#thomas tuck

The malicious sound of their laughter made Mae glare into their direction. With her hands on her hips, she yelled: “You lazy bunch of good-for-nothings should shut your traps!” For a moment it shut them up, but then the snickering started again and some of them mimicked her stance while whispering in high-pitched voices. Frustrated, she grabbed Angus’ sleeve and pulled him along to the house. “Let’s get you cleaned up. I can’t handle this much stupid at once, so I’ll come along.” From a distance she could hear her father lecturing the boys and she smiled in satisfaction, though she still hated it that they hadn’t taken her seriously.

A few days after that incident, she ran into Angus again. Well, it was hard to not run into someone if they were in the same class as you. There were around fifty children in their class, all from various ages. The teacher didn’t get a lot done with his enormous group of students, but Mae had learned how to read, write and count so she was pretty much satisfied.

He was seated on the corner of a bench on the last row and the other boys on the bench were trying to shove him off of it. Irritation was painted across his face, but he still said nothing to them. Stubbornly, he kept pushing them back. The whole scene was so damned stupid that Mae couldn’t help but comment on it.

“You know, if you all stop pushing and pulling, you could all sit comfortably on that bench. Hell, I could join you all and there still would be space enough.”

“Are you that desperate to join us sweetheart?” a boy named William leered. Unimpressed she gave him a onceover. “No, I have more class than that. I just saw you all being stupid and thought that it would be kind of me to help you all out.” Immediately after that sentence she turned around and took her usual seat in the front. The whole lesson long, the boys she heard the boys whisper but paid them no mind.

That afternoon, she found herself at the river just outside her town. Those boys had gotten tired of gossiping about her and had taken to tugging on her hair. It had been grating on her nerves, but she was far too proud to even spare them a glance. As she watched the river slowly lapping at the shore, she calmed down. People were and would always, be kind of stupid. Life was just trying to figure out how to deal with all the different kinds of stupid you met.

Behind her, she heard a branch snap and someone breathing a soft “Oh.” As she turned around, she recognized Angus. Her eyebrows shot up in confusion until she saw the fishing rod in his hand and remembered that he was the son of a fisher. He gave her an awkward wave and said: “I’ll leave if you want me to.”

She tilted her head in confusion. “Why would I want that? I don’t own this place.” He shrugged. “I feel like we’ve ran into each other an absurd amount of times this past week and I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. I swear I’m not following you around.”

“That’s considerate of you. Your presence doesn’t bother me, so feel free to…” she gestured at the river. “fish or something.” Nervously he nodded and picked at his shirt. “I’m not very good at doing things when people are watching me.”

“Well then”, Mae said and a smile tugged on her lips,“ I suppose that you’ll have to get used to my presence then. Let’s be friends.” She mimicked tipping a non-existent hat. “Mae Miller, pleasure to meet you.” He curtsied clumsily and she laughed. “Angus Tuck at your service.”

-

Over the years, Angus and Mae became regular appearances at each other’s houses. Angus had become quite skilled at feeding chickens by then and James, Angus’ father, had dubbed Mae an expert fisherwoman. Seventeen year old Angus had also grown out of his gangly awkwardness and had become, as Mae’s mother put it, a most handsome and capable young man. Mae had snorted at that comment and Angus had kicked her underneath the table.

Angus’ mother had called Mae a gentle and most beautiful lady. Angus had laughed out loud at that and she had chased him around his house with a fishing rod. Just as she thought she had cornered him, he opened the door and escaped. She could have given up at that moment, but stubborn as she was, she let out a war cry and followed her friend.

At the river, they collapsed underneath a tree. As she laid her head on his shoulder, she gave him a half-assed tap on the head with the fishing rod. “You deserve that. For being mean.”

She got a snort in return. “Excuse you. You also made fun of me when your mom complimented me.” With a smile dancing around her lips, she squished his cheeks. “It’s not that I don’t agree with my mother. You are a most handsome man, but it’s the ‘capable’ part that got me. I got instant flashbacks to our first meeting.”

Groaning, he laid his head upon hers. “Erase that from your memory please. Forget it ever happened.” As she answered him with a: “No way, that’s my best memory of you”, he got up and took the rod out of her hand. With fondness she watched as he wrote with it on the wet riverside. Angus loved to write poems on the wet sand and watch the water erase it forever. Mae held this knowledge close to her heart and wondered if he would ever tell her what he wrote down. She could never decipher his writing but hoped that maybe one day, he would tell her.

