The meal was nothing but joy, laughter could be heard escaping from the house.
The children had told stories or what they did during their days, Hopper had made jokes and they were now at the end of the movie. Joyce was watching the end credits as Hopper got up.
"Thank you for the evening", he said with a smile.
Joyce was about to answer him when a little snore could be heard behind her.
Jonathan went to bed and wished everyone a good night, but there was no answer from the two of them asleep in the corner of the couch. Hopper leaned over El to try to wake her, but Joyce stopped him before he could do anything.
"No! Don't wake her up, not for the moment", she whispered to him.
Hopper stood up to face her. He realized that he too was feeling tired when he noticed that his eyelids were starting to sting. He lowered his head to look Joyce in the eyes.
"We have to go home, Joyce." He said, trying to hide the smile that was forming in the corner of his lips.
"But look at her", she said, pointing her with her chin. "She looks so... peaceful."
It was true, she was. Hopper watched a lock of hair that had fallen onto her lips rising and falling back again with each exhalation. He remembered then that she hadn't always had this haircut, a moment ago she had it even shaved very short and as if she was reading in his mind, Joyce said to him :
"They've grown, haven't they?"
Hopper sighed in response before leaning over to carry her. Yes, they had grown, they had put on weight at the same time.
"You'll warn me so that I don't miss the burial of your back please", she said, laughing.
"Hmm."
He managed to reach the door when Joyce ran to open it for him.
The sheriff thanked her again and walked out.
"Hop?" She called him once he got to the side of his car. He turned around somehow. "Thanks for the evening, we could do it again!"
Then she smiled at him before she waved her hand and closed the door.
Hopper placed El in the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt, managing not to wake her up.
But the car's engine was not so lucky. His daughter raised her eyelids and rubbed her eyes with her hand.
"Are we going home?" She asked in a quiet voice.
"Yeah, it's late. Did you have a nice evening?"
"Yes..."
She shook her head and went back to sleep shortly afterwards.
—♡—♡—♡—♡—♡—
It was a Saturday afternoon, as hot as the days before.
Joyce was getting ready in the bathroom, choosing a t-shirt and jeans that didn't stick to her skin very much otherwise she could really melt this time, especially if there was no air-con in the stores.
She combed her hair and ran a hand on her forehead, seeing a few little beads of sweat at the end of her bangs.
She decided that her hair was going to be annoying and so braided it and came out when she was ready.
Joyce went into the kitchen and looked over her son's shoulder as he was drawing. She loved to see what he was doing : in the beginning, a simple sketch that would be in the end a masterpiece on her point of view. The evolution of his drawings simply fascinated her.
"Are you okay sweetie? Not too hot?"
Will nodded his head to answer her, he was far too focused on the tip of his pencil lead.
Joyce took a glass out of the cupboard and filled it with water. She was hot at the thought of having to move, but now she was going to have to come out, so it was much worse. She was going to have to get into her car and if she was lucky the seat wouldn't burn her skin, only she doubted she'd get that much luck with the seat belt, which was moreover black.
She had very little desire to go after all, walking around a shopping mall in this heat was sheer madness.
Someone knocked three times on the already open front door and Joyce got out of her thoughts as she left the kitchen.
She kissed El's forehead and smiled at Hopper.
"Should I pick her up tonight around 8:00?"
"Yes, and you'll stay for dinner", she nodded, being prepared in advance for Hopper's reply.
"Joyce... we're not going to bo-"
"You're not bothering us. I highlight that you didn't come yesterday", she said, pointing at him.
Hopper opened his eyes, surprised by the authoritative tone she had just taken.
"I-it's because we were coming today."
"From now on, I suggest you come every Friday evening for dinner and a movie, okay?"
"I..."
"Please, Dad." El implored with her little eyes, which she knew would make him give up.
"All right, all right..." He said with a sigh as he walked back to his police car.
Joyce hadn't noticed until then, but he wasn't in his work clothes, he was wearing a black and red shirt with his sleeves rolled up and jeans... It suited him... well.
"See you tonight", he said, slamming his car door.
—♡—♡—♡—♡—♡—
"Do you think it will look good on me?"
"I don't see why it wouldn't suit you. Why don't you try it on and we'll see."
"All right, I'll try it on."
El took the white and red shirt in her arms and followed Joyce who continued to walk slowly through the aisles.
"Wouldn't you like some ice cream after we're done with this store?"
"I would. I think it would be good for us because it's really hot in there."
"Tell me about it..."
"Dad asked me to tell you he'll pay you back tonight."
"Oh no honey, he won't. It's my pleasure to buy you these clothes."
"He also said that you were going to say something like that and that's why he told me to tell you, because he didn't want to argue with you... because he loves you too much", she said looking at her reaction out of the corner of her eye.
Joyce ran into a plastic mannequin on her left.
El caught it just before it fell to the ground and broke, luckily no one was near them at that time.
"Thank you I... uh... He-he said that?" Joyce asked in a way she hoped was disinterested.
"What?"
"That he didn't want to argue with me because he... loves me too much?"
"Oh no, that's me. He just said he didn't want to argue with you."
Joyce found an empty dressing room and put some of El's clothes in it.
"And, uh... why do you say that then?"
She saw the teenage girl's little smile appearing in the corner of her mouth as she turned her back to enter the dressing room.
"What do you think?" El said, laughing, and then pulled the curtain to be alone in the room.
Joyce turned around to make sure no one would come in, pouting and crossing her arms... she didn't really understand why she was so interested in having an answer to this question, but she wanted it.
"I... well, I don't know..."
El opened the curtain by making large gestures with her hands to point to her new top.
"It's because I know you like each other. In fact, everyone knows it. Except the two of you. Isn't that shirt a little small?"
Joyce took the opportunity to change the subject.
"I don't know, put your arms up and let’s see."
—♡—♡—♡—♡—♡—
"We'd better finish our ice cream before we go home, I don't want to stain the inside of the car."
"All right, thanks. It's so good!"
"You're welcome. I think we deserved it."
They were walking around looking at store fronts, ice cream in hand, when Joyce stopped to look at a necklace.
It was a small silver heart, in the middle there was a tiny black stone that glowed when the sun's rays touched it.
"It is... "
"...pretty", El completed.
"Yes."
"Why don't you buy it if you find it beautiful?"
"It doesn't work this way... on top of that it's a little expensive."
"I'm sure everything I’ve bought today is more expensive."
She lifted her two bags with one hand to prove her point.
"I... let's go, it's getting late."
"All right", El raised her head to look at the name of the store, looking for the reason of Joyce's refusal at the same time.
But the truth was that she wanted to save money because now, thanks to her raise, she could afford it. She wanted to give their house a rejuvenation. Fixing the leaky bathroom faucet is her priority. But repainting, for example, would also be a good idea...
El licked her fingertips where her ice cream had dripped. Then she threw her paper napkin in the garbage and kissed Joyce on the cheek.
"Thank you so much for today. It was great to spend it with you."
"You're welcome. It was a pleasure for me to spend it with you too. And don't worry, everything you bought your Mike will for sure like it. That was the goal, wasn't it?" she asked, winking at her.
"I... Yeah. But how did you know?"
"What do you think?" She said, slamming the door, ready to start her car on their way home.