1"Children! Wash up for dinner, please!" Giselle called up the stairs, setting the casserole on the table. "Your father will be home any second now!" She turned back and went into the bathroom through the kitchen to freshen up herself.
She was touching up her lipstick when she heard the front door open and softly shut, followed by the quick, heavy footsteps of the children running down the stairs.
Joseph sat at the head of the table, flanked by little Julia on his left and Cameron on his right, as his wife served the dinner she'd spent the evening preparing. "How was school today, Julia?" he asked, once grace had been said.
"It was grreat, Daddy! We did finger paints and Miss Aimes read us a book about penguins."
"Wow! When do we get to see this masterpiece?" her father asked, with genuine enthusiasm. Then, "Giselle, this is delicious."
Joseph's wife and daughter glowed under the affection with which he showered them throughout the meal. He asked after every aspect of their days, their feelings and their plans for the future. He hung on every word and his gaze lingered long on their faces.
"May I be excused?" Cameron asked, eventually, with some irritation in his voice. "I have homework." He got up from the table and took his plate to the kitchen without waiting for permission.
His mother, unfazed by her son's attitude, stood up and smoothed out her dress. "Julia, will you help me clear the table?"
Giselle took the leftover casserole and Julia took the plates and followed her into the kitchen.
Cameron leaned against the back of his chair in his father's direction. "You can't keep this up forever. You know that, Dad, don't you?"
The far off sadness in Joseph's eyes floated to the fore as he regarded his son. "I can't lose them yet, Cam. I can't."
"I loved them too, you know. But we can't stay in Beaver Cleaver land forever. Don't forget that I'm still here, and I'm suffering too."