Talia's Monster

 Today's Story is  by Melia


"Mommy I can't sleep in my bed tonight. So I'll sleep with you." Talia explained to Mommy.

"And why is that?" Mommy asked.

Talia grabbed a cookie from the cookie jar. Gave her mother a pleading look and begged, "Please, mommy! Please! Let me sleep in your bed with you tonight. There's a monster in my closet."

Mommy covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. "Oh honey, there's no such thing as monsters. It's probably just because it's dark, and you see shadows of the things in your room." Mommy giggled again.

Kirsti, Talia's big sister, laughed and teased, "There's no monster in your closet. There's only a monster in your bed!"

Talia look up with big eyes at Mommy. Now, she was even more scared at the the thought of a monster actually in her bed. What if it would try to cut her toes off while she was sleeping? Or what if the monster wanted to eat her head off while she was just sitting there quietly thinking on the edge of her bed? "The monster must be living under my bed." she decided.

This must have scared her baby sister, Lizzy too because she started crying. Mommy lifted her up and said, "Now, I don't want to hear any more about this monster nonsense because it's scaring Lizzy, but if you really believe there is a monster under your bed, you can go talk to Daddy about it."

Talia ran upstairs to find  Daddy. Kirsti followed her to find out what would happen next. When Talia found Daddy, she commanded, "There's a monster under my bed. Go kill it." Daddy chuckled and strolled into Talia's room.

Daddy inspected the room. Last he came to under the bed. "Nope. No monsters in here, my sweetie pie. Now it's time for bed."

Even though, Talia trusted her Daddy. She still was afraid there was a monster in her bed. So that night, after staying awake for about two hours on guard watching for a monster, she strolled to Mommy and Daddy's room. After finding their door locked so they could have some Mommy and Daddy time, she scurried into Kirsti's room. When she found Kirsti fast asleep, she crawled in bed with her and curled up to go to sleep.

This went on for the next few weeks until one day before Talia woke up, Kirsti marched downstairs. Eyes slanted, hands on hips, hair flying all over the place, crossly she yelled, "I'm fed up with having to share my bed with my little sister! It's bad enough having to share my house with her, but my bed too! You need to get her out of my room before she thinks she is going to be in there for the rest of her life!"

A few moments later, Talia waltzed into the room wearing pink fuzzy pajamas and furry bunny slippers. "Talia," Daddy said. "Would you like to make a deal?"

Talia raised her eyebrows and curiously replied. "That depends what the deal is."

Daddy stood up and said in a businesslike manner. "If I sleep in your bed tonight, and you sleep in my bed with Mommy, then if by tomorrow morning I wake up and I'm fine will you start sleeping in your bed and stop believing in monsters?"

Talia hesitated for a moment. Then, she shook hands with Daddy and said "Yes."

The next morning, Daddy woke up.  Talia saw him and realized he was fine. She knew that there was no such thing as monsters, and if there were they weren't in her room.

Twenty years later, when Talia's kids told her that they were afraid there were monsters in their room, she smiled, put them on her lap and told them this story.

Heather Opens Her Heart

Heather Mays loved the Polly the Princess show. It was her favorite show in the whole world. It was her favorite thing in the whole world. She had Polly dolls, and Polly toys and every Polly DVD ever made. Invisible Polly was her best friend in the world, and she didn't think she needed anything or anyone else.

It drove her family crazy. Mom and Dad were always trying to get her to try new things. "The Calico Kitty show looks really good." said Mommy one day when she and Heather were snuggling on the couch watching TV. Heather just  ignored her and kept on watching the Polly the Princess show.

"Wouldn't you like to get this Curious George book?" asked Daddy one day at the book store "Or how about this Fancy Nancy one?" Heather shook her head and picked out another Polly the Princess book. "Don't you have enough Polly the Princess books?"asked Daddy.

Heather shook her head again. "I can never have too many Polly The Princess books. " she insisted. "I want to have every Polly the Princess thing in the whole world." Now, it was Daddy's turn to shake his head. He looked at Heather sadly. She was missing out on so many things. Heather didn't think so.

Still, for Heather's sake Mommy and Daddy put up with Polly the Princess.  Her older sister, Nikki was a different story. Nikki was so tired of Polly The Princess. She had never really liked her that much in the first place, and she only grew to dislike her more and more the more Heather grew to love her. "I'm so sick of Polly the Princess!" she screamed storming out of the room every time she came upon Heather watching the Polly the Princess show.

