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*Rae’s point of view. Far in the future…
I always looked forward to summer vacation. Spending time with friends, lighting sparklers at the beach in the evening, chowing down on a popsicle until your whole face is sticky… not to mention the absolute deliciousness of grilled watermelon. Plus, the start of summer vacation is when I met my wife, Claire Francois. It feels so long ago now. I can’t believe how much my life has changed.
“Mother Rae! Mother Claire! Hurry up!” A small voice cried, tugging at the hem of my shorts.
“We’re going to be late!” Another voice added, shoving things haphazardly into her small, blue backpack.
I scoffed, carefully pouring coffee into two medium-sized travel mugs. They were a matching set, each with a nature-themed pattern. In gold letters, they read “Rae” and “Claire” respectfully. They were a wedding present from Misha and Yu. Miss Claire and I didn’t get to see them as often as we’d like to these days, mostly around holidays and birthdays, so it was nice to have something physical to represent them.
“And how are you today, my darling wife?” I asked, fastening the lids to the top. Miss Claire was gorgeous as usual, flying into the kitchen like a whirlwind. Her focus was almost entirely on a checklist in her hand. She glanced at the mug, then back at her list.
“Did you remember to pack pajamas?” she asked, absentmindedly taking a sip of her drink. I scooped her up in my arms, forcing her to set both the coffee and her list on the counter. She rolled her eyes. “Honestly Rae, we don’t have time for this…”
I felt a twinge of pride as a blush spread across Miss Claire’s face. After all these years, I could still get her to smile with one, simple look. I gave her a featherlight kiss on the nose as I lost myself in those beautiful blue eyes.
“Ugggggh!” That small voice piped up again. “Why are you like this?! At this rate, we’re never going to get there!”
“Oh c’mon, Aleah,” the second voice said. “I think it’s sweet.”
Miss Claire and I couldn’t help but laugh. These two eager kids were our daughters, May and Aleah. We adopted them some years ago now, though in many respects it felt like they had always been with us. They were twins with bright blue eyes and blonde hair just like Miss Claire’s, though it was pretty easy to tell them apart. May kept her hair about shoulder length, while Aleah’s fell around her mid-back. Their personalities were different, too. While Aleah was sporty and ambitious, May was more timid and gentle. Aleah tended to struggle in school, while May sailed past her peers in nearly every respect.
No matter what, though, they were both my perfect little girls.
As I mentioned previously, today was the first day of summer vacation. It had become a Taylor-Francois family tradition to go camping at the start of summer as a way to leave the stress of the school year behind us. Miss Claire, especially, needed a break. Imagine going to work every day and having to teach civics to high schoolers. I shuddered at the notion.
“Yeah Aleah, it’s sweet,” I teased. “But I can think of something sweeter.”
“What’s that, Mother Rae?” Aleah asked. The poor soul fell for my trap.
“It’s yoooooou!” I bellowed. In one motion I swept in and scooped Aleah up in a big bear hug, nuzzling her and peppering her with kisses as she tried and failed to squirm out of my arms.
“Mother Raaaaae…” Aleah pleaded.
“Me next, me next!” May said, excitedly hopping in place.
Unable to say no to my precious baby, I scooped May up as well. Miss Claire joined me, completing the family hug. Truly I was the happiest woman on the planet.
“Alright girls,” Miss Claire said, breaking us out of the moment. “Checklist!”
As if she had cast a spell upon us, the girls and I stood at attention. “Yes ma’am!”
“Clothes!” Miss Claire called.
“In my backpack, Mother Claire!” May responded.
“Packed in the suitcase!” I said.
“Also in my backpack, Mother Claire!” Aleah chirped.
“Swimsuits! Sunblock!” Miss Claire said. We all responded in the affirmative.
“All food is in the cooler,” I said, anticipating the next item on Miss Claire’s list. She gave me a look. “Including the s’more making supplies!”
“Hm,” Miss Claire mused. “I’m not sure I heard that properly. Including the s’more making supplies…?” She gave me a devious grin.
