Euphoria

Excited for this spring season, Amelia begs her parents' for an early morning picnic on Easter Sunday.

"Please daddy!" Reaching up with her little hand, her fingertips clutching onto her father's cerulean-blue sweater, all whilst gawping up at him with innocent green-hued eyes. "Please can we go out?" Amelia pleaded with a whine.

"...Now?" Matthew questioned, as he casted a mere glance towards the male sitting beside him, a few chuckles summoning within his throat. "She can't be serious, can she? She wants to go out at this time in the morning?"

"Well, we both know how crazy she is." Jamie stated.

"Daddies, please!" No matter what their answers would be Amelia continued to plead and plead, her voice becoming shriller the minute she could hear the birds tweeting outside. "I really want to go out for a picnic!" Amelia added, with a frown beginning to form along her cherry-pink lips. "Since its Easter Sunday the bunnies could be out!"

"I thought they'd be out all the time, Easter or not..."

Letting out a little huff of frustration, the seven-year-old girl coiled away whilst folding her small arms over her chest. Amelia was desperate to head out into the green, to be able to smell the freshness within the air, and to enjoy the morning sun. The timepiece was a minute before eight o'clock in the morning, two hours after Amelia heard the chirping rooster from the nearby farm. Amelia loved the natural world, she loved the outdoors, and she wanted to feel part of Mother Nature's embrace as a whole. Spring time was her favourite season of the year, especially since the blooming daffodils meant new beginnings were starting. To be able to watch the Earth during its early development, hatching from its egg shell and bringing all life to dance once again. Amelia really loved that.

"All right, all right..." Jamie finally answered with approval to Amelia's want, rolling his green-hued eyes with slight contempt. Why at this time of morning? Jamie thought grimly, before averting his warm gaze back towards his daughter. "Seeing as it's your idea, little missy. How about you fetch the wicker basket? I will make some sandwiches, and Matthew here will pop to the store and gather some treats for the picnic."

"Wha-" Matthew's jaw dropped at his husband's response, only to lightly glance down at the little girl, somewhat evilly. "What a... what a little monster..." Matthew whispered the last few words, averting his gawp elsewhere.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Amelia gave Jamie a quick and yet loving embrace, squeezing her small arms about his form shortly before finally letting go, and then proceeding to skip her legs into the direction of the kitchen.

With a low groan rumbling within his throat, Matthew collected his jacket from the coat hanger in the hallway. Matthew dreaded the store already, but it was either a must or a lecture from his adoring husband. Matthew never wanted to upset either Amelia or Jamie, so he decided to just go along with the plan. What foods did they want for the picnic exactly? If treats were a must, Matthew was not sure whether to buy either chocolates or cakes, or perhaps even savoury snacks. Aside from that the man never even knew if he was paid this month from his bartender work, but he assumed otherwise. Matthew believed cupcakes would do, after all blueberry cupcakes usually made Amelia squeal with excitement.

"A guide for your morning shop, dear." Jamie cracked a small smirk as he handed the man a shopping list, a piece of scrap paper with the words 'good luck' jotted at the very bottom. "We will be leaving shortly, around 8:30. Hopefully you'll be back within 10 minutes, don't even think about gazing at the stacks of beer they show off at the entrance of the store."

"I promise I won't."

"Good, you better keep that a promise."

Gulping, Matthew quickly fiddled with the front door handle before stepping outside onto the doorstep, performing a quick and yet silent wave towards his husband before proceeding to pull the door shut. Jamie was never usually that harsh, he often found it amusing to see the reaction he would receive in response from Matthew. Matthew was usually indolent, light-hearted, oblivious, and of course sometimes he was under the influence. As a whole, Matthew was never the type to take threats to heart, he would respond to them in a silly manner. Of course, he loved Matthew, and Matthew loved Jamie very much in return.

Soon averting his attention towards the cheery girl within the living room, she was sitting on the settee whilst kicking her slender legs back and forth, the wicker basket upon her lap. Amelia was waiting patiently, albeit excitedly. She loved whistling, singing, and chirping during the time she waits. She loved the thought of heading out bright and early for a morning brunch, to spend time with nature, and to listen to the Earth hum.

"Daddy, do you think the ducks will be awake?" Amelia questioned, whilst lightly tilting her head towards one side, a look of curiosity painted upon her features.

"I should think so."

"Would we be allowed to feed them?"

"I'm sure we have a packet of sunflower seeds in the cupboard." Jamie presumed, beginning to approach the doorway of the kitchen. "If we do, you can feed the ducks and pigeons those."

"Why not bread? We have a ton of that."

"No because bread bloats them." Jamie responded from the kitchen. "It's bad for their little hearts."

"Then why do we have bread, daddy?"

"We have it for our sandwiches and for Matthew to have toast." Jamie answered, again.

Finding the stash of sunflower seeds within one of the cupboards above the parade of counters, Jamie retreated to Amelia whilst handing her the packet. Amelia responded with a jolly beam widening upon her cherry-pink lips, gently grasping the packet and popping it into the wicker basket upon her lap.