Like it or not, Polly the Princess was a part of their lives and it looked like she was there to stay. Only Mommy didn't think so. "She'll grow out of it." Mommy assured Daddy and Nikki confidentally. Daddy couldn't imagine his little Heather without her Polly the Princess. Nikki would have loved for Heather to give up Polly the Princess, but couldn't imagine she ever would.

Then, it happened. Nikki came home from a friend's to find Heather sitting on the couch watching TV. Not wanting to watch yet another episode of The Polly Princess show, a show she hated anyway, she got ready to rush out of the room, but happened to glance at the TV on her way out.  'This doesn't look like the Polly the Princess show' thought Nikki. Could that be possible? "Heather," she asked finally. "What are you watching?"

"The Zany Zoo." replied Heather. "It's about this little girl who helps her father take care of all these zoo animals."  she explained. "It's my new favorite show!" she added excitedly.

Nikki's mouth dropped open in surprise. She couldn't believe that Heather finally had a new favorite show. She didn't know whether to be happy that at long last Heather finally seemed to be getting over Polly the Princess or worried that now Heather's world was going to be all about The Zany Zoo.

Things turned out to be much better than Nikki or anyone would have thought. Heather loved The Zany Zoo and watched it every chance she got, but she watched other shows too; The Calico Cat, Doc McStuffins, Dora the Explorer and other shows. Sometimes, she even watched Polly the Princess, but not as much as before. She read lots of books; books about The Zany Zoo, books about Curious George, books about Fancy Nancy and other books too. Sometimes, she even read Polly the Princess books although not as much as before. She had many friends, both real friends and imaginary friends, but she wasn't as friendly with invisible Polly the Princess.

"Do you know what?" asked Heather one afternoon when she and Mommy were walking home from school.

"What?" asked Mommy.

"Since I stopped liking Polly The Princess so much, I opened my heart to a lot of other things."

Mommy nodded and smiled. "I'm really proud of you, baby." she said giving Heather a big hug.

Beyond Bedtime

 Alexa Bradley was five years old. She loved rainbows and flowers and ice cream cones. Most of all, she loved her Mom and Dad and her baby sister, Ally. She hated spinach and rainy days and scary movies. Most of all she hated to go to bed.

Every night, she would come up with a million excuses to avoid going to bed. Her tummy hurt. Her head hurt. She was hungry. She was thirsty. She was hot. She was cold. She needed another glass of water. She needed another story. She needed another kiss. She wasn't tucked in just right. It was always something.

"Alexa, honey," sighed her mother tiredly while putting her to bed one night. "Why can't you go to sleep? It's not as if Daddy and I are up having parties after you go to sleep."

But all Alexa heard was parties. 'Aha!' she thought. 'I knew they have parties when I am in bed. I knew it!'

After that she wanted to go to sleep even less than before. After Mommy and Daddy put her to bed, she would scramble out of bed and try to listen to what was going on in Mommy and Daddy's room. Sometimes, it was really quiet, but sometimes she heard loud voices and laughter.  She knew they were having a party without her! She felt left out. She didn't know why Mommy and Daddy would want to have parties without her anyway. She was a fun girl.

Sometimes, when Alexa was good her mother would give her a special treat. Usually, she got to pick out a book or watch an extra TV show or something. One day, Alexa was especially good. Not only did she help Mommy with Ally, but she even cleaned up her room without being asked. "I was good today, mommy. Wasn't I?" she asked.

Her mother nodded. "Yes. I'm proud of you." replied her mother.

"I think I deserve a special treat,"

"Okay." agreed her mother. "Would you like to get a book at the bookstore?" Alexa shook her head no. "Would you like to watch an extra hour of TV?" Alexa shook her head no. "Would you like an ice cream from the ice cream man?" Once again, Alexa shook her head no. "Then, what would you like?" asked Mommy.

"I want to stay up after my bedtime!" stated Alexa excitedly.

"Oh." replied Mommy quietly. "Are you sure that is what you want? I think you will be disappointed."

Alexa didn't think so. "Yes! Yes! I'm sure." she said jumping up and down eagerly. She was finally going to get to one of Mommy and Daddy's bedtime parties. She could hardly wait.

