As night fell, Joseph returned to an empty living room. Before he could ask Laura where everyone was, he heard laughter coming from the backyard.
He walked through the living room toward the back, and through the floor-to-ceiling windows, he saw two figures, one large and one small, bustling about in the snow.
In a corner of the garden stood a row of snowmen. Upon closer inspection, there were four large ones and one tiny one.
Chaim was on his mother’s phone, video-calling his grandmother. “Grandma, look! This is our snowman family portrait. This is you, this is Grandpa, this is Uncle, this is Mommy, and this last little one is me.”
Chaim was so excited he was slightly out of breath. After introducing each snowman, he proudly added, “I made this little snowman all by myself. Isn’t it cute?”
On the other end of the video call, Sheridan and Melanie were all smiles, chiming in, “You did a wonderful job, Chaim! You’re a regular sculptor.”
The little boy had endless things to say to his grandparents. Vivica, who had been working for two hours and was sweating under her coat, stood up and unwrapped her scarf. As she turned, she saw a tall, imposing figure walking toward her from the side hall.
Joseph had never experienced coming home from a long day of work to a house filled with laughter. He finally understood why his parents were so eager for him to marry and have children. With a home, a wife, and a new generation, life suddenly became richer, no longer just a monotonous cycle of work.
His heart swelled with emotion, and he found himself irresistibly drawn toward the beautiful picture, wanting to become a part of it.
Their eyes met, and Vivica broke into a natural, warm smile, walking over to him.
As he got closer, Joseph reached out and gently brushed the snowflakes from her hair.
Vivica quickly shook the snow off her shoulders and complained affectionately, “It was Chaim. He was being naughty and kept throwing snow at me.”
Joseph smiled. “Why didn’t you wait for me to build snowmen with you?”
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