"Thanks!"

A few minutes ticked by as Jamie started to prepare a few cucumber sandwiches, dicing the vegetable before setting out a few sheets of brown bread onto a plate. Amelia could hear footsteps outside on the front doorstep, moments before the door opened up. Matthew returned with two plastic bags, both full of snacks and treats for the upcoming picnic. Matthew strolled into the living room quietly; dumping the plastic shopping bags beside Amelia's kicking legs.

"What did you buy?" Amelia asked with interest, eyeing the two bags that were mindlessly plonked onto the cream carpet.

"Have a look for yourself instead of prying." Matthew grunted.

"Aw, no..." Jamie muttered, whilst decorating the few slices of brown bread with cucumber portions. "Millie was just curious." He commented, covering the cucumber slices with another slice of bread, and thus building a cucumber sandwich.

"Can't we have something more creative rather than just cucumber?" Matthew questioned with a groan, soon taking a pew onto the nearest chair within the kitchen. "It's boring by itself."

"Then you can choose what you wish to have inside your own sandwich, Matt." Jamie answered. "Cucumber is Millie's favourite filling."

Matthew simply glared towards the red-head for a few seconds, shortly before adjusting his form and pulling the refrigerator door open behind him. His hazel-hued orbs eyed the few ingredients within the ice-chest, from ham to cheese, and then to a sealed packet of bacon. It would be too late to cook any bacon, let alone any meat within the icebox. He mentally decided to make do with vegetables and dairy, lettuce and cheese. Amelia was never fond of eating animals, or even drinking cold glasses of milk from a mother cow. She was basically a vegan; unless shop bought cupcakes were present. Any meat stored within the refrigerator was basically Matthew's responsibility.

Snooping through one plastic bag, Amelia pulled out a packet of pretzels and read the label with a curious pout. "What are these?"

"Those are plain pretzels." Jamie answered her question with a small smile, standing beside the settee as he handed her a sandwich bag with two cucumber sandwiches crammed inside.

As soon as they were sorted and ready to manoeuvre, Amelia and her two fathers' left the house after popping all the yummy treats and sandwiches into the wicker basket. Amelia was absolutely excited to spend the early morning with her loving parents, to be able to watch the spring morning bloom into pure beauty with her fathers'. The spring season made her feel content; it made her imagine herself growing up from a mere infant into the person she is today, a kind-hearted young woman. After all, spring meant new beginnings, hence the egg symbolism for the Easter occasion. It was like hibernating within the winter, only to bloom into a flowering blossom as soon as the warmth steps in. Spring gave the courage to start creating plans for the summer time; it gave the courage to create a new beginning for every being on Mother Earth. It gave the chance to improve.

This upcoming year Amelia wished for exciting events to happen, either soon or within summer time. Despite being only seven years of age, she was determined to improve her school work the day she returns to primary. It would be her last year attending primary after all; she wanted to improve the current marks on her school papers. Despite being only young, Amelia's one wish for education was to enrol into university as soon as she graduates secondary school. That would certainly be a long wait for her. As for now she was desperate to perk up with her learning, even on the subjects she disliked such as maths and physical education. Not only that, but she also wished to spend more time baking oatmeal cookies with her father, Jamie.

Despite the season being spring, the flowers blooming and the sun forever paying a visit each day, the temperature within the air was still cold as ice. Jamie insisted his daughter to wear her greyish-coloured jacket, along with a pair of yellow and pink knitted gloves. Yellow and pink were Amelia's favourite colours, mainly because they reminded her of spring. Although despite the cold climate interfering, the Earth was brightening up more than usual compared to the winter days. Amelia never liked the icy weather during winter, the coldness within the air often made her cry. But, who even liked the cold anyway?

Amelia held onto both of her fathers' hands as she was in the middle of them, almost walking on her tiptoes, seeing as the three of them were walking in a group. They were striding peacefully through the local woodland, passing a couple of dog walkers along the way, and of course not forgetting to greet them with a kind 'good morning'. The morning hours were always so peaceful during the weekend, it was almost a shame that the week days were not the same. Amelia and her parents' slowly drifted through the lonesome pathway, approaching the local park; Jamie simply smiled as he noticed a ginger-furred cat resting on the wooden bench next door to the swing set. Although he remained quiet, admiring the peaceful sound of the many birds chirping within the area of the woods instead, especially magpies.

"Incredible!" Amelia chimed breathlessly, letting go of her two fathers' hands before darting into the entrance of the playing field. She swooped down to her knees rather dramatically, before proceeding to pick up what she found hidden within the neatly trimmed grass. "Is the Easter bunny real?" Amelia questioned herself out loud, eyeing what appears to be a golden-coated egg. It seemed like an Easter egg hunt was even planned and set out within the public woodland as well, this simply amazed Amelia as a whole. Not only was there a golden egg resting within the grass, but there was also a pink-coated egg located nearby. What could this mean? Could this mean Amelia was bound to have an adventurous egg hunt, perhaps?