The day dragged by slowly. Finally, it was night time. Alexa helped Mommy put Ally to bed. Then, she followed Mommy and Daddy into their bedroom and sat down on the bed. Daddy turned on the TV. It was one of those boring mystery shows that Alexa hated but Mommy and Daddy liked. When was the party? Where were the guests? Where was the food? Where was the fun?' They must be waiting for the guests to come' thought Alexa.  She waited and waited, but no guests came and there wasn't any food or fun. Alexa almost fell asleep, but she didn't. "Mommy," she said finally forcing her eyes to say open. "When is the party?"

"When is what party?" asked her mother.

"The after my bedtime party." replied Alexa.

Mommy smiled. "Oh, Alexa," she said. "Is that why you wanted to stay up because you thought we have parties when you to go to bed?"

Alexa nodded. "I always hear voices, and it sounds like fun."

"That is the TV." replied Mommy pointing to it. Alexa had to admit it was pretty loud and now the mystery show was over and some comedy was on. There was a lot of laughter coming from the screen. It did sound like a party.  Alexa sighed with disappointment.

Mommy kissed her on the forehead. "My sweet silly girl." she said. "By the time Dad has worked all day, and I have taken care of you and your sister and the house, and we have eaten dinner and given you and Ally baths and put you to bed, we are too tired to have a party. We usually just relax and watch TV."

Alexa frowned and got up off of Mommy and Daddy's bed and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Mommy.

"Back to my room."

"Why? Isn't this what you wanted? Aren't you having fun staying up after bedtime?"

"No! I'm not having fun. You and Daddy are boring. I'm going back to my room. " Mommy and Daddy laughed as Alexa hurried back to her own room. She never wanted to stay up after bedtime again at least not in Mommy and Daddy's room.

See You Next Year, Samantha!

It was the afternoon of December 31. Samantha Snow was really excited. She was going to be sleeping at Grandma's house. Mommy was packing her suitcase while Samantha eagerly threw toys into a bag beside her. "Are you sure you really need all those toys?" Mommy asked her as Samantha kept piling in toys.

Samantha nodded. "Yes, Mommy." she replied. "They get lonely without me. I'm their mommy."

Mommy smiled and hugged her. "I'll miss you when your gone, but you have enough toys for a year."

Samantha smiled back and kissed her. "I'll miss you too."

Soon, Grandma arrived to pick her up. Samantha gathered her things. Mommy scooped her up in her arms and kissed her. "I love you baby." she said "Have a good time."

"I love you too, mommy." Samantha replied. She picked up her toy bag and headed out the door after Grandma.

"See you next year, Samantha." called Mommy cheerfully. Samantha stopped in her tracks and turned quickly to see Mommy smiling and waving from the doorway. Samantha froze. Maybe, she shouldn't have packed so many toys. She didn't really want to be away for a year.

"Come on, sweetie." Grandma urged her ushering her down the path and into the car. Samantha looked back at her house as they drove down the street. She missed it, and she missed Mommy already. "My goodness, Samantha." Grandma said. "You're unusually quiet today." Samantha was usually quite a chatterbox.

They arrived at Grandma's house and went in. Grandma made lunch while Samantha sat on the couch barely watching the TV and clutching her favorite stuffed bear, Brownie. At lunch time, she just picked at her lunch even though it was macaroni and cheese her very favorite food in the whole world. After lunch, she lay down on the couch frowning and staring out the window.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" asked Grandma with great concern. She touched Samantha's forehead with the back of her hand and kissed it. It wasn't warm. Samantha wasn't running a fever. Grandma couldn't imagine what was wrong. "Does something hurt you?" she asked. Samantha shook her head no. They sat in silence for a while.

"Grandma? " said Samantha finally.  "How long is a year?"

"365 days."

"365 days!" exclaimed Samantha jumping out of her seat. She started to cry. "I want my Mommy!" she cried.

"Don't worry, sweetie." Grandma comforted her patting her gently on the back. "You'll see her tomorrow."

Samantha stared at Grandma as if she'd suddenly grown two heads or something. "But Grandma, " she sobbed. "You said there were 365 days in a year!"

Now, it was Grandma's turn to be puzzled. "There are." she replied.

