It was late noon. Madison sat in the wooden chair, her head leaning against one side of the chair for support, tears dripping from her eyes every now and then. Richard sat at her knees, resting his head on her lap. Madison gently kept stroking his fine, blonde hair. Richard raised his head.

"Mother?"

"Yes?"

"When will father come home?"

"Soon, dear."

He laid down his head again. Still, he was not convinced. Something pricked him from the inside.

"Mother?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Father could start a big store, so he could earn much more," suggested the little mind, trying his best to paste into the situation.

"Never worry about that, sweet bird. We will take care of those," she whispered, tearfully.

Silence prevailed for the next few minutes.

"Richard?"

On hearing his name being called, Richard lifted his head like a little kitten, looking at his mother's face.

"Don't tell father what happened today, will you?"

"Why not, mother?"

"Trust me. I will talk about this to him later. Understood, Richard?"

Just then, there was a sharp knock at the door. Madison quickly wiped off the tears from her face. Richard fled to get the door, saying, "That should be father."