Strange Children, Strange Mothers, Strange Sandwiches

Alex never expected to find herself in Edmund's apartment again, sitting on his couch as they both waited for his son to arrive. The plan was to have today be a normal hang-out day, which apparently meant watching television, playing board games, and whatever else came to mind. Edmund was going to take his son to the movies on Sunday as a reward if he was nice to Alex, so at least there was some motivation for them to get along. However, that meant explaining the situation to his ex-wife as well, and when Alex asked how that went, Edmund remained silent. Not exactly a good sign.

After waiting close to an eternity, the doorbell rang, causing Alex to jump up from her seat while nervously clutching at her chest. Edmund went ahead to answer the door with Alex tailing not far behind. The door opened to reveal the two people they were waiting for, and Alex gawked when she recognized them. The professional, business suit-wearing blond and the small, black-haired boy holding her hand were the same two she saw outside the apartment the other day. Now that sweet mother had the sourest expression on her face as she glanced between her and Edmund.

"Hello, Edmund," the mother said.

"Hello, Candace," Edmund replied.

"I see you have a new girlfriend after all. I didn't think it would be possible."

"Yes, it is possible. Despite what you may think, I am capable of caring."

"Oh? Well, what a surprise. I wonder what it was then that stopped you from caring before."

"You say that like I never did."

"You never showed it."

Their exchange was both robotic and heated, and Alex didn't know it was possible to pull off such passive-aggressiveness. Meanwhile, little Oliver kept staring directly at Alex, his narrow, black eyes no different than his father's.

"Hey there, Oliver!" Alex said cheerfully as she knelt down to his level, trying to distract him from his parents. "My name's Alex. It's so nice to meet you! I hope you don't mind me joining you and your dad today."

Oliver nodded to signal his approval, then tugged his hand away from his mother to walk inside. Rather than deal with being in his mother's presence, Alex followed behind him.

"Then I'll see you on Sunday," Edmund said.

"That you will," Candace said, then turned to leave.

Alex was more than relieved once Candace was gone, the air already feeling a lot lighter. Oliver was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed and his eyes fixated on the television screen, having the same focused expression his father would when reading over documents. The resemblance was truly uncanny, yet there was something weird about a child mimicking such a mature face with those chubby cheeks of his.

"What are you watching?" Alex asked as she sat down beside him, noticing he had changed the channel.

"Pretty Power Ponies is coming on soon," Oliver answered.

Alex perked up from the name, being familiar with the show. "Oh, I remember that from when I was a kid! I loved that show!"

"This is a reboot," Edmund explained as he sat down on the couch, observing the two. "He begs his mother to come at this time so he can watch it here."

Alex curiously tilted her head. "Why's that?"

Instead of Edmund answering, Oliver said, "Because it's for girls. I don't want to get in trouble."

Alex's mouth gaped and she looked back at Edmund. "Is he serious?"

Edmund shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sure she'd let him watch it if she knew what it was actually about. She merely monitors most of what he views from media to make sure it's appropriate, and it has gotten him in trouble before."

"Well then who said it was only for girls?"

"The other boys on the playground," Oliver said.

Alex frowned, finally putting it all together. He was bright for a seven-year-old, and this was the point where kids figure out what's right and wrong. It was also when they started to become more aware of their surroundings, for better and for worse. She could recall when she was that age and noticing how her body didn't quite feel right, her body image worsening over time due to the lack of support from those around her. Even if the circumstances were completely different, she didn't want Oliver to feel as alone as she did.

"Those boys are dumb!" Alex shouted with vigor, then pointed to herself. "Take it from an adult like me, kid. You can like any show you want! I watched it all the time, and nothing bad ever happened."

Oliver stared at her with a confused expression. "Will watching it make me a girl like you?"

Alex's jaw nearly dropped to the ground, and she turned to Edmund once more. "YOU TOLD HIM?!"

Unfazed by Alex's shock, Edmund simply replied, "I thought it would be important for him to know. It was a perfect learning opportunity."

"You could have at least asked me first!"

"Ah, you're right. Sorry."

Alex sighed and decided to drop it for now, instead shifting back to a cheerful, encouraging demeanor for Oliver's sake. "No, my case is special. Pretty Power Ponies is actually for everyone! I bet those boys said that because they were jealous you were watching it. As long as what you're doing isn't hurting anyone, don't let other people get in the way of what you like."

