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"I'm telling you Lynnie! This is it!"
Evelyn Witt kept her focus on the coffee she'd been stirring for the last few moments, her spare hand resting heavily on the counter top; she'd heard this one before.
"You still haven't told me what it is."
"It! The big one! I know it is."
She lifted her coffee to her lips, humming quietly to herself while her husband continued to babble on behind her.
"I've got another trip planned for the end of next month. Got recommended this guy from another guy. Could have something else for me," Richard continued, a dreamy tone to his voice and Evelyn knew he probably had that twinkle in his eye that made her fall for him in the first place.
He looked towards her, waiting for an answer that never came. She was leaning against the kitchen counter, both hands wrapped around her steaming coffee mug that her eyes were still firmly fixed on. She still looked as lovely as the day they'd met - beautiful, loving and respected in her field; hard titles for someone else to match.
Richard scratched at the stubble on his cheek awkwardly, having run out of things to report back on, until a burst of inspiration hit him and he began digging around in his duffle bag. Evelyn tilted her head curiously, as her husband lifted what looked like an old camera over his head triumphantly, like some sort of prized trophy.
"Look what I scored at one of the markets I passed through."
Evelyn leaned closer, taking the device in her hands and inspected it with an amused smile on her face.
"I haven't seen a model like this in years."
"Cool, huh?" he replied, offering her a smile of his own, though his was more relieved in nature. “Thought it would come in handy to take pictures to show off my stuff to potential buyers, y’know? Or...around here. If you, uh...y’know, wanted to.”
She sighed.
“Maybe.”
He sighed; heavier.
“Look, Lynn. I’m really try-”
Both of their attentions were pulled away from one another as soon as the backdoor into the kitchen opened. Elliott looked between his parents as he entered, eyes momentarily widening in surprise as they landed on his father before his expression faltered into something more neutral and he came to linger next to his mother.
“Don’t I get a ‘welcome back’ hug?” Richard quipped towards his son. “Or are you too old to hug your old man now?”
Elliott remained firmly fixed by his mother’s side.
“Hey, Dad.”
“I should get back to work,” Evelyn said quietly, placing her now empty mug into the sink. “My workbench is calling my name.”
“Do you need any help?” Elliott asked, already preparing to follow her until she held up a hand, stopping him in his tracks. “I’ll be fine. Take a break. Have some lunch. It’ll give you two some time to catch up.”
She said the last part quietly as she passed by Richard, gently resting her hand against his arm as she paced, a touch he didn’t realise how grateful he was for, until it was gone.
Richard took the liberty to fix a quick lunch for them both while Elliott washed up at the sink. At least this would give them something to talk about; everybody loves bread.
“So...how’s school going?” he asked, while he rummaged around the kitchen for anything he might need.
“I’m on summer break.”
“Right,” he guessed he'd forgotten. “I guess you’re partying it up then.”
“I’m working with Mom.”
Of course he was.
“You don’t need to cut my sandwiches like this,” Elliott said, when the plate of wonky triangles was set in front of him. “I’m not a little kid anymore. It’s not how Mom does it.”
“Well, if you’re so grown up, you don’t need your mom to make your sandwiches anymore, do you?”
Richard’s mouth formed into a thin line after that, while his son stared down at his plate.
“Sorry, kiddo. I...I didn’t mean that.”
“Uh huh.”
“Hey, I have a cool idea!” he said, desperate to change the subject any way possible as he scooped his camera back up. “See this? I haven’t gotten a chance to test her out yet! What do you say we grab a pic for your mom?”
Elliott simply nodded in agreement, though it wasn’t overly enthusiastic, almost as if he was eager to get it over with so he could finally eat in peace. Richard bustled around him, clumsily propping the camera on top of the coffee jar and muttering to himself while he figured out how to set the timer. He dashed back to his son, clamping his hands on his shoulders as they waited for the camera to flash.
“Smile!”
It was a fake smile. Richard could see that now, clutching the crumpled photograph in his hands as he lay back in his bunk on the carrier ship he was currently taking. A smile that didn't reach Elliott's eyes, his grasp on his half-eaten sandwich appearing tighter than he remembered in the moment. Maybe he shouldn’t have gone home that day. He should have waited until he had something better than an old second-hand camera to take home. They would understand some day. When he finally made it and got his things together enough to make that one big sale, then they’d finally get it. He could feel that day coming. It would be soon ;It had to be. He could feel it in his gut as he gazed out the window to the dark skies around him. Then he’d be able to convince them that all this time apart had been worth it.
He just had to convince himself of that first.