Daisy and Max were tired of their parents’ endless excuses.

“Too busy,” Mom always said, eyeing her phone while stirring soup.
“Not in the mood,” Dad mumbled, too focused on the TV remote.

Daisy, 14, and Max, 12, had seen enough. They were done with the lonely dinner tables, the single-lane grocery trips, and the awkward silence during family movie nights. It was time for action.

They enlisted the help of their best friends: Luna, the self-proclaimed romance expert, and Jake, who just liked causing chaos. Together, they made a plan—Operation: Couple Up.

The first attempt involved a “coincidental” run-in at the local coffee shop. Max had prepped Dad by telling him to “accidentally” bump into Mom while grabbing his morning latte. The problem? Dad had zero coordination. He spilled his coffee, slipped on a puddle, and knocked over the entire menu stand.

“Smooth, Dad,” Daisy muttered, watching from a corner table.

Max shrugged. “At least they spoke. That’s progress.”

The second attempt took place at a park during the Saturday farmer’s market. Luna set up a “chance encounter” between Mom and Dad at the fruit stand. The plan was perfect—until Jake, in his infinite wisdom, swapped the apple crate for a massive watermelon stack.

“Uh, sorry—” Mom apologized, as Dad’s arms wobbled, unable to hold the weight of the fruit tower before it came crashing down.

“This is definitely not how we planned it,” Max said.

By the third week, the siblings had given up on traditional methods. Instead, they schemed a low-key “casual get-together” at home. They enlisted Jake and Luna to “accidentally” mix up the seating arrangements at dinner, creating an extra seat between Mom and Dad. It was… subtle.

And to their surprise, it worked.

Mom had just started talking about her favorite book when Dad, who had been silently listening, jumped in with his own thoughts. It was the first real conversation they’d had in ages. No broken fruit stands. No spilled coffee. Just two people, realizing they had things to say to each other.

Later that night, Max leaned against the doorframe, watching his parents from the hallway. They were sitting on the couch, still talking—about books, about life, about everything in between.

“Well, look at that,” Max said. “Mission accomplished.”

Daisy grinned. “I told you, a little chaos works wonders.”