♪♪'This is a state of grace
This is the worthwhile fight
Love is a ruthless game
Unless you play it good and right
These are the hands of fate
You're my Achilles heel
This is the golden age of something good
And right and real
And I never saw you coming
And I'll never be the same' ♪♪

~ State of Grace by Taylor Swift.

________

No sooner had Tine climbed out of the subway than his phone rang.

Transferring his grocery bag from one hand to the other, he received the call without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Tine, where are you?" His husband's voice floated out accompanied by their 5year old son's screaming laughter.

"Just got out of the subway. God, it was so crowded today", Tine sighed, exasperatedly.

"Just saw the news about the abrupt strike from the cab union. I was so worried about you!" Tine smiled at the concern latched voice of the latter.

"I am fine. Don't worry", Tine said.

"Hmm... Bright was complaining nonstop. He wanted to play at Win's but his Dad was busy burning the saucepan", Sarawat chuckled.

"What, again?" Tine groaned all the while smiling.

"I wanted to make something good for my husband, is that too wrong?" A pout was evident now. Tine smiled making his cheeks sore. He twisted and turned in the way among the short hullabaloo of the street. "Hmm, I don't know...what about Dome?"

"He wants his mama as soon as possible, he had been throwing tantrums since he woke up", Sarawat sighed, " I am not good at multitasking, you know honey?"

"It's just one day, Wat... Khun Air will be back from tomorrow", Tine cooed.

"How far are you by the way? Should I come to fetch you up?"

"I am almost here. Just five minutes".

As said, it took barely five and half minutes for Tine to reach the house. He was greeted by his husband in tank top and sweatpants, smiling warmly at him. He snatched away the heavy grocery bags from Tine's hands and put them on the counter.

Five-year-old Dome screamed words of welcome and spwarled out his hands asking to be lifted.

"I'm home baby! Did you disturb your Daddy?" Tine chuckled picking him up.

"No", Dome giggled.

"Naughty baby", Tine cooed, tickling him a bit, as the little boy burst into fits of sparkly laughter and squirmed in his arms. Tine put him down on the sofa soon enough after a few more tickles.

"Mama, tummy wants to eat", Dome said picking up his crayons in his small fist.

"Yeah, we will eat soon, honey", he kissed his forehead before walking towards the kitchen. He found Sarawat leaning on the counter and looking at him with a smile.

"How was the day?" he asked.

"Hectic. The grocery store was so crowded!" Tine shook his head. "How was yours?" Tine asked back.

"Chaotic", Sarawat chuckled.

"Understandable", Tine joined him.

Both didn't talk again, Tine started preparing the lunch.

"Mama", Bright entered the room, "when did you come home?"

"A few hours ago, sweetie. Why?" Tine smiled briefly at him before going back to the food, "did you miss me?"

"Very much! You know, dad wouldn't let me go play with Win and Dome broke my mini car you brought just yesterday".

There goes the complain box, Tine thought.

"Bright, Dome is just five! He didn't do it purposefully you know, honey?"

"But it was my favorite toy", Bright complained again.

Sarawat, who was watching this from the corner of the kitchen while stealing the cashew nuts, spoke up, "Bright, stop complaining. We will buy you another when we go shopping this week for Christmas. And regarding going to Win's house, how about you take Dome and go there in the evening?"

Bright was about to say something but a small glare from Sarawat stopped him. He groaned finally, "Alright fine!"

Tine shook his head before looking briefly at Sarawat. He didn't know what would do to handle the revolting 12-year-old kid if his husband isn't there.

•••

After dinner, Tine opened a wine bottle and poured the liquid into the two glasses. He gave two glasses of lemonade to Bright and Dome who were sitting on the duvet on the floor.

"Listen, I was thinking", Sarawat began when Tine was seated comfortably in the living room. The movie 'The Proposal' was being played on the screen.

"Hmm?"

"I was thinking of visiting your parents this Christmas with the kids. They might miss them too. What do you say?"

