Hidden Burdens (working title)

Chapter Five

"Yeah, Mary," Miguel told his sister, who also still slept with a night light, along with a CD that played soft lyric-less music.

"Hush, you," Mary playfully scolded, receiving a tongue aimed at her. So, she pushed on his head to knock it away, playfully.

Miguel got up onto his legs and tackled her, knocking her back in a headlock.

"Okay, you two. Settle down," Kayla told the siblings before turning back to Claudia. "Is that all okay?"

She shrugged it off as if it wasn't a big deal. "I already said yes."

"I'm just making sure. A lot of teenagers your age are usually fighting to have their own room."

"Like my cousin when she was a kid," Ben said, holding his arms folded across his chest.

"Well, I'm not your cousin," she pointed out with a quick shrug, with a slight attitude this time. Neither he nor Kayla called her out on the attitude, letting it slide for now.

"That is true, yes," he agreed with her. "But if things don't work out, we may have to make some room changes if we go through with this arrangement. Is everyone clear on that?" Ben looked around at the kids, who each responded differently. "Alrighty then. Class dismissed."

Miguel stood up on the couch to step over to the nearby ottoman, where Kayla was sitting in the matching armchair. "Since you're home, does that mean we can read a chapter tonight?"

She reached out to boop him on the nose with her finger, causing him to giggle. "You bet, bud. But, first," Kayla turned back to Claudia as she was getting up to head upstairs to her room. "Claudia, I wanted to talk to you before the end of the night."

"Sure," Claudia said with a casual shrug before turning back to head upstairs.

-- & --

While the kids got ready for bed, Kayla warmed up the plate Ben had set aside for her. Ben helped Miguel with his bath. Mostly, he oversaw the events since Miguel showed him he could now dress himself. He at least helped with wherever Miguel couldn't reach, like his back. 

When Miguel was ready for bed, including teeth brushed and face washed, Kayla had come up to read the next chapter with him.

Since Kayla was planning on talking with Claudia once she was done reading to Miguel, Ben headed back downstairs to the family room to turn on a football game, which Samson came into the room. Ben repeatedly rubbed the dog's head in his hands while paying attention to the game and threw his favorite chewed up toy for him for a while.

Mary eventually returned, changed into pajama pants and a lime green tank top. "Can I watch with you?" she asked, leaning on the back of the couch.

Ben leaned his head back against the couch to look up at her. "Is your project all done for tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

Ben asked to see it, which Mary hurried into the front living room to fetch the now decorated posterboard. She brought it back to show him and gave a brief presentation of what it's for, to practice on him. He praised her for a job well done and gave the okay to give back her screen time.

Mary hurried to go put her project away and came back to sit with him, asking questions about what was going on while laying close by. They watched for the last hour of the game when it was close to bedtime.

Ben made sure both the front door and back sliding glass door were locked and followed Mary upstairs. The two of them parted ways for the night in the hallway, which he gave her a kiss on the head and went to his room to get changed and wait up for Kayla, who was talking to Claudia. In the meantime, Ben sat up in bed, reading from the book of Mathew, chapter eleven, in his study bible.