It was about eight in the evening and I am still doing my homework on the kitchen table. My older brother sat beside me, also doing his assignment, something about Quantum Physics. Mom and Dad are in the other room, watching TV. The twins are already sleeping upstairs in their room.
Then Mom said, "It's getting late and I'm tired. I think I'll go to bed."
She went to the kitchen and prepared sandwiches for tomorrow's lunches, took out the meat from the freezer for tomorrow's dinner, and rinsed the popcorn bowls in the sink. She checked the cereal levels and put sugar in the container, and prepared the coffee pot for brewing the next morning.
When she finished, she the put some wet clothes in the dryer and some dirty clothes in the washer. She ironed a shirt and secured its loose button. Then she went to the living room to put the phone back on the charger and the telephone book in the drawer. She also cleared the game pieces the twins left on the center table.
She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note for the twins' teacher, signed a birthday card for a friend, and addressed and stamped the envelope. Then she made a grocery list and put it and the card near her bag.
Mom then washed her face with a 3-in-1 cleanser, put on her night solution and age fighting moisturizer, and brushed and flossed her teeth.
Dad called out, "I thought you were going to bed."
"In a minute," she said. She had her nightgown on, and she went downstairs to put water in the dog's dish and put the cat outside. She then checked if the doors were locked, and if the patio light was on. She pulled out a book from under a chair and put it back on the shelf. She made some milk for my brother and me, and had a quick conversation about how our day went; then she went upstairs to check on the twins. She put the dirty socks she saw on the floor into the hamper, turned out their lamp, and put their toys back in the box. In her room, she set the alarm, laid out the clothing for the next day, and straightened out the shoe rack. Then she went downstairs to check on us.
Then Dad announced to no one in particular, "I am going to bed," and went upstairs without further hesitation.
I finished my homework and Mom went with me to my room. She told me to brush my teeth and say my prayers, and kissed me goodnight. I heard her tell the same to my brother in the other room.
When everything was quiet and I was sure that Mom was already asleep, I said one final prayer:
"Dear God, thank you for letting me feel how a mother loves."