"If that permits our schedules, why not?" Tine smiled," Wait, weren't we visiting Fong and Earn this Christmas?"

Sarawat sits straight up, "Oh boy! you're going to get shocking news".

"Good or bad?"

"Bad? I called Fong just the other day to see if we are still meeting them for that Christmas dinner. And he broke up. Like tears and everything..."

"Why? What happened?"

"He is divorcing Earn", Sarawat uttered.

"What? Seriously?"

"Yes. He says he's caught feelings for Ohm. He was in an illicit affair with him", Sarawat shrugged.

"No way! Does Earn knows about it?" Tine was now looking squarely at Sarawat, with a horrified look.

"He has kept it a secret. No one knows except us".

"Earn and the girls would be so broken!" Tine exclaimed.

"I know, right? He said he's going for a divorce before Christmas", Sarawat shook his head.

"Lord! That was— what?— like the fourth divorce of the year!" Tine scoffed bitterly.

"Come on Tine, Raj and his fiancé are just on break... They'll reconcile before you can say 'divorce'", Sarawat shrugged, nonchalantly.

"More like we'll hear the news of their divorce before you can say 'divorce'!"

There was a long silence before Tine said, "Lord! I still cannot believe it!"

"Marriage is a strange business, Tine. People get married today only to get divorced the other day", Sarawat shrugged.

Bright and Dome snapped their heads instantly to look at their father as if it's them they were paying attention to since the beginning and not the film.

"No, no. Daddy and Mama's marriage is different", Tine let out a nervous laugh and waved his hand airily, "ours is boring and old school— no divorce or anything".

•••

"You know," Tine began breaking the prolonged silence of the bedroom. He knew his husband wasn't asleep yet.

Small incoherent murmurings of the two brothers came from their adjacent room. The kids weren't asleep, that's for sure. But that was Tine's least concern.

"Hmm?"

"If you want to divorce me, you should do it before the kids grow up further", Tine mumbled.

No voice came. A few moments later the lamp on the bedside table lit up and Sarawat shuffled towards Tine to face him.

"What's the matter?" Sarawat's face was distorted into a serious one.

"Nothing at all", he played with the sheets, "Just... I thought you might not be happy with me and want to get free from this bondage of our marriage".

Sarawat hummed and sighed before facing the ceiling.

"Do you want me to divorce you?" He asked after a while.

"I don't know—"

"Teepakorn, just answer 'yes' or 'no'!" His was mildly irritated.

"No", He answered with a smile.

"Then? What makes you think I want to?" Sarawat faced him again.

"I don't know..." Tine blushed red. He was embarrassed to think so lowly of a relationship he was proud of... Well until he heard about Fong divorcing Earn and leaving the kids.

The two were silent for another few moments. This time the silence stretched so long that he thought the latter was asleep.

"Sarawat, are you asleep?"

"No. I cannot sleep after what you just chose to ask", Tine saw the pout on Sarawat's lips.

"I didn't mean to upset you", he put his palms on Sarawat's cheeks, caressing it, "I want to know... Are you happy, Wat?"

"Loving you is not like anything in this world Tine. It's like I'm in the State of Grace, everyday I wake up to you. So, when I have you and my two sons to love and protect, I have no choice but to be happy", Sarawat smiled.

Tine's heart fluttered.

"What about you, honey? Are you happy?"

"It's not like I have a choice", Tine faked a huff then giggled, "kidding, I am very happy."

"Then if we both are happy, then say goodbye to the divorce thing, okay?" Sarawat sat up.

Tine followed the suit.

"I am sorry, I was just—" but he was cut short with Sarawat pushing him down on the bed, groaning in between and laughing and giggling before he kissed the daylights out of him.

________

A short update. This might be the last part of the mama series.  What do you think about this part?

The song that inspired me for this one-shot is the State of Grace by Taylor Swift. I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE RED TV ALBUM LAUNCH THIS NOVEMBER 12TH SFDGJGJ

So, how are ya all?