Chapter 24 - The Morning Routine
|
It was a perfectly ordinary Tuesday morning, which was exactly what made it so incredibly beautiful.
I woke up at six o'clock to the sound of birds chirping outside the large bedroom window of the Evanston condo. The morning light was soft and golden. I didn't wake up with a jolt of panic. I didn't immediately scan the room to see if I had done something to trigger an angry outburst. I just stretched comfortably in my warm, massive bed and smiled.
I walked into the kitchen, wearing a soft robe, and started the coffee maker. The rich, grounding smell of roasted beans filled the air. A few minutes later, I heard the soft, rhythmic pitter-patter of small feet hurrying down the hardwood hallway.
Lily ran into the kitchen, her dark curls sleep-tousled and wild, holding her favorite stuffed rabbit tightly in one hand.
"Good morning, Mommy!" she chirped, her voice bright and full of immediate, unrestricted energy.
"Good morning, my sweet girl," I laughed, scooping her up into my arms and kissing her warm cheek. "Are you hungry for some pancakes?"
"Yes! With the little chocolate chips!" she demanded playfully.
May you like
I set her down at the kitchen island, pulling out the ingredients. We spent the next thirty minutes making a complete mess of the counter, flipping slightly burned pancakes, and laughing until our sides hurt. There was flour on her nose and syrup on the table, and I didn't care in the slightest.
This was the beautiful, messy, chaotic reality of a normal, happy life. It was a life I had fought a brutal war to secure. As I poured her a glass of orange juice and watched her happily eat her breakfast, entirely safe and completely unburdened, I realized that this simple, quiet morning routine was the absolute ultimate victory. The monsters were gone, and the castle was completely ours.