"How can I see Mommy tomorrow if there's 365 days in a year? She said she would see me next year." Samantha burst into a fresh flood of tears.

Grandma smiled and brushed away Samantha's tears. "Oh sweetie." she explained. "Tonight is New Year's Eve. That means tomorrow is a new year. You'll see Mommy tomorrow, but it will be a new year. That's why she said she'll see you next year."

"Oh." replied Samantha feeling a little bit silly and a whole lot better. Her tears instantly stopped falling.

"So, " said Grandma, "Since your going to be here until tomorrow. Why don't we try to have some fun and have a New Year's celebration of our own."

"I'd like that." replied Samantha.

Everybody Doesn't Love Daisy

Skyler Billings loved many things.She loved rainbows and flowers. She loved puppies and kittens. She loved dolls and  stuffed animals. She loved her Mom and Dad and her older sister.

Most of all, Skyler loved Daisy Dewdrop. Daisy Dewdrop and the Flower Fairy Girls was her favorite TV show in the whole world. Skyler watched Daisy Dewdrop every day. She had Daisy Dewdrop dolls and Daisy Dewdrop toys and Daisy Dewdrop clothes. Skyler's older sister, Sara always said that if they came out with Daisy Dewdrop toliet paper, Skyler would want that too. Skyler didn't deny it. She considered it a goal to have every single Daisy Dewdrop item in the world. She loved that it seemed like they came out with a new Daisy Dewdrop item every day, but it made it so hard to keep up. Daisy Dewdrop was so wonderful. How could anybody not love her?

Well, not everybody did love Daisy Dewdrop. "If I hear another word about Daisy Dewdrop, I'll scream!" exclaimed Sara to their Mom as Sklyer sat in the living room listening to the opening theme song of the Daisy Dewdrop show.

Their Mom patted Sara on the back and smiled. "Don't worry." she said. "She'll outgrow it." Sara couldn't imagine that. She couldn't remember a time when Daisy Dewdrop wasn't a part of the their lives, and she was so tired of it. She grabbed her stuff and headed for her room.

At first Skyler's friends were into Daisy Dewdrop too. After a while though, they moved on to other things. "Don't you want to watch the Purple Puppy and Calico Kitty show? " asked her friend Amy one day. "It's new and it's such a great show."

Skyler shook her head. "I'd rather watch Daisy Dewdrop." she said.

Amy sighed. "I guess I'll see you around. " she said' "I've gotta go home." After a while, Amy stopped coming around. Soon so did Skyler's other friends.

One afternoon Mommy found Skyler sitting on the couch by herself looking sad. "What's the matter, baby?" she asked sitting down beside Skyler.

"Oh nothing." replied Skyler. She looked away because she didn't want Mommy to see how badly she really felt, but she just couldn't hold back the tears. 

Mommy scooped up Skyler on her lap. "My poor baby." she said. "You can tell Mommy."

"Nobody likes me anymore. Nobody wants to play with me anymore." Skyler burst into a fresh flood of tears.

"I'm sure that is not true." said Mommy. "Let's talk about it." Skyler told Mommy everything that had happened. "Hmm." said Mommy as Skyler finished talking. "I don't thing that it's you that they are sick of. I think it's Daisy Dewdrop." Skyler opened her mouth widely and began to protest. She didn't know how anyone could ever be tired of Daisy Dewdrop, but Mommy continued before she could say a word. "I know you love Daisy Dewdrop, but that doesn't mean everyone does." Skyler opened her mouth again to protest, but again Mommy interupted her. "Do you like those Disney Channel shows that Sara watches?" Skyler wrinkled her nose. She hated the shows that her sister watched, but what did that have to do with anything. "Well, you love your sister, don't you?" Skyler nodded usually she did.

"You love your sister and you don't love everything that she loves."

Skyler nodded again. "But Sara doesn't make me watch those Disney shows with her. We do other things together."

"Aha!" said Mommy.

"Oh!" said Skyler figuring it out suddenly. "Maybe my friends don't want to watch Daisy Dewdrop all the time either."

"Maybe, they don't."  agreed Mommy.

"But I love Daisy Dewdrop!" insisted Skyler almost beginning to cry again, but Mommy quickly hugged her tightly.

"You can still love Daisy Dewdrop." Mommy told her, "but that doesn't mean that everybody else is going to."