Suddenly, a smug smile broke through his pensive demeanour. “So you think I’m handsome huh?” For a moment she was confused as to what he was talking about. Then it hit her and she shrugged. “Duh, I have eyes.” She’s not going to stroke his ego by blushing and stuttering, though she felt like her heart was going to leap right out of her chest. “But I’m not the only one. If I have to listen to Catherine Davis talking about you one more time, I will fling myself into this river.”

The annoyance on her face made him laugh. “I suppose you don’t have the trouble of people talking like that about me.” He shrugged. “It’s not like I’ve got many friends beside you, Mae.”

“Even if you did, I doubt that they had anything nice to say about the redheaded goblin girl.” With a frown on his face, he sat down beside her and jostled their shoulders together. “Hey, hey. What’s that face for?” he asked as he gently poked her cheek. “I don’t know”, she said listlessly as she held a fiery red curl between her fingertips. “I just feel…less than the other girls. I feel as though I’m too annoying, as though my laugh is ugly and my hair too red. I feel as though being less visually appealing makes me less of a human being to other people.”

She let out a choked laugh. “Isn’t that funny?” she asked with tears brimming her eyes. “Mae Miller” he breathed and wrapped his arms around her. Immediately she buried her face in his chest and hoped that he wouldn’t notice that she was crying. But her shoulders jolted as she sobbed and he hugged her tighter. Being in his arms was warm and soothing and slowly she calmed down.

As she withdrew herself from his arms, she apologized. “Sorry. That was a bit overdramatic of me, I believe.” The sentence made him glower. “Like hell it was. You listen to me Mae Miller and listen well. First off, whoever made you feel this way can go to hell. Second off, sometimes you are annoying, but you annoy me in the best way possible. You’re fierce, stubborn and gentle at the same time and it’s amazing. Thirdly, your laugh isn’t ugly. You may sounds like a dying pig, but it’s cute I swear. And lastly, your are gorgeous.”

In the way he set his jaw, she knew that he was ready to argue about it for hours if needed. “I’ll accept that I’m awesome”, she said and Angus pumped his arm in victory. “But I stand by the fact that red is an ugly colour.” When she saw his raised eyebrow, she knew that he had taken the sentence as a challenge. “I’ll make you eat those words”, he promised her.

It was barely six in the morning and someone was tapping on her window. Confused and still sleepy, she got out of bed and walked towards her window. When she saw Angus’ face, she looked at the fishing rod on her wall. It had been a gift for her twelfth birthday. She hadn’t been friends with Angus that long at that point and he had been quite clueless about what to give her. Over the years the rod had become an object that she connected with fond memories. It would be a shame if she broke it while whacking Angus over the head with it, but it would also be a beautiful tribute to their friendship. The handing over of the fishing rod would become a full cycle as it got reunited with its first owner.

Sighing deeply, she opened the window. “What are you doing here? The sun isn’t even up yet.” He gave her a self-satisfied smirk. “Exactly. Now get some clothes on and come with me. I promise it’ll be worth it.” The protest died in her throat as she heard the excitement in his voice. “Give me twenty minutes”, she groaned.

Twenty minutes later, she and Angus were sitting on a hill, a blanket underneath them and a basket between them. “Angus, what are we doing here?” she asked and he shushed her. “Wait”, he told her and passed her some bread from the basket. As she slowly munched on the fresh loaf of bread, the sun started to rise.

A gentle red coloured the sky and Mae forgot to breathe for a moment. Soon other colours followed and various shades of red, orange and yellow danced across the sky. The chill morning air and the chirping of birds, combined with the taste and smell of fresh bread turned this sunrise magical in a way that Mae would never be able to describe. “Oh Angus”, she sighed. “This is stunning.” As he watched sunbeams highlight her freckles and morning light set her red hair ablaze, he breathed a quiet: “Yeah.”

-

Angus’ eighteenth birthday was coming up and Mae had a vague idea about what to get him. The only problem was that to get her gift, she had to leave town. To make the surprise bigger, she decided to not tell Angus that she would be gone for a few days.

When she returned, she had a hard time finding him. This was both confusing and worrisome at the same time, because she thought that knew Angus well enough to tell where he would be by now. What was even weirder to her, was the fact that Angus’ mother had refused to talk to her and had slammed the door as soon as she saw Mae.

