Lola and Atlas stared at each other, subtle smiles playing on their faces. Just moments ago, her heart had been blazing, ready to jump in her car and pay Derek a visit. Normally, Lola would have let it pass. But this was different—he had scolded the twins, simply because he knew they were hers.
Yet, Atlas’s calm query had extinguished her anger before it even started.
Meanwhile, the twins and Slater darted glances between Lola and Atlas. A mischievous smile crept across their faces until the twins’ giggles snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Mommy, do you have a crush on Father Sir?" Chacha whispered in her ear, making Lola’s breath hitch. Her cheeks warmed as Second added, "Mommy, Father Sir said he had a crush on you."
"Goodness, you two—"
"They’re not lying," Slater cut in, leaning close. "He even said that to me."
Unlike her mild approach with the twins, Lola glared at him. Her death stare, as if she were quietly summoning the Grim Reaper, made Slater flinch.
"Wha—what? What did I do this time?" he gasped.
"Slater, just in case you haven’t heard, I already know that you’ve torn down all the rooms in this place."
"Ahh..." Slater giggled, fluttering his eyes coquettishly like a fox. "You’re welcome, sis. How do you like your new room?"
"You—"
"Ahh, Mommy~!" The twins clung to her. "We’re still so scared. Even Uncle Baby was very scared; the aunties in the units below tried to console him."
"What?"
"Baby is quite popular among the neighbors," Atlas explained flatly, enjoying his time with his kids and brother without them clinging to him. "They said he fits his name."
Lola’s face contorted in surprise. She didn’t even know her neighbors, yet Baby was already friends with them? When had this happened?
"We want to sleep with Mommy tonight~," Second hummed, pressing his soft cheek against hers. "But we also want to stay with Father Sir, so he protects us too."
"I also want to watch a movie~," Chacha said, pressing her cheek against Lola’s other side. "Mommy, should we watch something too? Maybe that will comfort us."
"Me too, sis!" Slater jumped to her side, hugging Lola and the twins. "That guy is very scary! His face is something I can’t unsee—my beautiful eyes are tainted! Even bleach won’t cleanse it!"
Trapped between the twins, with Slater as the last line of defense, Lola turned to Atlas. He offered a subtle smile and a shrug. Another deep breath escaped her as she nodded.
"Fine..." she hummed, watching them release her just enough to look at her. "Let’s watch a movie, okay?"
"Yey~! Mommy is the best~!" the twins cheered, followed by Slater, "Sis! You’re the best~! You’re going to be my favorite sister-in-law for sure!"
I don’t think your other sister-in-law will love to hear that.
*****
Lola had once had a family when Loren was still alive. A traditional family normally consisted of a mother, a father, and children. But Lawrence had always been absent from her life. Her father was alive, but she had never truly felt his presence.
Still, Lola wouldn’t say she had never experienced family. When Loren was alive, even when Loren had fallen sick, she had made sure Lola felt the presence of a family—even if it was just the two of them.
Yet, there were still questions Lola had wondered about.
How does a normal family eat? What do they do in ordinary times? What are weekends like? On quiet, boring nights, do families just wait for the next big thing they look forward to? Or do they create one?
Lately, she had been getting snippets of answers to the thousands of questions she had carried all those years living alone.
Lola, Atlas, the twins, and Slater set up the family room for what they called a "family movie night." The twins didn’t have school the next day, as it was a holiday. Since they couldn’t decide what to watch—Slater insisted on choosing—they let fate decide with a coin toss.
Fate chose Slater. So here they were, watching movies that featured him. There were more lined up, and Slater was in them all.
"This is the second film..." Lola hummed as the credits rolled, her brows knitting. Her face was painted with disbelief as she reflected on the two films.
"Slater, did they just hire you... to say you’re in it?" she finally asked, only to see the twins lying between her and Atlas nodding. Even Atlas nodded, making her face contort.
"Sis, what are you talking about!" Slater harrumphed from behind Atlas. "My roles are very important. Didn’t you see? I was a god in the last one! If not for me, the film wouldn’t even start!"
But Lola, Atlas, and the twins just stared. They had already seen these films before. In all of them, Slater’s role added nothing to the plot. Not even comic relief. He was basically useless.
Not that he was a bad actor, but Lola understood the main point of casting him. For promotional purposes, because most films he was in always featured his scenes to garner more audience.
"Fine..." she sighed. "Let’s see the next one."
Slater’s nose flared, ready to shine. "This one’s one of my favorites. Just wait and see!"
When he said that, the twins’ faces soured. Lola took note of their reaction, but still gave it a chance.
Midway through the third film, Lola raised her brows. She was still waiting for a reason for Slater’s role because it seemed useless in the first half, though he had more screen time this time.
"Don’t get your hopes up," Atlas suddenly remarked, getting her attention. "He’s still a useless character in that one."
"Hmm?" Lola looked back at him, catching his tilted head.
"He’s already asleep," Atlas said, pulling the blanket over Chacha’s chest. "You two should sleep, too."
The twins were fighting sleep, but their eyelids were already heavy.
"No," Chacha whispered. "I want to watch with Mommy."
Second hugged Lola. "It’s our first family movie night together," he muttered. "I want to watch more."
"Me too," Chacha mumbled, hugging Atlas. "Daddy, Chacha is happy."
Atlas quietly stroked her head, then lifted his gaze to Lola. She smiled softly, fixing the blanket over Second.
"Me too," she whispered, eyes softening at the children before looking back at their father. "It’s... the first time I’ve watched a movie with family."
Atlas reached out, tucking her hair behind her ear. He brushed her cheek with his thumb, eyelids softening very subtly.
"It’s not going to be the last."