“Ma’am!” I straightened up and gave Claire a little salute. The twins snickered as I fumbled a bit over the word.
Miss Claire’s lips curled into a self-satisfied smile as she nodded approvingly. “Girls, take this list and double-check all of your things. Then, bring it to the car so Mother Rae and I can check the trunk, too.”
“Yes, Mother Claire!” May and Aleah took the list and ran off.
“So, that ma’am…” I purred, putting my arm around my beloved.
“What about it?” Miss Claire wrapped her arms around my neck, looking at me with innocent eyes. Her words dripped out like the sweetest honey. It took every inch of willpower I had not to ruin her right then and there. Miss Claire clearly noticed. “What is it Rae? Use your words.”
“You’re not playing fair…” I said, returning her errant grin.
“Hm,” Miss Claire mused, her face now mere centimeters from my own. “I suppose you’re right. Perhaps I should reward you for helping us get ready on time…”
I drew closer, attempting to close the gap between our lips. Yet my attempts were in vain as Miss Claire pulled away, meeting my lips with her index finger. “But when have I ever played fair with you?”
She smiled and winked at me as she grabbed her coffee off of the counter and headed toward the front door. All I was left with was an uncomfortable heat in my core and a slack-jawed look on my face. I took a deep breath. One, two, three, five, seven…
I’ll get her back for this, I swear it.
---
“Are we there yet?” The twins chanted in unison. We had been in the car for a few hours now, on our way to a campground in Euclid. It was far enough from home to feel exotic, but close enough to my folks and civilization that we had options in case something went wrong. Plus, it had public restrooms, which was a must for Miss Claire.
“Almost, kiddos,” I assured them.
As we crested the hill, we were greeted by Euclid’s sparkling coastline. The clear sky allowed the sun to dance on the water’s surface; a view that was gorgeous to take in on its own, but hazardous when you’re driving a vehicle. I put my visor down, trying to keep myself from going utterly blind. The girls and Miss Claire had no such problem, gawking at the view and chattering amongst themselves. The excitement in their voices was infectious. How did I get so lucky?
We drove off the paved roadway path onto a small dirt road that led us sharply uphill. The car wobbled and squeaked as the suspension did its best on the uneven terrain. We bought this car used to prepare for the twins' arrival and its age definitely showed. Nevertheless, the old girl reliably got us to where we needed to be: Campground B25.
We drove up to the lot and parked, each of us piling out of the car in a hurry. The lot was spacious with good tree cover and a picnic table. We all took a moment to stretch and take stock of the space we had reserved, looking for things like sharp rocks in the ground and how close the site was to the bathrooms. May and Aleah cleared the rocks while Miss Claire and I unloaded some essentials from the SUV. Then, we got to work.
Now, this wasn’t our first rodeo. The Taylor-Francois family had a system and everyone played a part in making sure camp got set up right. After May and Aleah cleared the rocks, they set up the tent’s footprint and hammered the stakes into place. Miss Claire and I threaded the tent poles through the loops of the tent, bending them in place while the twins snapped them into place. Then, I unloaded our portable kitchen while Miss Claire set up the air mattress and sleeping bags in our temporary home. May helped me put away the bowls and plates, while Aleah helped Miss Claire make everything cozy.
As Miss Claire and I finished setting up the final few things at the campsite, we sent the kids off with $15 to get the firewood we would need for the next few days. Somehow the twins had convinced themselves that obtaining the firewood was the most important part of setting up camp, so they took great pride in obtaining it for us. It was just the most adorable thing.
“I always worry when they run off like that…” Miss Claire muttered, taking a moment to sit down in her chair.
“The ranger’s cabin is right there,” I said, motioning to a small building about a hundred meters in the distance. “It’s not like they’re going where we can’t see them.”
“Mm… fair.” Miss Claire closed her eyes and gently rocked back and forth in her seat. We sprung for the fancy camping chairs with spring loaded rocking mechanisms. Not the most financially responsible purchase, but it made Miss Claire happy. And if Miss Claire was happy, I was happy.
