming to take him to school. So, he knocked on their bedroom door.
“Hey, Chris, I’m here to take you to kindergarten,” Mrs. Jones said, picking up his little backpack and trying to persuade him gently.
“No,” Chris replied with a serious look on his face.
Grandma Duncan had given Mrs. Jones instructions. They couldn’t let Chris interrupt their private time when they were creating their second child. Their quiet whispers and laughter had leaked from under the door all night.
Chris tried to open the door, but Mrs. Jones stopped him quickly. “Come on, Chris, let’s wait downstairs.”
Ignoring her, Chris stood on his tiptoes and managed to open the door. He was thrilled and rushed inside. Mrs. Jones reached out but couldn’t catch him in time.
The room was still dark and silent like no one was there. Chris approached the bed, about to lift the blanket, when suddenly it fell on him, wrapping him up.
Chris giggled and playfully tried to break free. Penelope whispered to him, telling him to be quiet. They both prepared to play a prank on Warren, starting by gently tickling their dad’s belly.
“Chris?” Warren woke up with a little snort.
“Dad!”
Warren still had his eyes closed. Penelope sat up with Chris and said, “Dad is still sleeping. Mom will take you to school, alright?”
“Okay.” Chris hugged his mother’s neck and seemed content now. He noticed some marks on Penelope’s shoulders from earlier.
“Mom, do those hurt?” Chris reached out and gently touched them. He had fallen while playing football with Grace before, so he knew that injuries could be painful.
“They don’t hurt, sweetie.” Penelope smiled and shook her head.
“You should put some medicine on them,” Chris suggested, furrowing his brows as he thought about it. He got out of bed and hurried out of the room.
“Where did he go?” Penelope was a bit puzzled.
Warren lifted the collar of her pajamas and leaned in to kiss the marks. “I’m sorry, I got carried away last night.”
Penelope glanced at him. “Will you be more gentle next time?”
“Probably… not,” he said with a grin and leaned in to kiss her lips.
Penelope pulled away, saying, “I haven’t brushed my teeth yet.”
“It’s okay,” Warren said, holding her by the waist.
“Mom!” Chris rushed in with a small first-aid kit.
Penelope quickly pushed Warren away and looked at Chris with a smile. “Sweetie, what’s wrong?”
Chris opened the kit and said, “I need to put on the medicine.”
He rummaged through the kit, trying to remember which medication they used when he had his own “boo-boo.”
“Dad…” He looked at Warren with a pleading expression.
Warren reassured him, “Don’t worry, son. Dad will help Mom apply it. Can you go to kindergarten with Mrs. Jones?”
Chris nodded and slid out of the bed. “Will Mom pick me up in the afternoon?”
“Of course, Mom will pick you up,” Penelope said, helping him straighten his collar and giving him a kiss on the cheek. Chris returned the kiss and gestured for Warren to bend down.
“Goodbye,” he said as he kissed Warren’s cheek, then waved and skipped out of the door.
“My son is so sweet,” Penelope couldn’t help but say.
Warren was kissing her shoulders as he replied casually, “Indeed…”
Penelope got out of bed and started to get ready for a bath, but Warren picked her up and carried her to the bathroom.
“I have two classes this morning!” She protested loudly.
“I saw that on your schedule. They’re the last two classes,” he said, skillfully removing their clothes and gently placing Penelope under the warm water.
The bathroom had always been a place he cherished.
****
At 5 pm, Penelope kept her promise. She went to the kindergarten to personally pick up Chris. All the children wore the same school uniform and hats, making them look similar.
“Gosh…” Penelope felt a little nervous. There was only one child at home, and she knew her son. However, her face recognition issue popped up again in this group of similar-looking kids.
‘Stay calm… stay calm,’ Penelope thought as she took a few deep breaths to overcome her inner panic. When these symptoms arose, it wasn’t that she couldn’t recognize faces at all; it was more like a misleading feeling.
“Mom!”
“Mom!”
“Mom!”
All the children were calling for their moms, and Penelope scanned the crowd for her son.
“Excuse me, who are you here to pick up?” The new class teacher didn’t recognize Penelope.
“I’m Chris Duncan’s mom,” Penelope explained and looked around.
“Chris Duncan,” the teacher smiled and waved to a child in the group. “Come here, Master Duncan.”
A little boy rushed out, and Penelope recognized him by the way he held his head and ran.
“Sweetie,” she smiled and opened her arms.
“Mom!” Chris threw himself into her arms, his face beaming.
The teacher was responsible and squatted down to talk to Chris. “Chris, can you tell me about your mom?”
Chris nodded and pointed at Penelope. “She’s my mom. Her name is Penelope Seinfeld.”
The teacher nodded and turned to Penelope with an apologetic look. “Excuse me, could you please show me something to confirm your identity?”
Chris was holding onto Penelope’s finger and gave it a little shake. He didn’t understand the complexities of the adult world.
“Oh, just a moment,” Penelope said, opening her wallet. She took out her driver’s license and handed it to the teacher.
“There’s also a photo of Chris and me,” Penelope added, cooperating with the teacher’s request as she retrieved a photo from her wallet.
The teacher confirmed everything and said, “Thank you for your understanding. It’s for the safety of the children, and you look quite young to be a mother.”
“I completely understand your concern. Thank you,” Penelope replied to the teacher.
“See you tomorrow!” The teacher bent down and waved at Chris.
Chris waved back and couldn’t wait to go with his mom.
To make up for not sending Chris to school in the morning, Penelope treated him to some outdoor fun. He not only had ice cream, which he usually wasn’t allowed to have, but also enjoyed pizza and watched a movie. And, of course, Penelope didn’t forget to buy him a big bucket of popcorn.
In Chris’ little heart, his mom was his hero.
However, when they returned home, Penelope received a scolding from Warren.
“He’s so young. Did you take him for ice cream and popcorn? Do you realize how many additives are in those?” Warren chastised her sternly. Penelope sat quietly on the sofa, listening.