It had been a long day, and Pam was tired. She’d just put the fifth load of laundry into the dryer, and allowed herself to plop down on the couch for ten minutes before she began folding the load she’d just put in the basket, the clothes still warm. She closed her eyes, and started imagining herself and Jim on a beach somewhere, her toes in the sand, a cold, fruity drink in her hand, and the waves crashing on the shore.

“MOMMY!” She was suddenly yanked back to reality, Cece yelling at the top of her lungs from upstairs. “Phil hit me!”

“Philip Halpert! What did I say?! Hands to yourself!” She yelled, hoping that would be enough to encourage the squabble to cease. She knew better, but she had had enough that day. She closed her eyes again, massaging her temples, dreaming of sipping that fruity cocktail. It was Saturday, and Jim still had about an hour left before he could come home. She hated it when he had to work weekends, but understood it was part of the job. She still needed to think of something for dinner, and had come up with either ordering pizza (again), or whipping up some of her famous scrambled eggs and with chunks of hotdog. Her menu-planning had fallen by the wayside a month ago, and she felt bad about it. Jim had always enjoyed the results of her cooking, but she also knew he wouldn’t complain if he disliked something she made, either. She made a mental note to hunt for inspiration in one of the dozens of cookbooks she had once the kids were in bed.

They moved to Austin almost 4 years ago, and had fallen into a cozy existence. Jim was doing well at Athleap, finding his way back into the upper echelons of the company easily. Pam had found a part-time job as an art teacher at the local middle school, which gave her a creative outlet, and time to spend at home with the kids when she needed. Cece was now in first grade, and Philip in pre-K. Pam had gotten used to the new normal they found, and was happy to know she had contributed to Jim’s happiness and success just by saying yes to moving across the country with him. But parenting two young children had been taking its toll, and Pam was finding it harder and harder to find her smile. Yes, she had her art class, yes Jim was happy (which of course made her happy), and she had been asked to do a few murals across the city for various things, so she thought she was mostly happy. The kids were great. They were all great, she told herself.

It was after she finished folding the last load of laundry, and was putting it away that Jim finally came home. It was now 7:23pm, and the kids were brushing their teeth, getting ready for bed. Jim climbed the stairs, tugging on the knot in his tie, loosening it from his neck. “Hey,” he said gruffly as he came into the master closet where Pam was tossing his balled-up socks into the drawer. She turned around, and put a smile on.

“Hey yourself,” she replied, closing the drawer. She walked over to him, and pulled the tie out of his hands, letting it land on the floor. “Tough day?” She placed a small kiss on his stubbly cheek. Jim’s crooked smile made a temporary appearance.

“Darryl says he’s sorry for making me late,” Jim sighed. He knew he should apologize, too. He had forgotten to text when the meeting ran long. “But we landed the account,” he tried to sound excited. Pam could tell something was amiss, but she decided not to pry. He would tell her when he was ready.

“Well, tell him he owes me.” She walked past Jim to check on the kids, making sure they weren’t making a huge mess in the bathroom.

Jim watched her walk away as he began unbuttoning his shirt and pulling the hem from its tucked position in his pants. He knew she was less than pleased with his late arrival, but there was nothing he could do about it. The company was making a lot of money now, and a lot of it depended on his presence. However, there was now a pit in his stomach as he heard Pam directing the children to put their pajamas on and hop in bed so she and Daddy could read them stories. Jim hurried into his pajama pants and tee shirt, and wandered into Cece’s room, sitting on her bed as she climbed under the covers.

“Daddy!!!” Cece jumped up and threw her arms around his neck as he sat down, thoughts of climbing into bed forgotten. “I missed you so much today!”

“I missed you too, Cupcake.” He stroked her blonde curls as she hugged his neck tightly.

“But what took you so long?” she asked, leaning back and glaring into his eyes with a disapproving look. “It made me so sad to not see you today.”

“Me too, baby, but I promise I don’t have to go to work tomorrow, and we can spend all day together, okay?” He patted her bottom as he settled her back into bed.

“Okay,” Cece replied skeptically. “But you better make pancakes,” she warned.

“You got it, Cupcake.” Jim smiled, his daughter’s expression making him chuckle heartily for the first time all day.