A few minutes later, the twins came bounding back to our campsite with several bundles of firewood in hand. They attempted to stack them near the fire pit, but the structure they had built fell apart as quickly as a Jenga tower made of sugar. Not that it mattered much.
“Is it time now?” Aleah begging, looking at Miss Claire and myself with longing eyes.
“Yeah, is it time?” May added in, matching her sister’s pleading expression. I sighed and rolled my eyes, looking over to Miss Claire. She looked back at me and then at the twins, smiling softly.
“Yes, I suppose it is,” Miss Claire said.
“YES!!!” The twins cheered, rushing to grab their backpacks from the car. “BEACH DAY, BEACH DAY, BEACH DAY!!!”
I laughed, grabbing my and Miss Claire’s swimsuits from the suitcase in our trunk. There was a beach just a short walk away from our campsite. Visiting it was always the first thing the twins wanted to do, no matter what else might be going on at the time. Their excitement was infectious, and their smiles made me want to smile too.
Those wonderful smiles were a relatively new occurrence in the grand scheme of things; something that had only started happening about two years ago. When we first adopted them, the twins were scared. They hardly smiled at all. They had gone through so much; more than any child should ever have to. Then, two people they didn’t know suddenly appeared and took them to a brand new place.
Even though they had food and toys and soft beds to sleep in, it was a lot for them to take in. They were wary of us for quite some time.
That first camping trip though; that was the turning point. When I first suggested it, Miss Claire shut the idea down entirely. We had been camping before, that wasn’t the issue, but the girls had never had that experience. Not knowing what to expect would just scare them, Miss Claire reasoned. But I held my ground and we soon found ourselves packing our bags.
As we drove, all Aleah did was complain. May joined in, but her complaints were never quite genuine. I could tell she was warming up to us far faster than her sister. Then, they saw it. As we crested the hill on our way to the campground, they saw that sparkling ocean view. I remember Aleah getting really quiet while May stared ahead her with mouth wide open. Apparently, neither of them had ever seen the ocean before.
That first beach day, when the girls felt the sand between their toes and took in the sight of the ocean for the first time, I saw something change in them. It was the first day I saw them smile. True, genuine smiles that tattooed themselves straight onto my heart.
“Rae?” Claire said, waving her hand in front of my face. “Earth to Rae…”
I blinked furiously as my wife’s sweet voice beckoned me back to the present. I had gotten lost in my thoughts again. I grabbed Miss Claire’s hand and kissed the back of it.
“I’m here, my dear.”
A light blush spread across Miss Claire’s face and she waved me off. “Honestly…”
The twins ran up to us, their arms carrying every beach day accessory they could fit in them. Plastic buckets, sand shovels, blankets; you could barely tell there were kids under all of it. Looking them over, I could see May had put her shoes on wrong and Aleah had forgotten her shoes all together. I looked at Miss Claire, who simply started giggling.
“What’s so funny, Mother Claire?” May said, poking her head out from behind the wall of things she had accumulated.
“You are, silly,” Miss Claire said, relieving May of her hoard. “Just look at your shoes!”
May looked down and wiggled her feet inside her water shoes. “Oh!” she said, finally noticing what was wrong. “I thought they felt weird.”
Claire continued to giggle as she helped our daughter correct her mistake. Meanwhile, Aleah was still standing there, eager to get going.
“Aleah…” I said. “Are you sure you have everything you need for the beach?”
Aleah opened her arms and let the things she was carrying fall where they may. She pointed at each one and said its name out loud, keeping track of it all on her fingers. Whenever she concentrated, she tended to furrow her brow not unlike Miss Claire. It was so cute I could die.
“Floaties, towel for drying off, towel for laying on, sand shovel… yeah Mother Rae I think I have everything.”
I snorted. “Look down, ya dingus.”