There was one place she hadn’t checked yet and she felt kind of dumb when she found Angus there. Of course he would be at the river, scratching poems into the mud. She frowned when she saw the bitter expression on his face. “Hey Angus, what’s going on?” she yelled and when he turned to face her, she saw tears on his face. Within seconds, she had his face in her hands. “Who?” she asked furiously. “I thought you decided that I wasn’t worth the effort anymore”, he confessed. “I thought you left.” While swallowing her own tears down, she reassured that she wouldn’t, hell she couldn’t, would never be able to leave him. “Angus Tuck, you’re one of a kind. There’s no way you’ll ever get rid of me.” She pressed a packet into his hands. “I was actually getting this for you. Eighteen tomorrow huh?” With shaking hands he opened the present, unveiling a sketchbook and a set of pencils. “Now you can write your poems down, if you want to.” He stared at the present for a long time and Mae started to get worried. “Angus? You alright?” He threw his arms around her and spun her around enthusiastically. “Mae Miller, you’re amazing.”

-

“Mae, I need your help”, nineteen year old Angus said as he stormed into her house. She looked up from the table she had been setting and saw her friend wiping his undoubtedly sweaty hands on his trousers. “Hello Angus”, Mae’s mom chirped and gave her daughter an big wink. Mae stared at her mom in utter confusion before turning towards her friend. “Whose body do I need to bury?” she asked grinning and her mother bristled. Angus ignored Mae’s mother and blurted: “Teach me how to dance.”

For a moment she was confused, but then she remembered that within a week the spring festival would be held. “Angus you sly dog”, she grinned. “Are you planning on asking a girl to dance on the last night of the spring festival?” Asking someone to dance with you then, was like asking their hand in marriage. He nodded. “Yes. I’m planning on asking the best girl of all.” The words made something inside of Mae twist and churn, but she decided to ignore it. “Well then big boy, auntie Mae will make sure that you don’t stomp on her feet too often.”

“Angus, what are you doing?” “Dancing” he huffed in a frustrated manner. He was getting impatient but there was no way that Mae was allowing him to enter the dance floor with his current skills. She told him that he was dancing off beat and he grumbled that there was no beat to be off to. “Wait a minute”, she said and let go of his hands. When she returned, she had a music box in her hands. “Here’s your beat.”

Admittedly, it went way better with the gentle music playing in the background. “You’re doing rather well”, she told him and he grinned. “Should I try anything fancy? Maybe dip you or something?” “Absolutely not”, she laughed. Twirling through the living room with Angus’ arms around her felt pleasant. His body was warm against hers and she swore that she could feel his heartbeat. When their eyes met, she shivered and the grip he had on her tightened the tiniest bit. “I think you’ll do great”, she managed to say and pulled back. “Good luck with asking your girl.”

The evening of the dance Mae pestered Angus to go seek his girl. “Man up Angus Tuck and ask her!” He gave her a confident nod and strode away and came right back. “Angus, what are you?” Mae stared in confusion until he held his hand out. “May I have this dance?” For a moment she was completely and utterly speechless. Then she threw herself into his arms with a dazzling smile. “Yes Angus. I personally give you permission to ruin my toes again. I love you, you big doofus.” Before they got to the dancing part, they were already kissing.

-

There was something different about todays twenty year old Angus Tuck and Mae couldn’t put her finger on what exactly it was. He had been grinning and smiling all day and whenever she asked about it, he rebuffed it. Her and his parents seemed to be in on it as well and they wouldn’t give anything away either. It was frustrating to say the least.

Seeing her mother’s music box in Angus’ hands was what finally gave away what was about to happen. Her mother had told her how Mae’s grandmother had given it to her daughter’s future husband. The day of the ceremony itself, Mae’s father had given it to her mother. Now, Mae’s mother had given it to Angus and Mae couldn’t be happier.

It was late in the evening and Angus had taken her to the river. Out of his pocket he got the sketchbook she had given him for his eighteenth birthday. This was the first time he allowed her to read one of his poems and anticipation built in her chest as he started to speak.

“April’s kiss, our very first

May there be more to come

In true love I’ve been immersed

And each day, I’ll give you some

You knew it all along

So did I

It was plain to see

April, May, June, July

A Sunday when the chapel’s free

True love is in short supply

Darling Mae,

Marry me”

“Yes” she breathed and kissed her future husband deeply. “Gods yes.”

