Julia drinks her coffee,

Drains the cup,

And wonders

Will he make it tonight,

Or will he remain once more

A prisoner to his family,

A wretched family

That takes so much

Out of him.

She wonders just what

He is doing right now…

 

He carries little Jessica

Up the stairs,

Fondly kisses

Her sleeping cheek,

And lays her down in the cot.

He hears the plaintive cry

From the next room,

“Daddy!

You promised!”

Willingly, he goes in to his son.

And asks which story book.

 

“Make one up, Daddy,”

Says Sean.

“You do the BEST stories!”

And so with a smile,

He settles

On the edge of the bed,

And ad-libs

To his child’s delight.

The eyes grow wide

In wonderment,

Which in turn

Becomes excitement.

Presently, a smile

At the happy outcome,

In seconds,

Fast asleep.

 

Downstairs,

His wife has washed up,

She is pouring him a drink.

He murmurs her name,

“Natasha.”

He treats her to

A lingering kiss

As he then accepts.

He thinks how cosy

The room looks,

A good programme

About to start.

The sofa opposite the TV

Never so welcoming.

 

Natasha smiles

As he sits down,

Thank heavens

He doesn’t have to

Return to the office

And do overtime

Like last week

With that awful dragon,

Not tonight.

 

As she joins him on the sofa,

He remembers

Julia.

Oh well,

She will understand,

He is reasonably sure.

No doubt he will be able

To make up some story

For her,

After all,

He is good at those…