Lyric from ‘Even If it Breaks Your Heart’ by Eli Young Band “...the fire got lit inside a bright-eyed child…” Ma brushed a hair off my forehead, whispering soothing words. Dad came up next to her and put a hand on her belly. It was swollen and round, the result of twins curled up in there. A part of me knew it was a dream, but I really didn’t wanna wake up. Dreams were the last I had of my dad. “It’ll be fine, James.You’ll be okay without me,” My dad had said. Ma had turned to him, shock etched into the lines on her face. Then he was gone. It was funny how quickly my dream turned into a nightmare, so I woke with tears streaming down my cheeks. Ma stood in the doorway. “Bad dreams again?” She asked, and I nodded, pulling my knees up to my chest. Ma sat down next to me, rubbing my back. “Lola called while you were asleep. I told her you needed rest, and you’d call after you ate breakfast,” She said quietly, brushing a brown curl out of my eyes. I looked at her, taking in her messy blond waves, tanned skin, and chocolate brown eyes. “You won’t leave, right?” I whispered, and more tears leaked out of my eyes. “Oh, no baby. Never,” She said, pulling me up on her lap. “I’ll never leave you guys. Never,” “Promise?” I asked, looking at her. Ma dragged a finger over my cheek. “Yes, baby, I promise,” She said, then two little pairs of feet padded into my room. “Mommy! Mommy! I’m hungry!” The twins yelled in unison. Ma laughed, gave my hand a squeeze, then stood up. “Coming! I’ll make waffles, just for y’all,” Ma stood up, gave me a kiss on the forehead, then ushered the twins into the kitchen. I got up after a moment, combed out my curls, and changed out of my pajamas. I walked into the kitchen, where Ma was singing and laughing, randomly scooping up Liam and Neil and twirling them around while singing their favorite songs. “Mama, don’t burn the breakfast!” The twins laughed, then pointed with their chubby little toddler fingers at me when I walked in. “Morning, Twins of Doom,” I grinned at them when they yelled and beat their chests with their fists like a gorilla. “Mornin’ James Bond,” Liam put on a fake British accent, then dipped into a half-bow. “Aw, shucks,” I pretended to be flustered as I sat down at the table. “Your girlfriend called,” Neil sat next to me, pretty tall for a five-year-old. “I don’t want a girlfriend,” I scowled. “That doesn’t mean you don’t have one,” Neil grinned a missing-tooth grin. “Yea, what about that fat blond girl?” Liam quipped. “Cece isn’t fat,” I growled, standing up. “Yes, she is!” The twins protested. “Hey, boys! Stop calling Cecelia fat, and Lola isn’t your brother’s girlfriend. He’s a bit too young for that!” Ma snapped, waving the spatula about. “Thanks, Ma,” I said as she started plating the freshly-made waffles. She handed me a plate, and I stuffed a huge bite of the fluffy goodness in my mouth. “Uhm, James, something came in the mail for you,” Ma said after a while. “Who is it from?” I asked, putting down my fork. “It’s from your new school, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,”
Hope you enjoyed! <33
