Before (Part 1)

"Kids! Come on, we are going to be late!" Ven, a single mother of three shouted. She had barely had enough time to finish her makeup and hair, needing to pack the kids' lunches and hurry them out of the house. Honestly, sometimes she missed her husband; only sometimes.

Still, even with her lack of self-care she managed to look ready for the day. She was a small person, petite even. Most of her figure was hidden under her loose comfortable clothing, she would change into her work clothes at work.

At the age of 42 she looked to be in her early twenties, not that this was strange. Most people who took care of themselves in this day and age would appear to be in their twenties until their eighties. One of the wonders of biotech improving leaps and bounds.

Not long after her shout two small girls, age 4, ran out of their room and through the living room to the kitchen. Grabbing their lunch boxes, they each gave their mother a big loving hug.

After which they ran to the living room where they opened their boxes and looked at what their mother had made for them. Comparing theirs to the others, Ven had made both of them the exact same sandwiches.

They still managed to find differences. Be they real or just imagined, leading to a cute argument.

The reason they did this was that as twins they always felt like the other was being treated better. That along with their older brother, Roland, always taking his sweet time finishing up. Hence, they had a few minutes to spare, no matter how much their mother shouted.

Roland, age 12, finally came out of his room five minutes later, ignoring his mother and the food she prepared he directly headed for the front door. Only shouting as he walked through it, "I'll get a lift from Jon!"

Ven sighed as her eldest reopened a never-healed wound in her heart. She was a single mother because her ex-husband, Kerwin, was in jail. The reason for his imprisonment was simple, but not straightforward. It had almost destroyed her.

Kerwin had stolen her research with no thought of her nor the national security breaches this would cause. He had simply tried to sell it to the highest bidder. Unfortunately for him, Roland happened to be at the age of exploration and had uncovered his dad's misdeed.

Not knowing what he had found he had brought it to his mother. Ven was absolutely devastated when her little boy showed her the absolute destruction of her love and trust.

Beyond hurt and furious, Ven had acted in anger. She would not change what she had done, but she certainly wished she could have done it in a more quiet manner. She wished that the fights could have been kept from Roland, that he would never have come to believe they were due to him.

This ate at her each day, especially as they continued to drift apart.

Roland had never forgiven her, he felt she had used him against his own father. A father who had been his hero and role model. This wound had festered and with Ven now being a single mother and a leading figure in her field, she had little time to properly sit down and sort it out.

Not that she knew how to do that even if she had the time. Talking about the incident still hurt, even after the past two years. Each time she would feel her heart being squeezed as if in a vice, while Roland's anger just made the suffocating feeling worse.

This was not the only reason why Roland had grown distant and even grown to despise his own mother. The other large reason was that, unlike his dad, Ven always placed her work first. While she tried to make time for her family, normally work just won that moral battle.

This had become far clearer to Roland with Ven missing their games and often needing to organize for them to ride with the Andersons. Good friends and colleagues of Ven, their perfect family relationship aggravating Roland's anger and hurt.

He hated it, he hated how she didn't come to their sports games. He hated how the Andersons always made time for their kids. He hated how she never spent any time helping them with homework. He hated how he lost the one he confided in… He hated her…

Ven did not know how much the matter with her husband had hurt Roland. If only she could take a few days off for family... Unfortunately, work was her life. Family was something that Kerwin had always wanted. While she was extremely happy with having had kids, work was still her life.

Smacking her own cheeks after looking at Roland leaving, Ven talked herself up; 'You did great with what you were dealt.'

After having calmed herself, she drove the two sweet and innocent ones to their school. Looking fondly at their departing figures, Ven wished she could freeze time. To not let age destroy their innocence and pure love. She feared that they would soon become distant just like Roland had with age.

'Time! You bastard, I will make you bend to me!' She swore as a tear formed in her eyes from fear. Fear of what all parents had to go through, and her not being ready for it. Not after the hand she had been dealt.

...

"Edvard, are the kids ready?" Yawen shouted from the living room, receiving the all-too-common answer.

"Tracy is, but Robert…" Edvard's voice paused, clearly sighing as he prepared himself for the next part. "He is taking his sweet time! Again…" He sighed as he added the again, still not sure how he felt about this trend Robert started following.

"Rush him!" Yawen shouted back, causing Edvard to sigh again. Was it not what he was doing?

Still, Yawen's encouragement resulted in a few more shouts being heard before Robert finally left his room. Tracy happily skipping behind him.

"When will you accept that this is who I am?" Robert asked exasperated. He was not a common teenager. He was extremely accepting of others and their beliefs, no matter what they were; as long as it did not hurt others.

He wished that his parents would give him the same courtesy. Instead, they always insisted that he must be gay, incapable of believing a straight man could take an hour to get ready.

One of the greatest fears shared by both Yawen and Edvard was that Tracy would copy her brother. Then the house would truly be ruled by the children.

"Sorry hon," Yawen said as she gave Robert a hug, "But you can't take so long and not wake up earlier."

"But I did!"

"Oh god... How long have you been doing your makeup?" Yawen asked, shocked stiff in their embrace.

"Since five. Today's a big day."

'What the hell? Five?' Yawen wanted to shout, but stopped herself and slowly let Robert go. 'Since five, it is almost seven! It didn't take me that long even for my wedding!' She only barely managed to not say this aloud.

Apart from this little scene the family was mostly happy, never having large fights. They were the best family in the school, with the teachers left without words that Yawen and Edvard were not forcing Robert to be more 'normal'.

Looking at Robert leading Tracy to her class a tear formed in Yawen's eyes. "I hate this. Why must we go today?"

Edvard reached over and lovingly wiped the tears from her eyes, "Because we are the best, no one else will be able to cover for us." He lifted her chin towards him and gave her a quick kiss.

"Now drive, we need to be on time." He said after looking into her eyes and confirming that the sadness had passed.