Chapter I - The breakfast

The alarm clock rang early in the morning; the wooden digital clock was the only glow in the dark room. Against her body's will, Olivia got up and turned off the alarm.

"Alex, wake up," she shook her husband gently, knowing he wouldn't get up with her. It always took him at least fifteen minutes to get out of bed. The response was a grunt; Alex pulled the blanket up to his neck and buried his face in the pillow.

"I'll make coffee," Olivia said, kissing her husband's hair before getting up. After leaving the bathroom, she noticed that the kitchen windows were open, gently illuminating the room. Outside, the dark blue was giving way to the orange hues of dawn. It would be a sunny day; she had wished for it. Tying her hair back and taking a deep breath, Olivia was ready to prepare breakfast for her children. Not the everyday breakfast—today, her eldest son was turning sixteen. Benjamin had insisted on not having a big party, partly because he didn't want to miss his Friday physical education class, the only day of the week he had it. Against the birthday boy's wishes, Alex had decided to rent a chalet in Nancy, a small town an hour away from Somerset, where they lived, to spend the weekend with their Italian friends, the Barones. The father was adamant; he saw no better way to spend this special weekend than three days of fishing and snacking among friends. Their other children, Emy and Nick, were happy to miss a day of school, but Ben maintained his teenage grumpiness. Either way, a mother knew that the best way to start a good day with her children was to prepare the best breakfast possible. It was time to start.

Black coffee for the adults; orange juice, walnut milk, and chocolate milk for the children. Sliced bread with hazelnut spread, butter, or apple jam, accompanied by fruit cereal, lactose-free milk (for Nicholas), and white chocolate and strawberry pretzels, the birthday boy's favorites. On the table, Alex made sure to put dry toast and coconut yogurt. Olivia knew her children wouldn't go near the toast and wouldn't even see the yogurt, but she smiled in gratitude at her husband for his willingness to help. When the sun was shining brightly in the sky, Emily appeared in the kitchen. The girl had light hair and pale skin, unlike her brown eyes that contrasted with her paleness. Emy had turned twelve a few months ago, and her party had been at school.

"Good morning, sweetie!" Olivia left her phone on the table and got up from her chair to hug her daughter.

"Good morning, little one," Alex lowered his glasses to the tip of his nose to see Emily more clearly. The girl didn't respond; she was still half-asleep.

"Today is your brother's birthday," Olivia ran her hands through her daughter's hair, aligning it as she brought the child to her seat at the table. "What do you want to eat?"

The girl smiled as she carefully examined the table filled with treats, then pointed to the orange juice and the pretzels.

"Juice and chocolate, Mom."

Olivia used two fingers to take a pretzel from the bowl to Emily's plate, then lifted the child's cup to fill it with juice. Before she could start filling the cup, a loud thud upstairs caught her attention.

"Aaaah, come here now!" Benjamin's distant voice indicated that his two other siblings were already awake. Olivia looked at Alex with concern for a moment, but her husband's smile behind the cellphone screen showed that there was no need to worry.

It didn't take long for Ben and Nick to come downstairs. Nicholas was two years older than Emy but was almost the same size as his sister. Benjamin was taller and slimmer. Both had their father's dark hair, but Benjamin had inherited the freckles Olivia had in her childhood.

"Congratulations to you!" Olivia began to sing sarcastically.

"Stop, Mom, I'm too old for this," Benjamin went straight to hug his mother, while Nicholas gave his father a good morning kiss.

"Today is your day, son, happy birthday," pride and love overflowed from the mother's heart.

"Sixteen years!" Alex got up from his chair to hug his son. "You'll be leaving home soon." The family laughed as the father rubbed his freshly shaved beard and long mustache on the son's neck, tickling him.

The two boys didn't hesitate to attack the pretzels. Ben chose chocolate milk, Nick opted for yogurt, much to Olivia's surprise. After taking the last sip of her juice, Emily was the first to leave the table, heading to the TV room sofa, which was next to the kitchen. The girl grabbed the remote and turned on the television.

"For the first time in history, frigate birds will not make their annual migration to the beaches of...," she changed the channel.

"So it's not an exaggeration to say that this drop in the number of bees in recent months can indeed lead to...".

"While the other side claims that the heatwave in recent days is solely due to global warming, a process stemming from the effect...".

"Barbie, I can drive your car myself, you don't need to do this." She finally found what she was looking for.

At the table, Olivia happily waited for her children to finish the meal she had prepared at the last minute. The boys devoured almost a whole slice of bread with every bite, and hazelnut spread stained both their mouths.

"Giuseppe said he'll have to leave later," Alex seemed to strain his eyes to see his phone. "Some problem with Lorenzo."

"And I thank my children for not being as messy as that boy," Olivia ran her hand over Nick's head, who was sitting on her left side at the table. Both boys smiled at her.

"So, kids," the father rubbed his hands, leaving his phone on the table. "Who wants to have the best weekend ever?" Alex got up and ran to the garage, whose door was inside the kitchen.

The boys' response was shouts and smiles. Nick finished his yogurt, threw his cup on the table, and ran to follow his father to the garage. Ben did the same but not before giving his mother a quick look of disdain after finishing the chocolate milk. "He's pretending for Dad," Olivia thought. She couldn't go back; all that remained was her obligation to ensure an unforgettable weekend for her children, and this would certainly be one.