Oliver blinked, taking a moment to process what she said, then replied, "Okay. Let's stop talking now. It's starting."

Alex took that as a victory and let the topic rest, watching the show alongside him. While the art style was more cartoony than what she grew up with, it did make each pony stand out more. Soon enough, the world and setting drew her in, and she found herself falling in love like a little kid again. She and Oliver were eagerly cheering on the ponies in their adventures as Edmund smiled from the sidelines, enjoying the view.

Once the episodes were over, Oliver stood up to go over to the closet, picking out a board game all by himself to bring to the living room table. Alex recognized the board game from her own youth, and how she could never beat her brother at it. It seemed simple since all you had to do was match four circles before your opponent, yet there was a lot of strategy involved.

"You can play with me first," Oliver said, pointing to Alex. "Then I play with dad."

"Sounds good to me!" Alex said.

Alex wanted to go easy on Oliver since he was the child here, but she soon discovered her brother wasn't the only master at this game. Or maybe she was just bad at it. Regardless, every time she tried to line up her pieces, Oliver would block her while also setting himself up for victory. It didn't take long for him to put her in an unwinnable situation, where he had two openings at once where he could line up four in a row, so no matter what she did he was going to win. Alex chose to keel over and admit defeat, and Oliver proudly placed his hands on his hips like he was the king of board games.

Edmund chuckled, amused by their antics, then said, "That was a good match. Now it's my turn, isn't it?"

Oliver shifted his attention to his father, his eyes burning with a competitive spirit. After setting up the board, it was time for the ultimate match. Father vs. son. Big man vs. Little man. To Alex's amazement, neither one of them backed down throughout the match. They were constantly one step ahead of each other in a race to get the pieces right where they needed to go. One block here, a set up there, back and forth with no clear end in sight. However, the game was forced into a stalemate when they filled up the entire board, leaving it at a draw.

"You're getting better at this," Edmund said.

"I will defeat you one day, father," Oliver replied in a serious tone.

Alex started to wonder if she had walked into a shounen anime.

The tension was broken by the sound of a low grumble, and Oliver patted his stomach in response. "I'm hungry. I wanna make a sandwich."

"Let's clean up first and then we can make a sandwich," Edmund replied with a stern, fatherly voice.

Oliver listened to his father and cleaned up, putting the game back in the closet before heading into the kitchen. Determined to do everything himself, he grabbed all of the ingredients he wanted from the fridge, yet his shortness prevented him from getting anything on the shelf. Noticing this, Alex stepped in to assist him, handing him the jar he was reaching for.

"Thank you," Oliver stated plainly, then set everything up on the counter. "Do you want a sandwich too?"

"Oh! Uh... yes!" Alex said, both surprised and touched by the offer. "I'll have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

Oliver made her sandwich first as requested, placing it to the side when he finished to move on to his own sandwich. On top of peanut butter and jelly, he placed ham, turkey, cheese, lettuce, mayo, ketchup, and raisins on his sandwich. It was... unique, to say the least.

"That's a lot of stuff," Alex said, growing worried when she saw the pile was building up. "Are you sure you'll like that?"

"I like all of these foods."

"Yes, but... all together? That might make your tummy hurt."

Oliver pouted, clearly annoyed with her butting in. "But I want it."

Not having the heart to stop him, Alex had no choice but to step back. "Okay... if you say so."

Alex then glared over at Edmund, trying to get him to come over and stop him, yet the man seemed fine with his son's actions. So she took her nice sandwich and joined him on the couch to eat, praying they wouldn't have to clean the carpet later.

"It's good he's trying new things on his own," Edmund said. "He's eager to learn how to be more independent."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Alex said while happily chewing away at her sandwich. "He sure knows how to make a good PB&J."

Alex and Oliver ate their sandwiches in peace, with Alex baffled that he managed to eat the entire thing. He didn't grimace or seem disgusted at all. Did kids always have such strange tastes? Craziest thing she ever did as a kid was mix sodas at the soda dispenser.

"I'm not eating that again," Oliver said after everything was said and done with. "I'll use less stuff next time."

"Well now you know," Edmund said as he took both Alex and Oliver's plates to wash them.

Oh well. It was a learning experience, she supposed.

Oliver went to the black backpack he brought with him and pulled out a handheld gaming device, carrying it with him towards the bathroom without a word. Alex realized almost immediately what Oliver might be planning.

