The imagination of a perfect life

Chapter one

Veronica sits at the dinner table. On her left is her seventeen year old daughter Aurelia. She looks just like her mother. Raven locks, olive skin and a button nose between two deep brown eyes. They have a really close relationship, they're almost like best friends but Veronica always made sure to be a mother first before anything else.
On her right are her five year old twins Emilia and Ben. While Aurelia looks exactly like Veronica, Ben is a mini version of Archie. Hazel brown eyes, pale skin, freckles and fiery red hair.
Emilia is the prefect mixture of both her parents. She has freckles on her olive skin, deep brown eyes and red hair.
The only one missing is Archie. He's in Afghanistan, fighting for the safety of their country. He's barely home and misses a lot of his kids' milestones.

It's been a while since Veronica slept longer than six hours. Every day, ever second she thinks about her Archiekins. How much she misses him and what she would do in case he wouldn't come home. She doesn't want to think about it but she know she has to. She has to take care of their children and make sure they have a future. She wants to be strong for her kids but she's breaking inside.

"How was school?"

"Good. I got my English exam back today"

"And?" Veronica asks as she turns more to her eldest daughter.
She sees how a proud grin spread on her face before she answers the question.

"An A, like always"

"Good job. I'm so proud of you honey"  she squeals and kisses Aurelia's cheek.

"Yay Lia" Ben says before he puts a spoon of spaghetti into his mouth.

"And how was Kindergarten?"

"So much fun mommy. I learned how to do a paper plain"

"That's what you learned?"

"Ben showed me" Emilia giggles.

"Ben sweetheart, you're supposed to pay attention to your teacher not to show your sister things like that"

"Sorry mommy"

"It's okay honey. Just promise me you won't do it again. Be a good boy"

"I promise"

Veronica has a hard time punishing her children or make them understand their mistakes. Every time she looks at them she either sees Archie's eyes or his smile. She can't be mad at them. They are the only piece of Archie she has close to her.

•••

Every evening they snuggle on the couch and watch a movie. Veronica loves this time of the day. There is nothing better for her. No fighting, no yelling, no tears and no missing Archie for two hours, just her and her babies.

"Can you put that back mommy?" Emilia asks and hands Veronica a cup of apple juice.
She takes the cup from her daughter and places it back on the little table in front of the couch.

"Thank you"

"Of course sweetheart"

•••

After they finished the movie Veronica sent the twins upstairs to get ready for bed. Aurelia still lies on the couch with her phone in front of her face.

Veronica takes the twins' cups form the table and walks towards the kitchen. She is so deeply in her thoughts that she doesn't look where she is going. Suddenly she trips over a toy and lets go of the cups. They fall onto the floor and the apple juice splashes everywhere.

"Emilia how often did I tell you to not leave your toys on the floor!" she yells.

Veronica grabs a few paper towels and starts to wipe the floor. She feels the tears in her eyes. Not because of the apple juice or the doll. It's just getting too much. She's misses her husband. She is basically raising the kids on her own and that's not what she imagined her life to look like when she married Archie.

"Mom?" Aurelia asks as she kneels down next to her mother.

"I'm fine honey"

"No you're not. Don't lie to me"

"It's just too much. I can't do it anymore. You know I love you and your siblings more than anything but I need your dad" she cries.

Aurelia wraps her arms around her mother tightly and lies down her head on her shoulder.

"I miss him too mom. You don't have to be strong all the time. It's okay to cry. You know what? You sit down and relax. I'll clean this up and then bring the twins to bed".

"You don't have to do that sweetheart"

"I know but I will. You do so much for us. Let me help you"

"Thanks Lia. I don't know what I would do without you"

Veronica kisses her daughter's head multiple times before she gets up, walks back into the living room and falls onto the couch. She didn't even have time to change into her pjs yet. There is still apple juice and tomato sauce from dinner on her shirt.

While Veronica tries to relax for a couple of minutes Aurelia brings her siblings to bed. When she finally got her sister to sleep she goes over to her brother's room who she can still hear running around.

"Ben get your little butt into bed" she says as she walks in.

Giggling he jumps into his bed and pulls his blanket over his head to hide from his sister.

"That might work on dad but not on me" she says as she sits down on the edge of the bed.

"Lia when is daddy coming home?"

"I don't know but what I know is that he loves you a lot and he wants you to go to bed now"

"Do you know who daddy loves more than us?"

"Who?"

"Mommy"

"Benny, dad loves us all the same"
She says while she wipes some of his red curls out of his face and hands him his favorite stuffed animal. It's a little giraffe in a military uniform. Archie got it for him.

"But mommy is so happy when daddy is here and he looks differently at her than us"

"My sweet little Ben, there are different kinds of love. You'll understand when you're older. Now close your eyes"

"Can you stay until I fell asleep?"

"Sure" she whispers and lies down next to him.

•••

When Veronica looks at her phone she jumps up almost immediately. It's 11 pm already. She looks around the living room and wonder why Aurelia didn't come back. She walks into her room to say goodnight but she's not in her bed.
When she walks into Ben's room she can see her asleep in his bed. He has his head is on Aurelia's chest and the little giraffe in his arms.
Veronica smiles and wraps the blanket more around her children before she kisses both of their heads and goes to bed herself.
If only she knew she won't sleep alone in this bed tomorrow night.