-

The news spread fast. Everywhere they went, be it alone or together, people wished them luck with their future marriage and although she got these wishes on a daily basis, she never got tired of them. People whom she had known all her life were congratulating her and it filled her with warmth. Girls who had been in her class stopped her on the street, smiling as they told her about their own wedding and older ladies and mothers told her all about the joys of motherhood. She welcomed every piece of advice about that topic with open arms.

Angus got winks and secretive smiles from the other villagers as well. He went a step further than she did and actively sought out older, married woman to ask them how to be a good husband and listened intently as grandmothers told him fondly about all the little things that made starting your own family so enjoyable.

“Last chance to run lad” an older man had said and Angus had shot him a confused look. “You’re getting tied down soon buddy, this is your last chance to run. Run, or its bye bye freedom and hello to your wife.”, he clarified and Angus had smiled wide. “Wife.” He repeated, letting the word roll around in his mouth before he repeated it louder with a beaming smile. “I’m getting married!” he yelled and ran towards her, picked her up and spun her around. “I’m getting married and you’ll be my wife. I will be your husband.” He was stating obvious facts, but the giddy and obviously elated way he did it, made Mae grin as well. “Indeed. Mae Tuck has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?” Angus didn’t stop smiling for the rest of that day.

It was a night in November when they tied the knot and Mae spent the day drunk on utter happiness. She remembered her mother braiding a blackberry bow into her hair, whispering about how her child was growing up. The tears were evident in her voice and Mae had forbidden her from crying with tears in her own eyes. “No crying on my wedding”, she choked out. Mother and daughter hugged before she walked down aisle.

The one who broke the no crying at the wedding rule first was not her mother, but her husband to be himself. As they met before the altar, she gently wiped away the tears on his cheeks. “If you start crying, I’m going to cry too. Stop that you doofus.” He gave her a watery smile. “I’m just so damn happy.” As tears streamed down her face, she chuckled. “Me too.”

They exchanged their vows and had to keep themselves from giggling while doing it. When she was fifteen she had told Angus that vows were stupid and he had agreed. She had it elegantly put it this way: “I don’t give a damn about what he promises me in front of a priest. It’s the everyday life that’ll make me appreciate my future husband, not his fancy words at an event that happens only once in our lives.”

“Mae Tuck”, he started and gave himself to smile about it. “Mae Tuck”, he repeated “You’ve grown on me. Or rather, you stubbornly attached yourself to me and never let go. I love and admire you and I don’t think anything will change that. I look forward to building a life and family together with you, I look forward to waking up next to you, I look forward to…you. And I always will.”

She opened with: “My dearest husband” and Angus gasped at that. God, she loved him. “I look forward to looking back.” The sentence seemed to confuse him, so she explained: “One day when I’m old and grey, I’ll be sitting in a rocking chair as our children and our grandchildren play in our garden. I’ll take your hand like this.” She gently his hand and squeezed it. “and reminiscence about everything we’ve done together. I can’t wait till that day, where I can’t tell my grandchildren about all the times you’ve made me happy in one afternoon, because there will be way too many.”

The two of them were so busy staring at each other that they barely heard the priest say: “You may now kiss the bride.” The kiss they shared was one they would cherish forever.

That night her father danced with her and told her this was one of the best moments of his life and Mae couldn’t agree more.

-

Roughly nine months later, Angus knocked on the Miller’s door in a state of panic. As Sarah, Mae’s mother, opened the door, he gasped: Mae’s giving birth. Please help.“ Within minutes a bunch of older women were helping his wife. They had tried to get him out of the room but he had refused. "Like hell I’ll leave her alone right now”, she heard him say and she giggled through the pain.

A long nine hours later, she was tired out of her mind and her both her husband and new-born were crying. Between his tears he managed to say: “Another milestone in our relationship.” He looked at her with shimmering eyes. “Let’s call him that.” She sat herself up and glared at her husband. “Angus, we’re not calling our son milestone.” He shook his head. “No not milestone, have a bit more faith in me. Miles. Let’s call our boy Miles.” That night she fell asleep with her little Miles tucked between her and her husband.

Miles definitely took more after her than after Angus. But he was way more himself than he was either of them. The stubbornness, that was all her and his studiousness was definitely from Angus’ side. But the things that made Miles unmistakably Miles were his blunt and sharp words. He was polite (they raised their boy right after all), but not interested in faking interest in people or topics he wasn’t interested in. He said exactly what was on his mind and it was both frustrating and endearing.

