Chapter 3: A Mother’s Embrace

Josh sat at the breakfast table, a warm mug of cocoa in his hands, breathing in the familiar scents of his mother’s cooking. The kitchen was alive with activity as his mother, Dorothy, moved around with practiced ease, flipping pancakes, scrambling eggs, her soft hum blending with the sizzle of the pan. She was so vibrant, her movements sure and graceful, nothing like the frail woman he had last seen in that hospital bed years ago.

Sitting across from him, thirteen-year-old William was already digging into his food, barely pausing between bites. Josh watched his brother with a mix of nostalgia and quiet amazement. He hadn’t seen William like this—so young, so full of energy—in decades.

“Hey, don’t stare,” William said, his mouth full. “You’re gonna make my food go cold with all that gawking.”

Josh smiled, rolling his eyes. “Just surprised you’re still the same, that’s all.”

William gave him a puzzled look. “Still the same? What’s that supposed to mean? I’m thirteen—how different am I supposed to be?”

Josh chuckled. “Nothing, forget I said anything.”

A loud thud came from the doorway as their oldest brother, Joel, sixteen, entered the kitchen with a messy shock of hair and a scowl, clearly still half-asleep. He dragged himself to the table, grabbing a slice of toast from the plate in the center.

“Mornin’,” Joel muttered, barely glancing at anyone before focusing on his food.

Josh felt a pang in his chest, recalling the rocky relationship he’d had with Joel in their later years. As a teenager, Joel had been the family rebel, always pushing boundaries and butting heads with their mom. Eventually, Joel’s troubles had led to estrangement, and the distance between them had never fully healed. Now, seeing him like this—young, moody, but still part of the family—Josh felt a rush of determination to make things different this time.

“Morning, Joel,” he said warmly, trying to mask the surprise in his voice.

Joel raised an eyebrow. “You’re a little too chipper today, aren’t you?” he grumbled, clearly unused to such a warm greeting from his younger brother.

For a moment, Josh’s mind flashed forward to the last time they’d all been together, as adults. It had been a tense, quiet dinner, each of them avoiding eye contact, the unspoken tension thick in the air. Joel had been distant, William distracted, and Josh himself had been too caught up in his own struggles to try to bridge the gap. They had barely spoken, each of them lost in their own lives, and the years had stretched between them like a widening chasm.

But now, here they were again, all of them young, all of them together, without the weight of time pulling them apart.

“Here you go, boys,” Dorothy said, setting plates of pancakes and eggs in front of them, her smile warm as she ruffled Josh’s hair. “Eat up—you’ve got a big day ahead of you.”

Josh took a bite, savoring the taste. He’d forgotten just how comforting his mother’s cooking could be, the simple joy of a warm breakfast made with love. He felt a lump form in his throat, overwhelmed by the realization of how many of these moments he’d missed.

“Mom, these are amazing,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.

She chuckled, clearly pleased. “Well, you’re welcome, sweetheart. You must have worked up an appetite sleeping in so late.”

The day slipped by in a blur as Josh found himself back at his old elementary school, where the bright hallways and noisy classrooms felt simultaneously familiar and foreign. His mind was still reeling from the shock of being a child again, and everything around him seemed to fade in and out, as if he were caught between two worlds.