Indomitable Spirit by Bernadette Marie Read Free Book Online Page A

it wasn’t a place she missed—she missed her family.
    The thought made her think about John Larson and his four children. It was probably dinner time for them too. Did his wife prepare him a grand meal every night? Did Jacob fuss over the tiniest thing? Did Abby eat peas? What were the other children’s names?
    “You’re thinking too much. Eat,” her grandfather nodded to her bowl.
    She picked up her chopsticks and took her first bite. No matter how old her grandfather was, he had a way with kimchi and rice.
     
    John took the bowl out of the microwave and set it on the table. Mason leaned in over the table and crinkled up his nose.
    “Peas? I don’t like peas.”
    “You’re going to have six of them at least,” John told him.
    “Uh-uh.” He sat back down and crossed his arms over his chest.
    “No thank you taste or straight to bed.”
    Mason puckered up his lips. “You can’t make me.”
    “Mason,” Jacob said softly. “I’m going to eat my peas.”
    John gave Jacob a glance. Really?
    “You don’t like peas either,” Mason quickly retorted.
    “I’m going to try them again. I’ll take my taste at the same time if you want.”
    John watched the exchange between his sons.
    “O-kay,” Mason said slowly.
    John spooned a few on each of their plates and watched as they both skillfully balanced two peas on their forks.
    “Ready? One, two, three,” Jacob counted off and both boys ate a few peas.
    John figured that was good enough for him. He wasn’t a huge fan of peas either, but he couldn’t waste the can. A moment later Abby ate a few peas and so did Cody—and no one was spitting them back up.
    John realized they were all looking at him now.
    “What?”
    “Eat your peas, Daddy.” Mason insisted and Jacob lowered his head grinning.
    John looked around at the three other three sets of eyes watching in anticipation. He took a fork full and put it into his mouth. The peas squished between his teeth and the residue of them stuck to his tongue. He swallowed quickly. He still didn’t like peas, but the three youngest kids at the table were cheering and they ate more.
    Jacob looked up, still smiling, and began to eat his chicken.
    When dinner was done John turned on the TV for the younger kids, as was routine, so that he could clean up without any interruption.
    When he returned to the kitchen Jacob had already cleared the table and had the water running in the sink to fill it.
    “What did you do with my son?” John laughed as he watched Jacob open the door to the refrigerator and put away the butter and the milk.
    “I’m just helping out, Dad. Don’t freak out.”
    “It’s just that I’ve never seen you in here doing this before without making loud stomping noises with your feet and grunting every time you picked something up.”
    Jacob returned to the table and began to scrape the plates onto one plate and then stack the empties.
    “Dad, why don’t you go watch TV with them tonight. You should have a night off too. Most men aren’t in their kitchens cleaning dishes before they give their kids baths.”
    John watched him. Eight. This kid was eight. What were eight-year-olds supposed to do? Help with the dishes. Takeover—not so much.
    But Jacob seemed happy doing what he was doing and he wasn’t complaining.
    “So you really like doing karate?”
    That made Jacob stop as he walked across the kitchen with his hands full of dishes.
    “Yes, sir.”
    John should have expected the proper answer, but there was still some getting used to it.
    “Ms. O’Bryne agreed to let you guys continue to help around the school.”
    Jacob set the dishes in the sink and turned off the water, but he didn’t turn around.
    “Dad, I’m sorry I lied to you about going to the school. I know we can’t afford for us to do sports and clubs. But I really enjoy this. So whatever I have to do…”
    John walked up behind his son and placed his hand on his shoulder. “It’s not always going to be this hard,