“Man, that’s so not fair.”
“You’ll do it for your mother though, right? So she’s not worried about you or your future?”
“I guess, but it’s lame. I know she didn’t get to graduate at first and everything, but she’s like super smart.”
Robin did eventually graduate after Caleb was born. She didn’t stop there though. She went on to college where she could take courses online. She decided on English. Even though she had only ever been his wife and worked at the library, she continued her education, and he loved it when she debated with him.
Their conversations certainly turned down a dirtier route when they didn’t agree.
“Don’t speak like that in front of your mother and we’ll call it a day.”
“Okay, fine.”
He chuckled. Leaving his son with some of the homework, he made his way downstairs to find his wife worrying.
“What did he say? Should we worry?” Robin asked.
In fourteen years of being married to each other, he didn’t know how it was possible, but she had grown even more beautiful.
“Our son was doing the right thing for a girl. You would be so proud of him.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “Proud of him?”
“Yes. He’s cursing like the best of us, but his heart is in the right place.” He moved up toward his wife, holding her close as he listened to their house.
Bethany was in her room, studying. His little girl wanted to be a doctor and help every single person in the world. She had a plan to bring about world peace, one town at a time. He loved her so much.
Caleb Junior was now doing his homework, and it would seem he was falling in love at a young age.
Abigail was probably playing with some cars. She didn’t like what she considered girls’ dolls and often showed her disappointment in being forced to buy them. She also hated long hair, and one morning they had woken to find she had cut it all off.
Neal was the one into sports. In the distance, he heard a game on the television. No sound from Neal, but he was there, absorbing all the knowledge.
Then of course was their young, sweet little Riley, asleep up in the nursery. The nursery that had once been a place of great sorrow that they’d been able to turn into a place of great love. A sign of them both coming together.
“Can you believe how quiet the house is?” Robin asked.
He wrapped his arms around her. Any other time, he would have tried to take her upstairs, but he’d learned his lesson.
He counted down.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
With five kids aged between fifteen and one, there was no way peace and quiet could last forever, and it didn’t.
This was his life.
His love.
His passion.