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“What’s Mother’s Day?
Vaggie held the small display basket, thankfully covered in plastic, upside down, trying to figure out what was so special about it. It was the same ones that Mama said were too expensive to get the one time that she had asked.
Odette had been looking at the flowers, a small display that was a rare sight in the Pride Ring: an entire bouquet of native Salvador flowers. Being born and spending the first twelve years before immigrating, she spoke of fondness of the flowers that she would pick during the warmer months.
The flowers, Bromeliads, Cashew Flowers, and Anemones, were in a small, simple, glass vase. Tied gently around it, a bright white lace came to tie into a bow. Underneath the price read, “$25”.
Seeing her oldest sister pick up the vase, she moved back over, tugging on her sleeve. “Odette, what is Mother’s Day?”
“It’s a day to celebrate Momma.”
Clara popped up from where she had been digging through a half price sale bin of cards. She held one in her hand, showing it to her two sisters. It was simple, a red heart that had a ribbon in the middle. Carefully, it was untied, allowing it to open and read in the middle, “You will Forever be My Always.”
“It’s not really celebrated here by Sinners,” Odette was adding, gently placing the flowers and vase into the shopping cart. “It’s more for the Hellborn. Clara, you, and I are the rare minority of Sinners. But, its supposed to honor and celebrate mothers. It’s also seen as a day of expressing love to any one that took care of you. It’s normal for Hellborns to be raised by their grandparents or their father’s.”
“Have you found something that you want to give, Momma?” Clara moved from where Vaggie had been holding a basket, seeing it was Lio and Sitch. “I don’t think, Momma would want a car-”
Odette roughly elbowed her younger sister. “Mom will love that, Vaggie.”
“Odette..”
Clara gestured to where the seven-year-old was placing the basket into the cart. Once hanging off the end, feet firmly planted on the lower shelf, they started to walk again.
“Momma isn’t gonna like it. Vaggie grabbed it beca-”
“Clara..” Odette lowered her voice. “Vaggie, the only positive thing she had seen besides Coco that had a mother figure is Stitch. She is trying to compare Mom and Nani against each other. Mom will understand.”
Clara crossed her arms and grumbled. “Still a stupid idea.”
Carmilla had known something was up with her three daughters as they had started working in the kitchen. She had heard the soft giggles of Vaggie as Odette’s gentle voice guided her through whatever they were doing. Soon, after an hour, once the paperwork was finished, Vaggie had dashed out, hair sticking up at odd angles and flour smudged on her cheeks.
“Mama! Mama!” Her seven-year-old mortal daughter grabbed her wrist, tugging hard. “Come with me. Odette and Clara have a surprise for you!”
Setting her paperwork to the side and standing up, the overlord quickly scooped her up and threw her in the air, earning a loud squeal of joy. Once she was giggling, Vaggie was placed on the woman’s hip, walking to where Odette and Clara were now peering out. They looked just as bad as their baby sister was.
Smiling softly, Carmilla pulled the door open, stepping into the dining room, finding the kitchen door closed. Barely after the dining room closed, she was greeted with three yells in unison.
“Happy Mother’s Day, Mama!”
“Happy Mother’s Day, Momma!”
“Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!”
It was only after Vaggie had been given a bath and tucked in that Carmilla had a free moment to celebrate her own way of Mother’s Day. Knowing that there was a wine from the Gluttony Ring, one hoarded away from several months prior, she entered the kitchen, and almost turned around upon the sight before her.
The sink was overflowing with dishes and several on the counter tops, dirtied and needing to be cleaned. Flour scattered everywhere, becoming sticky plasters where they met liquid. Hardened and cold food left abandoned on the stove.
Just knowing that her two oldest daughters had spent several hours just trying to get Vaggie to pay attention, Carmilla rolled her eyes fondly and went to grab a large glass and a bottle of wine, pausing only briefly to summon the twenty-four hour imp cleaning staff.
Giving them orders to deal with the mess, she settled in front of the tv to watch whatever was on, wrapped up in the too small Lio and Sitch blanket, glass vase and card on display over the tv, on the shelf, and glass of wine in hand.