Date The CEO.com

"I… am… SUPERMAN!" A 4-year-old Eri declared with her hands on her hips. She had taken her red bath towel and tied it around her neck, letting it drape her back like a cape. Grabbing clean underwear from her drawer, she pulled it over her pajama pants. 

Her twin sister, Ede, sat on the floor and shook her head. 

"You can't be superman, Eri. You're a girl."

She had a toy kitchen set where she fried fake bacon and eggs. She bared her teeth and hissed, mimicking the sound of cooking oil on a hot pan. While she cooked, a plastic chicken sat inside in the small oven the kitchen set came with. 

"But I want to be superman." Eri pouted. She dropped her hands to her side and turned her head to the right. "Eve, can I be superman?"

Lounging on the couch, Eve had a book propped on her thighs. She ate a bag of peanuts while reading. Her eyes stayed on the page when she answered her sister. "You can be Supergirl. She's Superman's cousin."

Eri lit up at once. She raised her chin and pumped one fist into the air. "Then, I am Supergirl!" 

Then, a revelation sparked her brown eyes. "Just like mom!"

"Mom is Superwoman." Eve looked up at her this time, amused by Eri's determination. 

"Then, is dad Superman?" Ede asked. She moved her fake bacon and eggs into a plate. Grabbing a fork, she stood up and served the plastic meal to Eve. "Try this! Calcifer said I should add soy sauce this time. And ketchup! It should be saucy and not dry."

Eve raised her eyebrows at the ingredient list. She could almost taste the real thing in her mouth. And it was far from a pleasant experience. If she discouraged Ede now then, she might as well have discouraged her from cooking ever again.

She grabbed the plastic fork and pretended to stab the bacon.

"Mmm, that tastes good!" Eve moaned, chewing air. "You and your fire demon, Calcifer, are onto something. Will you cook real food for me when you're old enough?"

Ede tilted her head sideways. "Why? Are you lazy?"

Eve choked at her question. "I'm NOT lazy."

"That's what Andie said."

"Don't believe everything Andie says. I'm your sister. I'm more trustworthy."

"If you say so." Ede shrugged and went back to her toy kitchen. She peeked inside the oven, checking if the chicken was done yet. A painful hiss flowed out of her mouth when she stabbed the chicken with her finger.

"I wonder when mom will get home," Eri wondered out loud. She checked the front door but didn't hear anything. Her bottom lip stuck out. "I want her and I to be superheroes together!"

"Who am I then?" Eve joked.

"You're Superlazy."

The smile on her face vanished, replaced by a deadpan expression. She looked pointedly at Ede who took out her chicken from the oven. "I should stop watching my shows around you."

Then, the knob on the front door rattled.

"Mom's back!" Eri exclaimed, jumping up and down. She ran for the door. "Mom! Mom!"

Evangeline poked her head inside. A wide grin spread across her face when she spotted her girls together. Eri already had her arms raised for a hug while Ede garnished her plastic chicken. Eve sat up on the couch and waited for their mom to come inside.

The room instantly became brighter.

"How are my cinnamon rolls?" Evangeline teased and opened the door all the way through. It was the nickname she gave the twins after they started growing their hair out as babies. "Eri, look at you! Are you Superman?"

"I'm Supergirl!" Eri corrected her, a giggle on her lips. "And you're Superwoman! And-and-and Eve is Superlazy!"

"HEY!"

"That's right!" Evangeline perked up with a gasp. "She is Superlazy!"

Eve snorted as she rose to her feet. She approached the two and gave their mom a peck on the cheek. "Don't say that after I did all the chores today."

Evangeline chuckled. Her voice softened a little. "Was there a lot to do?"

"No, not really. It helped that the twins were well-behaved."

"Mom!" Ede interrupted the exchange. She presented her plastic chicken on a pink plate. Crushed dried leaves from their time in the park earlier surrounded the brown poultry. "I made roasted chicken with melted cheese! I used a fire gun for the cheese so it's toasted." 

Leaning down, Evangeline took a big whiff. "It smells really good!"

"Calcifer was very cooperative today with the fire."

"Maybe you should give him some chicken too."

"Okay."

When Ede walked back to her kitchen set, Eri jumped into their mom's arms. Her body could barely contain the energy she produced. "Mom, mom, mom! Let's play superheroes together! Fight bad guys and lock them up! You and I will save the world!"