"I guess I could watch something else once in a while." said Skyler finally, "and I guess I could play with other toys and stuff. Do you think my friends would want to play with me again then? Do you think they would like me again?"

"I'm sure they would."

Skyler instantly brightened. "I'm going to go call Amy right now, and see if she wants to watch Purple Puppy and the Calico Kitty show with me." After all, Skyler could watch Daisy Dewdrop later on the DVR.

Oriana the Only Child

For five whole years of life, Oriana Gray had been an only child. She didn't  have an older brother who teased her like her friend, Franny did. She didn't have a younger sister who took all her stuff like her friend, Lola did. She didn't have anyone to fight with over toys. She just had herself and Mommy and Daddy and their golden retriever, Skipper, and that was enough, and she was happy .

One day when Oriana was busy playing in her backyard with her dog,  her mother called to her. Oriana smiled and waved and went back to playing with Skipper. "Oriana!" her mother called again more insistently. "Come and sit down and talk to me." She sat down on the wicker couch outside their back door and motioned for Oriana to come sit beside her. Oriana reluctantly dragged herself over and sat down beside her mother. Skipper followed her and sat at her feet.

"I love you, Oriana." said Mommy kissing her.

"I love you too, mommy. "replied Oriana kissing her back and staring at her in a puzzling manner. Mommy didn't call her over just to tell Oriana she loved her, did she? Oriana knew her Mommy loved her.

 "You know I can love other people and still love you too, don't you?' asked Mommy. Oriana nodded. She was still puzzled. Mommy was sure acting strange.

"Wouldn't you like to be a big sister one day?" Mommy asked suddenly changing the subject and getting to what was really on her mind.

Oriana shook her head quickly and jumped out of her seat. "Oh no, Mommy." she said still shaking her head. "I love being an only child. I love having you and Daddy all to myself."

"But wouldn't you like to have a sister or brother one day." insisted Mommy.

"I have a sister. " said Oriana. Now, it was Mommy's turn to look puzzled. Oriana pointed to Skipper.

Mommy smiled. "Oh, but that's not the same." she said.

"It's good enough for me." replied Oriana.

"Would you like to have a brother or sister to play with?" Oriana shook her head. "Wouldn't you like to have a brother or sister to talk to?" Oriana shook her head again. "Wouldn't you like to have a brother or sister to keep you company?" Oriana shook her head again and went into the house crying. Her mother was crying too. She saw her father go outside to comfort her mother as she came in the house. She heard him tell her mother that everything would be okay, Oriana would get used to it. She would not get used to it! Oriana screamed silently. She loved her life with just herself and Mommy and Daddy. She didn't want to share it or them. Ever!

Of course, it was not really up to Oriana. Mommy and Daddy were going to have another baby. There was nothing Oriana could do about it. They couldn't make her like it though, and they couldn't make her happy about it.

She decided to pretend that the baby didn't exist and that she was not going to be a big sister. Every time,they talked about the baby, she left the room and when she couldn't do that she shut her ears. She wouldn't help them pick out clothes or toys. She wouldn't help paint the baby's room even though they painted it her favorite shade of yellow. Whenever anyone said "You are so lucky, you are going to be a big sister soon." or something like that she would say "No! I'm not." and quickly change the subject or leave the room.

Well, finally after nine months of ignoring the impending arrival of the baby, Oriana could ignore it no more. The baby was here. Grandma picked Oriana up at school to take her to the hospital to see Mommy and the baby. Daddy was already with them. Oriana tried to convince Grandma to take her anywhere but there. She told Grandma that she didn't really want to be a big sister and that nobody had asked her opinion.

Finally, Grandma had enough. "Oriana, " she said sternly. "Your Mommy loves you, and your Daddy loves you too and that will never change. Now, we are going to the hospital to see them, and you are going to smile and be good and behave yourself and not complain or give them a hard time. Do you hear me?" Oriana nodded. She knew better than to argue with Grandma when Grandma used that tone of voice.

They arrived at the hospital and went up to the maternity ward. When they entered Mommy's room Daddy scooped Oriana up in his arms. "Daddy!" she said excitedly. Daddy put her down on the bed beside Mommy. Mommy put the blanketed bundle she had been holding into Oriana's arms and put her arms around both of them.

"Oriana." she said cheerfully, "Meet your sister, Alyssa."