"Does this affect our picnic?" Matthew questioned, folding his muscular arms over his chest. "I could have stayed indoors, you know."

"There is much more to Sunday's rather than sitting in front of the television watching football games." Jamie stated dryly, a small smirk curling upon his lips. "Millie's found something, I think it's lovely."

Whilst both of her parents' practically argued nearby the entry of the park, Amelia retreated moments after hearing Jamie's voice. The girl reached out with both her hands, showing her father the golden egg she had recently found. The many colourful eggs scattered about the public grounds merely gave Amelia a joyful smile, an egg hunt was a fantastic idea to add to this marvellous occasion. It was beautiful, simply incredible.

"Oh, wow. Was that what you found, sweetie?"

Amelia nodded a few times, beaming brightly. "Is it chocolate?"

"I... don't know about that." Jamie responded. "But I wouldn't eat food I find on the floor, I'll tell you that."

A little sigh escaped her lips; the brunette girl soon popped the golden-coated egg into her jacket moments after. Of course, Amelia would never eat what she finds on the ground either, even if she was that curious. The mere thought of an egg hunt within the park simply intrigued her, she found it exciting, and that's all. Even colouring Easter themed pictures at school was exciting to her, purely because Easter was her favourite season of the whole year. She loved the feel of it, the sunshine waking up within the early morning, the treasures found along with it, and of course the bunnies to represent the event. It was a shame to her that Easter was only one event each year, she simply wished for Easter to be every day instead.

Approaching the nearby oak tree, Jamie set out a cream-coloured blanket onto the grass. Amelia sat in between her parents', although snooping through the wicker basket to gather the treats she currently craved for. Jamie and Matthew sat opposite each other, whilst their daughter sat in the middle. Amelia simply loved spending time with her fathers'; she was very much a family-orientated girl. They gave her nothing but love and care, warm cuddles and bedtime stories, and of course trips to the local playground. Upon Amelia's paper plate, she added not only homemade cucumber sandwiches, but also cupcakes and freshly baked cookies Matthew bought from the local bakery. Not to mention there was also chocolates hidden within the wicker basket, along with savoury snacks such as pretzels and lentil chips. It almost seemed like Matthew purchased whatever he saw within the store, clearly paying no heed to what was jotted down on the shopping list that his husband wrote.

"This is quite lovely." Jamie admitted, in his usual and yet soothing tone of voice. He kept his back straightened as he remained seated on his knees, his hands resting within his lap as he simply watched Amelia greedily nose around within the basket.

"It actually is." Matthew agreed.

Simply gathering a blueberry cupcake, a few chocolate chip cookies, a couple of shortbread biscuits, and also a fudge brownie, it really seemed like Matthew bought whatever was there in the snacks section. Amelia was excited at the many treats within the basket, even if they were nothing but calorific snacks.

"That's enough, Amelia." Matthew stated. "Otherwise you'd have to run around the block seven times to burn all that off."

"Let her enjoy herself, Matt. Why should she resist the temptation when you've literally bought a little bit of everything for this picnic?" Jamie questioned. "You should let her have whatever she desires out of all that unnecessary food."

Not paying any heed to her fathers' conversation, Amelia bit into the sponge of her blueberry muffin, letting out a hum of content. Sure enough, she had a sweet tooth, and she certainly had a very difficult time trying to resist such goodness. Amelia was seven-years-old after all, she was still a child who absolutely craved sweet treats. Like many children of her age, cupcakes and muffins were two of her biggest temptations yet. Jamie loved seeing her happy, especially digging into what she loved. Despite there was no need for Matthew to blankly ignore the shopping list that Jamie specifically wrote for the picnic. If Jamie was the one in charge of purchasing the treats for the picnic, he would have added a lot of healthier alternatives to what Matthew bought. Nevertheless it was Easter Sunday after all, an excuse for many people to eat unhealthy delights and gain weight. However on the bright side this was also a treat for Amelia, especially since she was a child after all.

A magpie swooped down from the tree branch above and landed onto the picnic blanket, along with another one, as one nervously hopped towards the wicker basket that Amelia was holding. Two magpies meant a moment of joy, which meant this one early morning was as joyful as ever.

"Isn't that precious?" Jamie remarked, simply smiling towards the two birds surrounding the food basket. "It seems like we have company."

Pinching a small portion from her blueberry muffin, Amelia kindly gave the hungry magpie a piece of her treat. Of course, there was always room for company, especially in the L'enclos-Richards family. The magpie tilted its little head to one side at Amelia's offer, before letting out a little chirp of euphoria. At the mere sound of its mate's tweet, the following magpie bopped towards the basket as well.

"So, how should we spend this afternoon?" Jamie asked, rubbing his palms together, warming up his unpleasantly cold hands.

"Can we make some chocolate bunnies?" Amelia questioned with a shrill chime, grinning eagerly at the thought. "Or even bake oatmeal cookies?"

"I suppose we could." Jamie answered calmly. "Sunday's are usually very boring, so we might as well get creative."

As for that sorted, the family agreed to spend the afternoon baking treats to celebrate this Easter holiday.