Call It Karma

“Come on honey, you’ll be late for school,” Elliot’s voice gently filled the silent room. “Don’t wait for your daddy to get in here! He’s not gonna be as nice as I am! Alright, I’m gonna go get Daddy,” Elliot laughed as she pressed her lips’ to John’s lightly and pushed him towards the bunk beds and two bodies hiding underneath the sheets giggling lightly.

“I’m gonna get you boys!” He called out loudly pulling both of them out of their beds one at a time as they started laughing wildly and kicking from John’s hands tickling them.

“Mommy! I wanna go to school with Johnny and Henry,” An tiny little girl with big hazel eyes and light brown hair. Elliot pressed her lips to the top of her daughter’s head and smiled pulling the tiny girl up into her arms.

“Don’t you go try growing up to quickly, Gracie, okay?” Elliot smiled with kind eyes before putting her down and looking up to see two boys wiggling on John’s shoulders and Elliot let out a laugh. “Okay boys, I made waffles, get dressed and come get breakfast alright! Let’s go!” Elliot shouted with the enthusiasm of a football coach as she grabbed little Grace’s hand and pulled her towards the kitchen closing the door behind her.

John stared at his wife and twisted the band on his left ring finger with a smirk on his lips. Seven years and three kids later, she still looked good. Maybe her hips had gotten wider and maybe her eyes were more tired, but he still loved her. He pulled her thin frame into his arms and pressed his lips on hers, because this all seemed like a dream.

“What has gotten into you today,” Elliot giggled, slapping his chest lightly before giving him a little peck and returning to cutting waffles into pieces for Grace and he smiled.

“Nothing, I just thought you should know I love you,” John smirked before preparing plates for John and Henry their seven and five year old boys. They were spitting images of John, but Grace she looked like just as beautiful as her mother. Once Elliot had put a plate with fruit and waffles cut up in front of Grace with a juice cup, Elliot wiped her hands and kissed John’s cheek again.

“I love you too, honey,” Elliot whispered in his ear, she smiled causing her eyes to crinkle. She saw two blonde boys pushing each other with jeans and t-shirts on and all Elliot had to do was put her hands on her hips and raise her eyebrows and they parted like the Red Sea. Both boys sat down at the table and John brought their plates to them and grabbed Elliot’s hand. He stared at her golden eyes and felt his heart soften, there was something about her. There was always something about her that made him want to be a better man, the kind of man that deserved this life.

He wrapped his arms around her and she nuzzled into his neck and he breathed her in. Something so comforting he wished he could bottle it up and take it on tour with him. Sometimes, whenever he wondered whether he had made the right choices, he looked into her eyes and felt in his heart this was exactly where he was supposed to be. She looked up at him with a playful smile on her lips.

“Babe, you have to wake up now,” Elliot smiled at him. He raised his eyebrow and tilted his head at this notion. “John, wake up…” She whispered with sad eyes.

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ, John! What were you dreaming about a world that rains strippers? I’ve been trying to wake you up for like ten minutes!” Kennedy laughed, slapping John harshly on the back. “We have band practice!” He explained. John sat up in the bed and wondered how it could’ve been a dream. It seemed so real, he ran his hand through his hand and shook off the odd chills.

“Yeah, I’ll get ready right now,” John threw his legs over the side of his bed and touched the ground. Everything seemed so real, her lips on his. Their children, their life. He stood up and walked to the bathroom before he caught a glimpse of Elliot giggling with Eric in her arms and he felt a chill down his spine.

He splashed water on his face and actively tried to forget the dream had ever happened. He simply pulled on a pair of jeans and a random t-shirt before walking out the door without saying two words to anyone. Elliot scoffed before raising her eyebrow towards Madison who simply shrugged and gave Sophie an apple sauce and pulling her blonde hair into pony tail behind her.

“Okay baby, I’m gonna go. I’ll call you when we’re coming home, alright?” Kennedy smiled before kissing Madison and Sophie before turning to Elliot. “Hold down the fort, okay Elle?” Kennedy smiled.

“Okay Ken,” Elliot scoffed as she rolled her eyes. Kennedy laughed before grabbing his car keys and walking out the door. She smiled, passing Eric to Madison who was elated to see his hair turning blonde. Elliot grabbed a pudding snack out of the fridge and a spoon to eat as she sat up on the counter. “So, do you ever regret getting married in Vegas?” Elliot laughed nodding towards a picture of Madison and Kennedy in front of a little chapel with the lights of the strip behind them. She propped herself against the countertop and crossed her legs, adjusting the oversized grey shirt back on her body.

“Nope, look at my gorgeous kids and my life. It doesn’t matter where you start. It’s where you’re at,” Madison smiled brightly, however her smile dropped as soon as she saw Elliot with sad eyes staring at the Vegas picture. “Do you ever regret breaking up with John and going off to France?”

“You know, the France part? No. But when it comes to John, I think about it a lot and I’m not sure. I know I never would have went off to France if we hadn’t broken up, but I still love him you know?” She whispered as if it would make the truth less harsh or less terrifying. Elliot picked at her finger nails wondering about what her life with John would be like if she had stayed; would they have completely forgiven each other or would they have just retaliated against each other for an intangible victory? They both had to grow up, but now they were grown up and she felt oddly unaccomplished.

“What? Really?! Oh my God! Elle!” Madison flailed her free arm excitedly, clearly trying not to wake the baby. Her blue eyes growing wide as she smiled widely. Elliot was caught off guard after zoning out, trying to figure out what Madison was talking about, but once she had she grimaced at the words she'd said.