"If you're taking that in the bathroom, make sure you wash your hands when you're done!" Alex shouted right as Oliver was closing the door.

"That seems to be a new habit of his," Edmund said as he returned from the kitchen. "It helps him relax, so I let him do it. I also have sanitary wipes."

"Smart move."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang once more. Alex glanced up to see Edmund as puzzled by this as her, meaning this was a surprise visit. When he went to open the door, they were both stunned to see Candace standing there with a toothbrush at hand.

Edmund's eyebrows furrowed, clearly upset, yet he kept his tone calm and composed regardless. "Why are you back so soon?"

"I forgot to pack his toothbrush," Candace said. "So I figured I should drop it off."

"I could have bought him another one."

"He really likes this one though."

Alex cringed at such a lame excuse. She was definitely checking in on them.

Deciding to bite the bullet, Alex approached her with a friendly attitude as she said, "Oh, hey there! Sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier. I'm Alex. Your son is so sweet. He even made me a sandwich earlier."

Candace looked back at her with a deadpan stare. "Oh, so he's in the bathroom then. Well it's nice to meet you, Alex. And you're... how old?"

"Twenty-four," Alex answered gleefully, receiving an eyebrow twitch from Candace in response.

"I see. Then you're five years younger. I was expecting much worse honestly."

Now it was Alex's turn to have her eyebrow twitch, yet she tried to follow Edmund's example by keeping her cool. "Oh, you know! We're all adults here. Plus, people are always telling me I'm mature for my age."

"It's probably the make-up. You should consider cutting back."

Ouch. Right in the insecurities.

Edmund held out his hand and asked, "Is that all? If so, please give me the toothbrush and leave."

Candace rolled her eyes and dropped it right into his hand. "Fine. Since you're the one who had the talk with him, I'm assuming you'll be responsible about it."

"Of course. Good bye, Candace."

They watched her leave before heading back into the living room. Alex was already feeling exhausted after that encounter. It should be expected she would run into distrusting people since she was being more open about herself, yet it was something she was going to have to get used to.

"I'm sorry if she insulted you," Edmund said while placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Do know it's not about you. She's doing it to get at me."

Alex smiled a little and put her hand over his. "I know. But please tell me you didn't tell anyone else."

"No, I didn't."

"Good. Let's keep it that way, alright?"

"Alright."

The bathroom door creaked open, and the two separated as Oliver came back out. His eyes were glued to the game he was playing, and Alex questioned whether or not he picked up on anything while in there. She chose to doubt it for their sake and approached him once more.

"So what game are you playing?" she asked.

"Monster Catcher," Oliver said.

"I heard of that game. Can you show me some of the monsters you caught?"

That caught Oliver's interest right away, and next thing Alex knew they were sitting on the floor while Oliver went into excessive detail about each creature in the game. She could barely follow along with what he was saying, but she tried to stay engaged regardless. The way Oliver's eyes shined reminded her of how obsessed she was with her interests when she was younger. Maybe Rumi was right after all.

Eventually, it was time for Edmund to make dinner, and that was when Alex decided to get ready to leave.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner?" Edmund asked.

"I'm sure!" Alex said while waving a hand. "As good as dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets sound, I've got food that's about to go bad at home without my roommate to help me eat it."

"Alright then."

Oliver then came over to lightly tug on her shirt. "You're not staying over?"

Alex blushed a bit, knowing it was a perfectly innocent question, and shook her head. "Sorry, not this time."

Oliver gazed up at her with adorable, doe-like eyes. "Next time?"

He got her there. It was impossible for her to say no in this state. Yet how would Edmund feel about that?

"The couch pulls out into a bed," Edmund stated, as if he heard her question. "So arrangements would be easy enough."

Alex beamed, finding herself brimming with excitement. "You hear that? I can stay over next time!"

Oliver seemed to catch her excitement and bounced on his feet. "Yay! I'll see you next week!"

"Absolutely."

With plans already settled, Alex waved goodbye to Oliver, who returned the favor as she left. She couldn't remember the last time she slept over someone's house. Sure, Oliver was going to be there, so it wasn't exactly going to be the most romantic setup, but still! She was going to spend the night at her boyfriend's place! She was ranking up faster than she expected!

She made a mental list of what to pack as she skipped on home, hoping a certain ex won't interrupt them next time.