It was barely 7am. The coffee pot was dripping slowly with the dark brown nectar of the caffeine gods. Pancakes were bubbling on the stove waiting to be flipped. A tiny figure stood with his hand in the fridge, a single lime colored can of soda in his hand. Her iridescent purple gaze locked on the woman at the stove.
The snowy haired female studied her oldest child's movement. Her own scarlet orbs dancing with confusion that soon shifted to irritation as the boy pulled the can out of the fridge and shut the door. She ran her fingers through her hair and sat the spatula down beside the pan.
"Ori, put it back."
"No mamma, il nonno ha detto che posso averne uno tutti i giorni." (No mama, grandpa said I can have one everyday.)
Rina blinked before approaching the five year old child with a hand on her apron clad hip. She knelt down and looked at him. Her lips a firm line. Never in all her years of parenting had she expected to be back talked to by a carbon copy of her own mouth and in Italian at that. She placed a hand on her son's matching silvery hair and ruffled his strands.
"Dolce angelo, you are still growing. Drinking that stuff will stop you from getting big and strong like your Nonno."
She sighed softly in a somewhat dramatic manner to add to the theatrical element of her next line.
"Pensavo volessi diventare un forte protettore." (I thought you wanted to become a strong protector.)
There was a moment of panic and realization that crossed the small boy's face. He couldn't become a hero and protect his mother and sister if he drank the soda? He looked at the cold can in his hands before looking back at his mother.
"But Mama, Nonno drinks them with me when we visit."
Her son looked at her with a sad expression. Rina sighed softly and took the can from Orion's hands. She understood the real desire here, Orion wanted to see his grandfather.
"We will give Nonno a call after our trip to the pumpkin patch. I'm sure he would love to see what kind of pumpkins we carve, and then we can share a snack with him and you can drink your drinks together. Does that sound fun?"
Ori's expression lit up and he nodded his head quickly. Rina smiled. Yes, that would do for her little one.
Next all she needed was to finish the pancakes and go wake up Selena from her slumber.