'Geez, even this ring has some effect to me.' She took the ring and lifted it up above her head as though she's examining it if it has flaws. But her mind is imagining something else.

She s.h.i.+fted her gaze and looked for her journal. She went back to her room and sat down at chair of her bedside desk table and placed the ring at the top of her journal.

Everytime she's confused, she'll straight away make a note of her thoughts. She had this habit of writing the disadvantage and advantage in every crucial decision she had to make in the near future. And then weigh which is heavier and reasonable and then that will be her decision, final decision.

While she was writing her thoughts, her eyes caught s.h.i.+mmering light from the ring for a second. Her body hair rose and she had goose b.u.mps.

"Gos.h.!.+ Does this ring have a spell or something?" she muttered to herself. She's distracted and could not finish writing the advantages. "I'll just continue this later," she placed the ring back to the drawer. She decided not to continue her office work when she looked at the time it's past nine o'clock in the evening. She decided to get the child and tuck her to bed.

"Are you two finished already? It's past nine and Clark you need to sleep. We'll have to wake up early tomorrow."

"Oh okay..." the child's face becomes sullen but suddenly it lit up. "Mommy, daddy said it's his first sleep over so I would like to suggest that we sleep together."

"Oh no, no son. That's not a very good idea."

"Then let's sleep together, son. That would be nice. Your mom isn't comfortable yet having me around, so let's just understand her okay." Clifford winks at Clark.

"But my bed's small and you're so tall dad and heavy..."

"Ahhh, let's sleep at the guest room."

"But, I'm not comfortable there because I can't sleep in any other room if I'm at home except mine and mommy's."

The two talked as though Ingrid isn't there. They seem lost at their conversation and like it's really a big problem. She won't let this two win again.

"Okay guys, good night. I know the two of you can come up some nice ideas regarding your sleeping arrangement." Looking at Clark she said, "...Your father is a renowned and wise businessman after all, learn from him." She winked at her son before she left and then she laughed singlehandedly outsmart their trick.

Several minutes pa.s.sed.

She wondered what the two were up to, so she decided to check on them on her monitor. And there she witnessed Clifford's sitting on Clark's bed. He looked like a giant sitting on a dwarf's bed. He's reading a book to his son and the child seemed engrossed at what his father is reading.

.....

Clifford tried his best to explain everything to Clark all the things written in the encyclopedia of world history for children. When out of the blue Clark asked,

"Daddy, do you think mom will just let us sleep together like this?" the child looked at his dad's situation.

"I don't know but we'll just wait."

Then a soft knock interrupted them.

"Come in!" Clark answered.

Ingrid came into view with a gla.s.s of milk. "Ahh, daddy, you're right," Clark whispered to his dad.

"I bet you're both comfortable." Ingrid makes fun of them but she doesn't want to show it. "Here's your milk, son." But both of them didn't speak nor take a quick a glance at her.

Clifford just flipped the pages but his mind is silently praying that she'll allow them to sleep over to her room.

"What a miracle, you both are no longer chatty." She laughed. Still the two played unresponsive. So Ingrid walked slowly to go out and when she was about to turn the doork.n.o.b,

"Oh, well... if that's what you want, then you couldn't sleep over to my room." She smirked and then left immediately.

The two of them jumped to their feet and Clifford carried Clark and run after Ingrid.

Clark was in between of Clifford and Ingrid.

"Dad, Mom... this is the best night of all the nights. Good night daddy, good night, mommy." And he reached out to each of them and kissed their cheeks.

"Good night baby.." they replied at the same time and again stared at each other. Clifford smiled while Ingrid rolled her eyes.

"Ingrid, thank you for this, you never knew how much this means to me." but Ingrid did not respond but pretended she's asleep.

.....

The next morning.

Ingrid woke up at the sound of her alarm. She smiled at the sight of her son peacefully sleeping but her brows furrowed when she saw that Clifford's no longer around and then she noticed a sticky note on her bedside table.

MY SWEET,

SEE YOU AT CLARK'S SCHOOL LATER.

LOVE,

CLIFF