Aleah looked at the ground and saw her bare feet staring back at her. Her eyes went wide as she finally realized her mistake. “Shoes!” she yelled, looking at me. Before I could even get a word in, she was darting back toward the car.
Miss Claire and I took this opportunity to make sure everything was organized and in its proper container. She had created a system for keeping track of all the girls' beach toys and accessories. Much tidier than their way of going about it.
Finally, after a short walk, we made it. I found us a nice clear spot and kicked off my shoes, allowing the warm sand to fill the spaces between my toes. “Mmm,” I said, basking in the small wonder.
May stood next to me and followed suit. “Mmm,” she hummed. I could hear Miss Claire giggling as her and Aleah began setting up the beach chairs behind us. What can I say? Like mother, like daughter.
“Mother Rae!” Aleah said. “Let’s build a sandcastle!”
“Yeah!” May shouted in agreement. “The biggest sandcastle you’ve ever seen!”
“The biggest one, eh?” I said, kneeling down to be at eye level with the girls. “That sounds pretty hard…”
“Nothing’s too hard for me!” Aleah proudly proclaimed, holding her sand shovel aloft. May looked at her for a brief second before holding her shovel up as well.
“Me neither!” The short-haired twin agreed.
They ran off to get started as I let out a long sigh, sitting myself on the edge of Miss Claire’s beach chair. I took a moment to stretch, reaching my hands out to the sky.
“They certainly have a lot of energy today…” Miss Claire said, looking up from the book she had begun reading. “Need a break?”
I placed my hand on her leg and rubbed her smooth skin with my thumb. “I think I got it for now. Enjoy your book.”
“Are you SURE?” I met my wife’s gaze, which was both stern, yet concerned. I knew she wanted to keep me from overexerting myself.
“I got this,” I smiled. Miss Claire rolled her eyes and returned to her book.
“Alright,” she said. “Just remember you’re also in charge of dinner tonight.”
I pulled her book down to give her a quick kiss. She smiled contentedly.
“Mother Raaaae!” Aleah shouted from the shoreline. “Hurry up!”
“Better get going,” Miss Claire said.
---
I fell into my beach chair with an unceremonious thump. The twins had thoroughly exhausted me. After we built our beautiful sandcastle, they decided they wanted to play in the water. This, of course, really meant they wanted me to throw them into the water over and over again. I’d pick one up, twirl them into the sea, then the other would want their turn.
This went on for thirty minutes straight.
Miss Claire looked out at the girls still playing in the surf, then turned her doting gaze onto me. “My turn,” she said, closing her book and rising from her chair.
I turned onto my back and watched as she made her way over to where the twins were playing. Aleah had found two decently-sized sticks in the sand, which she immediately started using as a sword. May took up the other stick but, try as she might, couldn’t best her sister in sword fighting. Before long, May was sitting in the sand with tears in her eyes.
Just then, Miss Claire swooped in and picked May up, hoisting the girl securely onto her back. She picked up the makeshift sword and dramatically challenged Aleah, looking back at May for instructions. May smiled and pointed toward Aleah, signaling for Miss Claire to attack. Miss Claire was significantly more well-versed in fencing than May, and as such proved to be a much more worthy opponent to our daughter.
The two went back and forth for some time, which was pretty impressive given Miss Claire was encumbered with May. Then again, Miss Claire had always been able to do amazing things. I suppose “sword fighting with a kid on your back” is just another thing to add to the list.
I watched with a huge grin on my face as they continued, piling on the drama. I heard May shout “Don’t give up, my knight! We can’t let the Demon Queen win!”. For a moment, I felt an odd sense of deja vu. Weird.
Finally, with a particularly powerful thrust, Miss Claire managed to hit Aleah square in the chest, knocking her down. She really didn’t go easy on her. Aleah shook her head before getting back up to her feet, high-fiving Miss Claire and cheering with May. I could see Miss Claire say something, causing the twins to rush back toward our little spot. The sun was high in the sky.
Must be lunch time.
“Mother Rae!” May came crashing into me, hopping up on my lap without so much as a second thought. “Did you see? Mother Claire got Aleah so good!”
