The Breakfast Table – Part 2
Ron’s absences had more of an effect on Asha than he realized.
“I’m fine, honey,” Sarah answered Seth, her eyes on Asha. “Why do you ask? Do I seem upset?”Sarah had always gone out of her way to act normal whenever she was around the kids during Ron’s deployments. She considered herself successful in this area. The volatile situation between Russia and the Ukraine involving her father and now this recent development with Ron may have become too noticeable to those around her.
“Nope!” Sarah was relieved…for a brief second.“But I had to go to the bathroom in the night, and I heard you yelling in your room,” Seth answered.
Sarah looked at Seth to answer, but was interrupted by his cry, “AOw! Why did you…?”
“What’s the matter?” Sarah asked alarmed.
“Asha kicked me!”
“No I didn’t. I was just nudging you with my foot.”
“You did it hard!”
“Not on purpose. It was an accident.”
“No it wasn’t!”
“Okay, guys, no more. Asha, tell him you’re sorry,” Ron said sternly.
“I’m sorry,” Asha snapped.
Mouth opened, Sarah looked at Asha with narrow eyes. It did not escape Asha.“I’m sorry I kicked you, Seth.”
“Why did you do it?” Seth continued.
“A very good question!” Sarah echoed.
Caleb watched the whole scenario go down without saying a word. The smirk on his face could rightfully be interpreted as one from a boy who was enjoying the entertainment.
“Because…” Asha began.
“No, not you,” Seth interrupted. “Mommy! Why did you yell last night?”
Asha plopped her head into her hands. “OMG! Really?”
“Asha! We don’t say that,” Sarah answered. Caught off guard the first time, Sarah was a bit more prepared to answer after addressing her daughter’s response. “Maybe I was dreaming or something, I don’t know.”
“Must have been a scary dream,” Seth concluded.
Ron set two glasses of milk down, one each in front of the boys. Then he placed a glass of orange juice in front of Asha. After scooping some eggs and fried potatoes onto their plates, he returned to sipping his coffee from a ceramic mug. The words, De Oppresso Liber, along with the Special Forces logo was engraved on it.
Just as Asha lifted her glass of juice to her lips, Seth’s impeccable timing of dropping some egg on the floor prompted him to whistle for the family’s golden lab to point out the spilled scraps on the floor. Farsi jumped up from where he was lying next to Asha and bumped her right arm, causing the liquid to splash across her chin, on her shirt and onto the floor.“FARSI! You stupid dog!”
Sarah let out an emphatic “Aaaahhhh.” Looking at Seth, she continued, “What did I tell you about feeding animals at the table?”
Seth responded, “That’s it, Mommy!”
“What? What’s it?”
“That’s how you yelled when you were dreaming. Maybe you dreamed that Asha spilled her juice.”
“What are you talking about?”
Seth tried to mimic her exasperated, “Aaaahhhh.”
Sarah exchanged a quick glance with Ron who turned towards the waffle iron behind him. “Here you go, buddy, you get to have the first waffle, fresh off the iron,” Ron managed, trying not to laugh as he plopped them on his plate in front of him.
“Hey, no fair!” Caleb protested, no longer amused.
“I can’t believe this,” Asha muttered, wiping up the mess.