“God Maddie, I don’t know, I mean obviously John still hates me. I don’t know,” Elliot frowned as she took a giant spoonful of chocolate pudding in her mouth and rested her head against the cabinet letting out an overdramatic whine. Madison laughed and slapped her leg.

“Elle! I don’t think John hates you, I think he’s angry at you because he still loves you! I mean have you at least tried talking to him or something?” Madison asked as she gave Sophie permission to watch The Rugrats on Netflix before turning back to Elliot with an expecting eye.

“No, because every time I bring up leaving or something, he just get’s really aggressive and angry. I don’t know, it’s like part of me just thinks I should leave him alone because clearly I am the last person he wants to be with…” Elliot shrugged before pulling a beer from the fridge and swapping out the pudding for something harder.

“Shut the front door, Elliot Grant! You need to stop putting roadblocks up to happiness. You are afraid of emotion risk, but you’re gonna have to take it someday with someone, why not do it with someone who loves you too?” Madison said in a manner-of-fact tone.

“I hate it when you’re right,” Elliot rolled her eyes taking a swig of her drink that caused her eyes to water.

“Yeah, you know how when we were little our parents were, like, always right?” Madison tilted her head and switching Eric to her other arm because he was starting to get heavy. “Well, I think it’s just the actually process of having children that makes you all knowing… I feel much more wise,” Madison narrowed her eyes pensively before turning to Elliot for her perspective.

“Yeaaaaaahhhh, ‘wiser’,” Elliot said skeptically with two fingers bringing up air quotes as she let out a laugh at Madison’s expense only to have a pacifier thrown at her forehead. “Damn dude, why you gotta be hatin’? You know I’m playin’ girl,” Elliot spoke jokingly, she was tempted to throw the pacifier back, but she didn’t have enough faith in her aim to not hit the infant in Madison’s arms.

“Auntie Ellie! Can I bowwow youw phone?” Sophie came over chirping with a overly-sweet smile on her lips, both hands clasped behind her back as she swayed back and forth. Elliot’s eyes narrowed at the girl, wondering why she was trying to work an angle.

“What for Sophie?” Elliot responded in a similar tone, raising her eyebrow and taking another sip of the amber liquid.

“Because, Uncle Johnny told me to call him and tell him when Chuckie and Tommy finally beat Angelica and they did. So I’m suppose to call him!” Sophie managed to mutter out as she looked back and forth trying to remember what John had said to her. Elliot sighed loudly and pulled the phone out from her back pocket.

“I don’t think I have Uncle Johnny’s number anymore sweetheart,” Elliot looked through her contacts until she saw ‘Asswipe McGee’ and her eyes bulged as she quickly changed it back to ‘John’ before handing it over to Sophie.

“”S okay, I remember his numbuh because he is my contact if I get in twouble,” Sophie smiled sweetly before nodding and turning back towards the couch, but stopped in her tracks after Madison called out,

“Sophia Anne Brock, back up,” Madison spoke sternly even Elliot felt slightly intimidated, the little brunette walked backwards until she could be seen my her mother. “What do you say after someone does something nice for you?” Madison asked.

“Thank you so much Auntie Elle,” Sophie recited as if it had been drilled into her head.

“You are welcome,” Elliot responded back in a jovial manner, Sophie looked over to her mother waiting for to excuse her, which Madison signaled was okay as she smiled clearly pleased. “It’s so weird to see you be maternal, all I can think about is that one keg party when you stripped down to your underwear and sang Wild Thing,” Elliot laughed at the recollection as the color drained from Madison’s face.

“From this moment on, forget that night ever happened and so help me God if you tell my children that, then I’ll tell your kids about that night of the bon fire!” Madison’s eye twitched as she turned the tables back to Elliot, who simply stopped laughing and nodded in agreement. Elliot rested her head against the wooden cabinets and noticed Sophie was still on the phone.

“What is your daughter doing?” Elliot nodded towards Sophie and Madison looked over towards the little girl secretively holding a phone in a corner.

“Sophie? Honey?” Madison called out, she adjusted Eric before walking over to her daughter and sat on the couch. Elliot thought about getting up, but instead she decided to be lazy and watch on from her position on the counter. “What’cha doing, honey?” Madison asked, lowering her voice. Sophie answered quietly so that Elliot couldn’t hear, but when Madison let out a laugh.

“What?” Elliot asked, but both mother and daughter talked quietly ignoring her. Elliot groaned loudly as she lifted up her frame to walk over, but was surprised when Sophie simply passed the phone over to Elliot. “Hello?” Elliot sighed, clearly irritated.

“Hey, so when I’m done with band practice, do you wanna grab some dinner?” John’s voice came through the line. Elliot was surprised as her suspicions were aroused due to her best friend’s off behavior and now this.

“Um, okay?” Elliot laughed when she saw Madison nodding excitedly.

“Okay, great. I’ll see you in an hour or so,” John said happily before they both said goodbye and hung up the phone. Once she hung up the phone, Sophie started cheering and running around excitedly. Elliot raised her eyebrows at him, she put the phone in her pocket waiting for her best friend to explain.

“You’re not getting anything out of me,” Madison laughed, standing up and kissing Eric’s cheek. “Woo, stinky boy, let’s give you a bath,” Madison spoke excitedly evoking a laugh from the small boy. As Madison walked away from Elliot, looking over her shoulder mysteriously.

“There’s something strange happening,” Elliot jutted her lip out and raising her eyebrows suspiciously as Sophie giggled. She ran her fingers through her brown hair and plopped down on the couch before staring zoning out towards the television, her mind racing with no plausible answers.