Oriana didn't want to look but she couldn't help herself. She peeked down at the tiny face inside the blanket on her lap. It was so cute and so helpless, and it seemed to be looking right up at her. Her heart melted, and for the first time she felt like just maybe this big sister sister stuff wouldn't be so bad after all. "Hi. Alyssa." she whispered "I'm your big sister, Oriana, and you might not care about that so much right now, but you'll get used to it. Just like I am."

Sierra Wants A Sister

Sierra Benson was a very lucky girl. She had a sweet and beautiful mother. She had a handsome and kind father. She had an older brother named Henry. She had everything she could possibly want in life everything except one thing. Sierra really wanted a sister.

Almost everyone Sierra knew had a sister. Her friend Maggie had a sister. Her friend Paige had a sister. Her friend Rosie had a sister. More than half of the kids in her class had sisters. Sierra felt that she ought to have a sister too. She decided to do something about it. She decided to tell Mommy and Daddy that she really wanted  and needed a baby sister. If she did that, she was sure it wouldn't be long before she had one too.

She eagerly approached the subject one day when she and Mommy were riding in the car. Mommy," she said "Can you get me a baby sister?"

Mommy smiled pleasantly. "And, where should I get one from?" she asked cheerfully.

Sierra chewed on her finger and thought about it for a moment. "At Babies R Us?" she asked hopefully.

Mommy laughed. "It's a little more complicated than that." she replied.

Sierra was disappointed.

Another day, Mommy and Sierra were at the YMCA for Sierra's swim lesson. "Mommy?" asked Sierra very seriously as they changed out of their wet bathing suits. "When is my sister going to be born?"

Mommy kissed Sierra and patted her own very flat tummy. "Maybe, some day, sweetie." she said gently.

Mommy's tummy was too flat to have a baby in it. All her friend's Mommies tummies were big and round before their sisters were born. Sierra was disappointed. She didn't want a sister some day. She wanted one now!

Shortly after that day, Mommy and Daddy announced that they were going to have another baby. When Mommy told people that Sierra knew about the baby even before she and Daddy did, Sierra just beamed happily. She couldn't wait for her baby sister to be born.

"I'm going to have a sister." she told everyone she saw excitedly. Whenever anyone bothered to point out that the baby could be a brother, Sierra glared at them. "It's a sister!" she would reply angrily. She was sure of it.

Henry was hoping the baby would be a boy. It did not seem to matter that he was already 10, and the baby could not possibly ever be much of a playmate for him. "It could be a boy you know, Sierra." he insisted.

Sierra shook her head. "It's a girl." she said nodding her head as if to show that she was right.

One day, that seemed to Sierra to be quite a long while after Mommy and Daddy had told her they were going to have another baby, Sierra woke up in the morning. There was no sign of Mommy and Daddy but Grandma was there. "Get dressed, Sierra, " Grandma told her. "We are going to go the hospital to see the new baby." Sierra didn't have to be told twice. She hurried into her favorite jeans and the red Big Sister sweatshirt Mommy and Daddy had gotten her when they told her she was going to be a big sister. She had been saving it for today.

At the hospital, Sierra was a bit scared. It seemed so big, and she felt so little. She had never been to the hospital before.

Grandma hurried Sierra and Henry into the building and up to the maternity floor. Daddy was waiting for them. He picked Sierra up and led them to Mommy's room. Mommy was sitting on her bed with the cutest little baby Sierra had ever seen wrapped up in a striped blanket in her arms. Sierra smiled. "Is that my sister?" she asked excitedly.

Mommy and Daddy smiled back and nodded. "This is your sister, Savannah Joy Benson." replied Mommy proudly.

Sierra turned to Henry and stuck her nose in the air snobbily. "You see, Henry," she said. "I told you, it was a sister. I told all of you." she pointed out.

Mommy nodded again. "Yes you did." she replied. "Come and meet your new sister." she added.

Daddy helped Sierra to wash her hands. Then, he lifted her on to the bed beside Mommy. Mommy put Savannah carefully into Sierra's arms. Savannah looked as though she were looking right at Sierra. Sierra smiled down at her. "Hello, little sister. " she said smiling. "I love you. I loved you even before you were born. We are going to be great friends and sisters." And they were, and they  had an extreme sisterly love-hate relationship ever after.