Five years later, they were blessed with another child. A few days before the child was born, Miles decided that he was going to hate ‘it’ with all his might. The then family of three had sat together and she and Angus had pried until they knew why Miles was so intent on hating his future sibling. “Lizzie says that parents make another child because they aren’t happy with the first.” Her son burst into tears after that and she placed him on her lap and hugged him close. “Oh honey, that’s not true at all. I love you dearly. Daddy and I just thought it would be swell for you to have someone to play with.”

“I already have Rose to play with”, he sulked, “and I’m five and babies are…not.”

Her husband kissed their son on the forehead. “That’s true Miles. But the baby will take a lot of attention and you can help if you want to. Also, never doubt that mommy and I love you. If you ever feel like we’re ignoring you or you want attention, just tug on one of our sleeves. We’re here for you Miles and we’ll always be.”

Miles hiccupped and nodded. “Okay then. I’ll judge it-” “them”, she corrected her son and he pulled a pouty face. “It”, he stubbornly continued. “When it’s born. Acceptable?” It wasn’t ideal, but at least he was willing to compromise. “Acceptable.”

Another baby boy joined the family, Angus cried again and Miles watched his little brother with distaste. “He’s…” Miles seemed to be considering his next words carefully. “Jucky”, he decided and her husband messed up his hair. “We have to wash him dummy.” Miles exited the room immediately with the sentence: “Good luck dad.”

Later that day, Miles climbed on her bed again and watched his brother with curious eyes. “He’s less jucky now”, he said and poked the baby’s cheek. At that moment, he opened his eyes and he and Miles stared at each other. Miles broke the silence. “He can’t do a lot, can he? He’s tiny, dumb and immobile. I’ll have to take very good care of him, don’t I?” Although he had insulted his brother, she heard the affection in his voice and silently, she was proud of him. “What’s his name?” Miles asked, still looking at his sibling. “Daddy and I thought that it would be nice if you chose a name for him.” Miles looked at her in surprise. “Really?” She nodded in confirmation and Miles pondered over it. “Jesse then. His name is Jesse.” The name rung a bell in the back of her mind, but she didn’t know exactly where she had heard the name before. “Jesse is a wonderful name, Miles. Thank you.”

A few days later, Mae left the house with Jesse in her arms. As she exited the door, she heard Rose, their neighbours’ five year old, yell: “Jesse, come here! Here, Jesse, here!” Totally confused she looked at her son in her arms and then she scanned the surroundings. When she laid eyes on Miles, Rose and Rose’s dog, everything fell into place. “MILES TUCK” she screamed. “TELL ME YOU DIDN’T NAME YOUR BROTHER AFTER YOUR NEIGHBOUR’S DOG!“ The guilty look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know.

Jesse and Miles couldn’t be any more different, but Mae Tuck loved her boys nonetheless. Jesse was a naïve kid with an ever-present smile on his face, ready to believe everything people tried to sell him. Miles was a natural scowling sceptic, but both boys shared a curious nature. The could bicker for hours but if both of them wanted to know or do something, they got it done in record time.

-

The year Miles and Jesse turned twenty-two and seventeen respectively, they left their little town in the west to settle in the east. Miles had been grumpy for the whole journey and Jesse wouldn’t stop pestering him. She suspected that Miles’ foul mood was because he had to leave Rose behind. The two had been steadily growing closer and she felt sorry for her oldest son, but their farm had gone up in flames and they had wanted to move eastward for years.

When they were the thirstiest they had been during the trip, they stumbled upon a spring. Before she could stop him, Jesse jumped straight into it. Miles had a little more reservation and kneeled down to drink. While he was drinking, Jesse pulled him into the spring as well and both boys started to fight like little children. Mae watched them with a fond smile and decided to drink as well. Next to her Angus sighed and joined his family as well. The worst this spring could probably do was get one of them sick for a week.

-

Barely a year later, Miles and Rose were reunited. It had been a lazy Monday evening when somebody had knocked on their door. “I’ll get it”, Miles had sighed and when he opened the door, Rose had kissed him smack dab on the lips. For the first time in her life, Mae saw her oldest completely speechless. Her husband snorted in amusement and told Miles: “Let the lady in, you fool. I raised you better than this.” Miles nodded dumbly and stuttering, he offered her a chair.

