The Next Morning.
Sunlight spilled through Marilyn's window, painting faint patterns across the wooden floor now warmed by the morning glow. From the yard came the soft scraping of a broom, mixing with the smell of potato soup drifting in from the kitchen. Marilyn slowly opened her eyes, pushed herself upright, and sat at the edge of the bed, running her fingers through her messy hair.
"Ahahaha~ Mama, look at this!" Caius's laughter carried up from downstairs—probably because he'd managed to balance bread on his head again.
Marilyn got to her feet, stretching both arms wide and letting out a long breath.
"Ugh! Time to get ready for work." She exhaled sharply, her gaze sliding toward the closed window to her right.
Moving lazily, she walked over and unlocked the latch at the bottom, pushing it open.
Down in the yard, a man in his forties—Charles William—was sweeping leaves off the front yard of their house on the edge of town. Hearing the window creak, he looked up and spotted his daughter.
"Ooh~ Marilyn, good morning. How'd you sleep, kiddo?" Charles paused his sweeping to talk to her.
Marilyn, her hair still all over the place, gave him a soft smile. Her voice was groggy, still heavy with sleep.
"Morning, Dad. I slept well. What about you and Mom yesterday? Did you guys stay up late?"
"Ahaha~ nah, your mom and I turned in pretty early—maybe around eleven or twelve. What about you and Caius? What time did you get back?" He pressed leaves into the dustpan with his broom.
At that, Marilyn scratched her temple nervously with one finger. "Last night? Uhh… about one, maybe half-past twelve. We had a few… extra things to take care of, eheh."
Charles narrowed his eyes, clearly suspicious, but let it slide. Probably work stuff, he figured. "Huh~ fine. Go on and join your brother and your mom, they've already made potato soup and fresh bread."
"Eh!? For real, Dad?" Marilyn instantly perked up, eyes sparkling as she gripped the window frame tightly.
"Yup. Caius's been in the kitchen since five this morning, peeling all the potatoes your mom bought at the market." Charles headed for the trash bin by the gate, dumping the leaves inside.
Grinning wide, Marilyn tilted her head up toward the bright sky. "Since five, huh? Big bro always wakes up early to help Mom, even though his shift doesn't start 'til eleven. If it were me, I'd just keep sleeping."
She glanced back down at her dad. "Alright then, I'm heading down for breakfast. You hurry and join us too, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, go on." Charles waved her off, still busy sweeping fallen maple leaves.
Marilyn turned, grabbed a hairbrush off the vanity, and started brushing out the tangles in her hair. Then she pulled open a drawer, took out a hair tie, and tied her hair back neatly. Once done, she set the brush down and walked to the door. She opened it and stepped out, leaving the messy bed and fallen blanket behind without a second thought.
She made her way through the hallway lit by gas lamps, then down the stairs to the first floor and into the kitchen. The rich aroma of her mom's potato soup filled the air all the way to the living room, making her hum softly to herself.
Her mother, Elena William, heard the humming and smiled. She glanced toward the striped blue curtain covering the kitchen doorway, and there was Marilyn, grinning wide as she stepped inside.
"Morning, Mom, big bro! Mmm, the soup smells sooo good, ahaha!"
"Morning, Marilyn. Did you sleep well, my daughter?" Elena asked warmly.
Still smiling, Marilyn walked over, kissed her mother's cheek from behind, then strolled toward Caius—snatching the bread off his head. "Morning, Mom. I slept great, thanks for asking, eheh."
Caius spun toward her with an annoyed look, huffing. "Oi! That's my bread, give it back!"
Marilyn giggled, raised the bread in front of his face, and took a bite. She chewed dramatically, making Caius's frustration spike even higher.
Elena sighed, glancing at Marilyn—this wasn't new. Ever since they were kids, Marilyn loved messing with her brother first thing in the morning. "Alright, that's enough, you two. Stop bickering."
She grabbed another piece of bread from the basket at the center of the table and plopped it on Caius's head, calming him down as he got busy balancing it again.
Just then, Charles came in from outside, brushing dust off his hands and smiling faintly. "You two… stop fighting at the table. I could hear you all the way from the yard, geez."
"Ehehe, sorry, Dad." Marilyn gave a soft smile and quickly pulled out a chair for him.
Charles took the chair she offered, sitting down just as Elena set four bowls of steaming potato soup on the table.
"Marilyn, Caius. Sit down now, let's eat." She wiped her hands with a cloth and untied her apron.
"Yes, Mom!" Marilyn answered with full energy.
"Okaaaay!" Caius hopped into the chair next to her.
Elena sat down beside Caius, stretched out her hands, and the others joined, forming their usual little prayer circle before meals.
They prayed for less than two minutes, then let go and reached for the bread in the middle.
But of course, Caius and Marilyn ended up fighting over the same piece of bread, testing Elena's patience. She grabbed a spoon and smacked both of them on the head.
THWACK! THWACK!
"Quit fighting and eat your soup!"
"Y-yes, Mom," Marilyn and Caius said in unison, rubbing their heads.
"You two are unbelievable…" Elena muttered.
Charles just chuckled at the scene—he'd seen this play out countless times. And so, the Williams sat down to eat together, sharing bread and laughter over the simple warmth of potato soup.