"... and they lived happily ever after."
Lola smiled as she closed the book, sandwiched between the twins in the king-sized bed. She looked at them with a smile.
The twins smiled back, their eyes twinkling with adoration and life.
"Mommy, you tell the best bedtime stories," Chacha said in awe. "It’s so much better than when Father Sir reads."
Second nodded. "When Father Sir reads, it’s like he’s giving a speech. It’s kind of scary!"
"Haha." Lola chuckled, grateful that at least their father read to them at bedtime. Checking the time, there were still a few minutes before they had to sleep.
She gently pinched Second’s cheek, giggling. "I’ll read more stories for you tomorrow, okay?"
"Yes, please~!"
"Now, how about lying down?" Lola helped them settle, tucking them in gently, feeling as though she were made for this. Or perhaps, the twins just made it easy to care for them.
As Lola was sandwiched between them, the twins lay on their sides, hugging her. Their little legs wrapped around hers, hands on her stomach.
"Mommy, stay with us," Chacha said, hugging Lola instead of the pillow.
Second hummed in agreement. "Mommy works so hard, but she needs to rest with Second and Chacha."
"Mhm." Lola hummed softly. "Mommy — I mean, I will stay with you tonight."
Her answer made them beam, pulling closer to her as if to ensure Lola wouldn’t leave them for the night. After all, Lola had slept on the couch last night.
As the twins grew quiet, preparing to sleep, Lola casually stroked their hair with her fingertips. They were still awake, looking at her as though afraid she might vanish if they looked away.
Lola’s smile remained, showing no sign she would leave.
"By the way, kids," she began, watching them blink innocently, "why...?" She trailed off, curiosity tugging at her heart. "Why do you call your dad, Father Sir?"
At this point, Lola was convinced their father was neglectful. Yet, sometimes, the twins said things that made her wonder if he wasn’t so bad after all.
Upon hearing her question, the twins beamed.
"We don’t want to call him Daddy anymore!" Second cheered, giggling. "Chacha and I decided to call him Father Sir until he brings our mommy back!"
"It’s in the petition we submitted!" Chacha added.
Lola furrowed her brow. "Petition?" She repeated, and they nodded.
"Until then, Father Sir it is," Second continued with a determined nod, clutching Lola’s side tightly. "Mommy, our Father Sir is a good person! Please come home to him."
Chacha nodded in agreement. "Mommy, just ignore our father and everything will be okay!"
"You should wear earplugs for extra protection!"
Lola glanced at the twins, uncertain if they were praising their father or criticizing him. She chuckled, secretly sighing. "I see. So, he didn’t just ask you to call him formally, huh?"
The twins shook their heads, smiling. Their father loved them, after all. But the twins had had enough of being without their mother. Even if their father gave them everything, they wanted their mommy.
They wanted Lola.
"Mommy..." Chacha whispered, moving closer to Lola, yawning as sleep finally overtook her. "Please stay with us forever."
Second also yawned, holding Lola tightly. "I like having a mommy. Second and Chacha finally have a mommy, and we won’t be teased anymore."
Lola’s eyes softened as she looked at them. Her smile was bittersweet. She glanced at the bedside digital clock just as it hit nine in the evening. When she looked back at the twins, they were already fast asleep.
"... that was fast," she whispered, chuckling softly. "At least this time they seem tired."
It amused her.
Maybe she just didn’t know much about kids, she thought. Or maybe these twins were simply disciplined with their sleep schedule. Either way, they were adorable in her eyes.
"If only I could stay with you guys," she whispered, sighing faintly. "How I wish."
Lola knew that as much as she loved the twins, and as much as they loved her, she had no right. She didn’t know their true story about not having a mother, but she understood the feeling of losing a mother or not having one around.
She didn’t know it yet, but Lola would soon realize why people say, "Be careful what you wish for." It might just come true in unexpected ways.
****
Lola stayed with the twins, humming softly to them. After a while, she slipped off the bed because sleep, unlike the twins, was an occasional friend. Stepping into the living area, her eyebrows rose in surprise.
"You’re still here," she remarked, catching Silo in the living area.
Silo held the documents the twins had played with earlier, studying them intently.
"Lola, look at this!" He jumped up, handing her a few papers to read.
She frowned. "Since when do you stay up reading contracts?" she muttered as she lazily took the papers. "If you hate dealing with papers so much, you should have..."
Her words trailed off as she browsed through the papers, her brow furrowing as she read the doodles in the margins. When she looked up at him, Silo’s wide eyes met hers, nodding eagerly.
"Lola, those kids... they’re golden," he exclaimed, pointing towards the bedroom. "Am I imagining this? Am I misreading it? Did they spot issues in this contract and proposal?"
Until now, Silo was double-checking to make sure he wasn’t imagining things. To him, this was unbelievable, which is why he was still here, trying to confirm he wasn’t losing his mind.
Lola blinked, scanning the next page and catching the slightly messy handwriting and blunt critiques they left behind. Her expression twitched as she read the final page, where a handwritten note bluntly stated:
"Whoever wrote this proposal might have a brain, but it’s not braining! Are they trying to get our mommy in trouble? Redo it!"
Lola pressed her lips together, lifting her eyes to Silo, who had read and approved this proposal, only for Lola to point out the same flaws the twins had noticed, just in a more direct manner.
Slowly, she turned her head towards the bedroom, where the children were sound asleep. It was a surprise, but at the same time, there was only one word she could utter.
"... amazing, aren’t they?"