1 | Family And Dreams: Mutually Inclusive

“I’m home.”

The figure of a man stepped into the home’s entryway.

“Daddy!” cried a voice from another room.

A little girl sprinted into the room and latched onto his leg, staggering him slightly.

“Hey Ellie,” the man said with a smile.

This man’s name is Isaiah Elliott. It’s not a famous nor well-known name outside of his neighborhood just outside of Asheville, North Carolina. As you can tell, the name daddy seems to be very famous in this household.

A boy, a little older than Ellie, grabbed onto his right leg. This caused him to lose his balance and topple backward. Or perhaps he just wanted them to believe that. Either way, the result was the same.

“Whoa, Noah!” Isaiah said with a small smile. “You’re too strong to run into Daddy like that!”

“One day, I’ll be big and strong like you,” Noah stated with a matter of fact grin.

“That day might be coming sooner than I’d like,” Isaiah said with a smile and a wink.

Ellie proceeded to climb up onto Daddy’s stomach and near his face. Without warning, she began planting dozens of tiny kisses onto his left cheek. Daddy squinted his eyes shut and braced for them. Once she finish, he rolled her over and began planting his own kisses back on her cheek. Ellie giggled uncontrollably as she squirmed.

Noah latched onto his back and wrapped his arms around Daddy’s neck to apply a sleeper hold. Daddy released Ellie and leaned back.

“So… Strong…” Daddy panted as he pretended to be in distress.

“Hah!” Noah cried out in triumph.

“Alright, that’s enough,” came another voice from down the hall.

The action immediately ceased. Noah released his grip on Daddy’s neck and put his hands behind his back. Ellie appeared at his side, the same hands-behind-back stance her brother had taken. Isaiah slowly stood and turned, a smile on his face.

“Hey, beautiful.”

This is Mommy. I’m sure you could tell that by the reaction of Noah and little Ellie. She smiled at the children, her tone clearly mocking anger.

“Don’t you ‘hey beautiful’ me. I’ve been cleaning this-- Oh my God!”

As her eyes met Isaiah’s she gasped and pointed. Isaiah’s smile faltered and he turned his head away slightly.

“What is that? What happened?”

With a closer examination of Isaiah’s face, you can see a large gash just above his eye. It has been treated and bandaged but that, if anything, only draws more attention to the wound. Shame spilled over Isaiah’s face.

“Still?” the woman said, her glare intensifying. “Didn’t we talk about this?”

“Abby, I’m…”

Isaiah turned to look at Abby, a mix of shame and sadness swirling in his eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

The two looked at each other, into each other’s eyes, each with their own flavor of intensity. Abby looked away first.

“I’ve heard that before,” she stated simply. “But, maybe this will help.”

She disappeared into the kitchen and returned with an envelope and a fresh scowl.

“Addressed to you. Says it’s from some place called Union Battleground. Ring any bells?”

Isaiah’s face briefly flashed excitement followed immediately by concern. Abby sighed.

“Look, babe. I know you want this. I’ve always known. I knew it before I married you. I have no excuses. But that doesn’t mean I am going to stop worrying. What would your babies do if they didn’t have a dad tomorrow? Would it mean I should go find them a new one? I don’t think so.”

Both Noah and Ellie scowled when the words ‘new one’ cleared Abby’s lips. Isaiah slowly approached Abby, a gentle smile on his face. He reached his arms out and wrapped them around her. The hand holding out the envelope dangled strangely before wrapping around Isaiah to return the embrace.

“You’ve always been so supportive of me even when I don’t deserve it,” Isaiah said softly into Abby’s ear. “I know it doesn’t make sense to you but you still support me anyway. You’ve got my back always and I will express my appreciation for the rest of our lives. I notice, and I love you.”

Abby strains as she tries not to smile.

“You think you can just sweet talk your way out of this?”

“Figured I could try,” Isaiah replied with a smile.

“Fine,” she said as she pulled away and gave into the smile. “Take it.”

Abby offered the envelope and Isaiah took it. The four of them moved to the left and into the dining room. They all sat down at the table in the center of the room. All eyes turned to Isaiah and the envelope. He took a deep breath and opened it up, withdrawing a letter.

---

From the offices of Axel Graves:

Dear Isaiah Elliott,

It is our pleasure to inform you that you have been accepted to join Union Battleground.
We are a growing organization of fighters from around the world and we feel that you
would add to this diverse and dynamic group…

---

The letter goes on to detail the working relationship, company policies, and offered salary. Isaiah blinks at the paper. He turns it and slides it toward Abby. She looks over it and gasps. The two look up at each other.

“I won’t be around as much but… I’ll be able to take care of you better than a mechanic’s salary could.”

“Sweetheart,” Abby said softly, “you don’t need to ‘take care of’ me. I love my car repair guy for who he is, not his deposits into the bank. But… I know this is more than that. This is for you, what you need in your life. You don’t have to justify yourself to me. We only have one life, right? Why not live your dream?”

Isaiah looks away. His head is swirling with thoughts, thoughts of competing under the bright lights, in front of different crowds, against the best the world has to offer. At the same time, he sees his wife in bed at night, alone, shivering. She always shivers though. And her feet are always so cold! She loves pressing them to his leg and back in the middle of the night, waking him up. None of that though. Just hotels. Off to the next one, over and over for months on end. Noah and Ellie might just grow up without him, get married, start their own families, And he might miss all the important parts.

“Honey,” she pleaded seemingly reading his mind, “we will be perfectly fine. I will be very unhappy if you don’t give your dream a shot.”

Isaiah nods and turns to his little ones.

“What about you two? Think I should do it?”

“My dad can do anything!” Ellie cried out with a smile.

“You’ll be like a super hero!” Noah followed up.

Isaiah stood and his family stood with him. They all gathered together in a family group hug. Isaiah’s eyes closed as he soaked in the support.

“I love you. I would be nothing without you.”

End.