Evangeline caressed the top of her head. The grin on her lips hadn't wavered since arriving home. All the stress she endured from working in the parlor melted away. "I will in a bit, sweetie. Right now, I need to make us some dinner."

"I can cook for you, mom," Eve volunteered. No one in this household could dare say she was lazy after this. They only thought that because of how much time she dedicated to reading.

"You already did a lot of the household chores today, Eve," their mom said. She stepped further into the room and headed for the kitchen. "It's okay. I got this. How does some pizza quesadilla sound? I'll see what we have for some soup too."

"Oh, oh, oh!" Eri raised her hand. "With lots of tomatoes and cheese?"

"Of course."

Eve returned to her spot on the couch. She had bookmarked her page with her finger. When she opened the book again, her eyes easily found the last spot she read. The main character was an author who wanted to write a villainess novel. While in the middle of writing, the villainess in her story came to life and entered the real world.

It was another night of reading ahead of Eve.

Good thing it was Saturday or she was doomed.

Heavy footsteps approached their front door on the other side. The knob turned once again, revealing Russell. He brushed the soles of his shoes onto the doormat before stepping inside. Eri was the first to greet him since she stood by the doorway.

"Dad, look! I'm Supergirl."

"That's nice, kid," Russell replied, patting her head. Eve watched him from the couch.

"Want some chicken, dad?" Ede asked. She raised the plate in his direction. "I saved the legs because they taste the best. I also saved you some cheese."

"Sounds good, kiddo. You'll be a professional chef in no time."

Russell passed by her kitchen set and disappeared from the living room. Eve exhaled sharply. She flickered her gaze towards Ede who lowered the plate. It wasn't something she noticed as a kid but what she just witnessed mirrored her childhood memories.

It pained her to see history repeat itself though the twins weren't aware of it yet.

Eve crawled down to the floor and slumped her shoulders. "Where's my share, Ede?"

In the kitchen, Evangeline wore a pink apron and diced the tomatoes. Her figure had returned a few years after the twins were born. She felt warm arms wrapped around her waist from behind. Rough lips trailed the side of her neck and her shoulder.

"Russell, I'm making dinner." She attempted to shrug him off but he persisted.

His hands found the hem of her blouse. He bit her right ear. "Well, I'm hungry."

Evangeline tried again, careful not to move the knife recklessly. She put her free hand away from it just to be sure. "Come on. The kids are in the living room."

"They won't know if they can't hear us."

"But what if one of them walks in?"

"Then, we come up with an excuse."

"Be reasonable. We're not teens anymore," she chided lightly. A scowl creased her forehead. This would have been fine if they were home alone. But, that wasn't the case today. He wasn't the only one hungry. They all were.

The sooner she finished this meal, the sooner they could all retreat for the night.

Russell pulled back his arms. "You can say that again. You've become very uptight."

"It's called being responsible," Evangeline reasoned. She resumed dicing the last of the tomatoes. Then, she grabbed an onion and sliced it in the middle. "You're home early today."

"Boss didn't need anyone to stay for extra hours," he answered right away, leaning on the dining table for some support. "Why do you ask? You don't want me here anymore?"

The knife banged on the wooden chopping board. 

Three heads turned towards the kitchen. Evangeline glanced over her shoulder with a sneer.

"What's the matter with you?" She demanded. "You've been acting stranger than before."

"Me?" Russell blinked as his eyebrows shot up. A disbelieving scoff flowed out of his lips. He pointed a finger to his chest. "I'm the one who is acting strange? What about you? You don't even do your obligations to me anymore."

Evangeline dropped her jaw. "Obligations? Isn't cooking your meal an obligation?"

"Oh, forget it." He snorted and turned around. Eve pulled the twins away so they wouldn't be spotted spying. Russell headed for the living room. "I'll look for food elsewhere. "

"Russell!" Evangeline called after him. She reached for his shoulder but he shrugged her off. "Russell, the food will be done soon. You don't need to go out."

He refused to listen and shoved her hand away. "Go cook your dinner. Not like you care about what I want. Since those kids came, you only listen to them."

"Russell—"

Evangeline stopped mid-sentence. 

Her eyes rolled back and she dropped to the floor. Her shoulder hit the edge of the dining table while her head bumped the back of the chair. The vase on the table clattered from the sudden force, breaking into a million pieces.

Time stood still and silent.

Then, it suddenly moved faster than normal.

"MOM!"