Aleah scoffed as she climbed into Miss Claire’s empty seat. “Yeah but I was close! Someday I’m going to be the best sword fighter ever, just you wait!”
“You really are improving,” Miss Claire said, snuggling up next to Aleah. “Those fencing lessons are paying off!”
Aleah squirmed with joy as she enveloped Miss Claire in a hug. I snuggled May for a moment as well, before finally pushing her off of me so I could grab our picnic set. May helped me set out all of the sandwiches, fruit, and cheese we had packed, as well as the cups, plates, and utensils. We talked and ate together for a bit, enjoying each other’s company to the fullest. As we neared the end of our meal, I nudged May ever so slightly.
“May, didn’t you say you had a surprise for Aleah and Mother Claire?”
May shot up. “Oh, right! Can I show them now, Mother Rae?”
I nodded. “Yeah, now is perfect.”
May ran over to the picnic basket and threw open the top. She searched around for a moment before revealing a tray with four beautifully decorated cupcakes. Each had a different color of frosting swirled neatly on top, with a small sugar disk in the middle. Each disk had a letter: R, C, M, and A.
“Okay,” May said, setting the cupcakes down. “So the blue one is for Mother Rae. It’s just regular vanilla, but I tried something new with the frosting. The red one is for Mother Claire… that one is chocolate, but I put strawberry jam on the inside. Aleah, yours is the green one. It’s also chocolate, but it has raspberry filling instead. Oh, and the pink one is mine. It’s just like Mother Rae’s.”
May handed out each cupcake to its recipient, before bashfully sitting back in her seat. “I um… I hope you like them.”
Miss Claire marveled at her cupcake, taking a long pause just to examine it in her hands. She looked at the cupcake, then at me, then at May. “May, sweetheart, you made these?”
May nodded slowly. “M-Mother Rae helped…”
Aleah also took a moment to admire hers. “These look amazing, May,” she said. She set her cupcake down and ran to hug her sister, nearly causing May’s cupcake to fall right out of her hands. “You’re so cool!”
Aleah returned to her cupcake and we all took our first bite together. The cake melted in my mouth, causing me to squeak in surprise. The frosting was sweet too, but not overbearing. The sugar danced playfully on my tongue, a sensation I tried to savor as much as I could. There was a floral hint as well, but I couldn’t quite place it.
“Is there rose in the frosting?” I asked between bites. Honestly, it wasn’t strong enough to pinpoint, but rose was my best guess.
May nodded, but looked a bit disappointed. “Yeah, that was the new thing I tried. You can’t really taste it, though.”
I put my arm around my daughter and hugged her close. “The fact that you even tried is fantastic. Florals are hard to get right.”
“They make it look so easy on Bake Off…” May mumbled, staring intensely at her cupcake. She slowly licked more frosting off her cupcake, hemming and hawing as she let it sit on her tongue. “I put in the amount the recipe said… maybe it’s the concentration…”
I felt my chest puff up with pride as I listened to May think back and analyze her baking. We had started cooking together about six months ago, and already she had gained enough confidence to try new things and experiment with recipes all on her own. She vowed to try the rose frosting again, with a different brand of extract. I nearly teared up.
“I’m so, so proud of you, sweetheart,” I said.
“There’s nothing to be proud of yet,” May said, gathering our used dishes. “But I’m going to keep trying!”
The twins helped us clean up, then ran back into the surf. They splashed and played, argued and made up, and went on fantastical adventures of their own making. Miss Claire and I just sat back and watched, content to rest up for our next adventure.
“Think they’ll tire themselves out enough to sleep through the night?” I mused, letting the sunlight seep into my skin.
“I sure hope so,” Miss Claire responded. I took her hand in mine and let out a contented sigh.
“Miss Claire?”
“Yes, Rae?”
“I’m so glad to be your wife.”
Miss Claire’s face turned the color of a tomato. “I’m quite partial to being your wife as well, my love.”