“Mom,” Talia’s voice rang out from the kitchen.
Zoe sighed, closing her book. She knew that tone and what came next.
“There’s nothing to eat. I’m hungry.”
Zoe looked at her watch. Six o’clock. Damn, she’d been so absorbed in her story she forgot to make dinner. “I’m coming,” she called back, adding, “Honestly, I bought groceries yesterday. You could make yourself something.”
As she entered the kitchen, she saw Talia standing in front of the open fridge, brimming with food. She opened her mouth to say something about a fifteen-year-old being capable of feeding herself, then closed it as she took in the chicken dinner sitting prepared on the table, complete with a glass of wine for herself and a cola for Talia.
Tears brimmed in her eyes. “Thank you, sweetheart. I’m so sorry I was short with you.”
Talia closed the fridge door, beaming with pride. “It’s fine, Mom. I know you’re tired and stressed. You work so hard for us, especially since Dad left. I wanted to do something nice for you.
As they dug into the delicious food, the first meal someone else had prepared for Zoe since she’d married Larry, Talia said, “I’m going to make dinner more often. You deserve to relax sometimes.”
Talia raised her wineglass to her daughter, appreciating her more than Talia would ever know. “I love you to the fridge and back.”
This story (and image) came about because of a comment Kim Smyth made on my story “To the Moon and Back.” She said, “My oldest son gave me a funny sign one year for Christmas that said, I love you to the fridge and back.” I couldn’t resist!
If you missed “To the Moon and Back,” you can read it here:
This story also prompted the creation of six merch designs! Here are links to two of them. Purchasing merch from my shop is one way in which you can support me as a creator. Please consider clicking on the links and checking out all the different products you can buy featuring these designs.
This is a lovely, beautiful story. I love the last line, “I love you to the fridge and back," too.
This story touched me. I love that Talia knew if she said she was hungry her mother, as tired and stressed as she was, would come and help her solve the problem (even though this time she didn't really have a problem!) I think so much about how being there for people in the little moments is what builds trust that allows us to work together to solve bigger problems.