That evening Rose told them that her old town held no future for her, so she decided to leave. “That town didn’t have what I wanted, so I decided to look for my fortune somewhere else”, she said as she slyly eyed Miles, who turned an interesting shade of red. “That fortune being my brother’s-” “JESSE”

It came as a surprise to nobody when Miles and Rose showed up with matching rings and smiles. With tear-filled eyes she congratulated them and kissed her son and daughter on their cheeks.

The day of the marriage, she braided her own blackberry bow into Rose’s hair. The girl’s own mother didn’t approve of her daughter’s actions and had decided that she wanted to break ties with her daughter. “Rose darling, I want you to know that, even though I wasn’t the one who gave birth to you, you are my daughter and you will always be. You’re a Tuck now and Tuck ties are everlasting. The young woman kissed her cheek and whispered: "Thank you mom. I love you.”

When Thomas was born, Mae saw Angus in Miles more than ever. Just like her husband, her son cried as he held his new-born child and through his tears he smiled and vowed to do everything in his power to protect his child. Jesus Christ, she was a grandmother now.

Everything was perfect and Mae found herself wishing that this moment would last forever.

-

Miles was a loving, but strict parent. Every day he taught Thomas new things and the lessons always started at twelve o'clock sharp. Today, the bouncy seven year old had managed to escape out of his father’s clutches and ran away screaming, Miles hot on his trail. The two of them zoomed through the garden and Thomas yelled for Jesse’s help. Never one to say no to his nephew, Jesse ran past Thomas, gave him a quick high-five and ran straight towards his older brother. “You’re going down Miles!” he screeched as he tackled him to the ground. Thomas had also turned around and just like Jesse, he sat down on his father.

“Dad, we’ve got you! No more lessons for me!” the kid whooped and Miles groaned. “Oh no, I’ve been caught” Miles sighed and played dead. “Noooooo!!!!” Thomas squawked. “You can’t die daddy. Never!” From beneath his son and brother Miles wheezed: “That’s a bit hard kiddo. But I’ll promise you this: I will always be there for you.” Thomas looked at his father with the wide eyed look all children seemed to possess up to a certain age. “Promise?” he asked and Miles pushed Jesse of his body and snuggled his son close. “Promise buddy.”

Something unreadable crossed over Rose’s face, who had been watching the scene unfold as well. “Something wrong, honey?” Mae asked and Rose shook her head. “No, just thinking.” Mae watched her with curiosity. “Worrying that hard will give you wrinkles, love.” Rose looked at her husband and son and she seemed to make a decision in her head. “I was just thinking that I would do anything to keep Thomas safe.” Mae gave her an affectionate pat on the head. “You and Miles both, love. That’s just how parenting works.”

-

Everything seemed fine until Jesse fell from the tree in Miles’ backyard and as she caught the moment her youngest son’s body made contact with the ground with a sickening sound, she screamed. Within seconds, she was seated beside him and as she lifted his upper body from the ground, his head lolled back lifelessly. With shaking fingers, Miles reached out towards Jesse. “Mom?” his voice sounded so small and instantly she was reminded of him and Jesse playing as children in their old yard. “Mom is he…” Miles couldn’t get the word ‘dead’ over his lips. Rose, who hadn’t seen what happened came closer. “What is going-oh my god.” She softly tucked a few strands of bloodstained blond hair behind his ear. “Jesse”, she breathed and Mae could hear the pain and sadness Rose felt as she looked at her younger brother’s body. Mae herself felt numb. There was no way that Jesse, her youngest, was gone already right?

With a cough, Jesse shot up. “Fuck!” he yelped. “That hurt!” While he was busy spitting out blood, the realisation that he had survived falling from a great height while landing on his head. The same disbelief was painted over Miles’ and Rose’s faces, but what could they do?

-

It wasn’t like Mae Tuck had never noticed that she looked really good for her age. This seemed to be a shared family trait, as her husband and sons seemed to be ageless as well. It could be considered a blessing, until the moment Jesse barely looked older than Thomas and Rose had almost as much grey hairs as Mae herself.

-

One day, Mae came home to her oldest sitting at her dinner table, hands in his dark brown hair. “Miles?” she called out and when he looked up, his face crumpled and he broke into tears. “They’re gone.” She wished that she didn’t immediately know what he was talking about. Rose had done what she considered the best for her child.

Hopelessly, she tried to console him. At that moment, Jesse entered the room with dishevelled clothes and rapidly healing bruises on his face. Without him telling her, she knew that he had taken a fall again. She didn’t want to think about the fact that it may not have been a fall at all.