“Dear Dad, thank you a lot,
Yelling at Nikolas should make our problem rot,
He is a problem starting loser,
His stupidity leads to me becoming a boozer”
I overheard Mom writing a new song about Nikolas. Yes Mom, I’m sure that will help cool things down. At the town pool, Candace saw Corey- with a girl! And she was pregnant! Corey and that Jean girl were still together.
Back at the house, Aunt Cassie was celebrating her birthday.She decided to go for a mature look.She retired the next day. The studio threw her a retirement party, which she enjoyed.
Then Mom had her birthday while making dinner. She also got a mature look.I was now in the orchestra lead. Most of my coworkers were older than me, so I was often alone at parties and such. I didn’t even wanna go to them, but I needed it for my job. Nikolas was an elder and still didn’t retire. He often passed out because of stress. Somebody still thinks they’re young.
Meanwhile, all Daphne would dream about was fame and money. She would do the occasional cardio workout as well, as if she wasn’t skinny enough.
Candace went fitness crazy too, except she made others workout. Candace wanted to act as a personal trainer for Riverview.
And it would work! Except Candace would hurt herself, or go a little extreme in her training. I got another promotion. This time, I had to wear a suit for my uniform. I was not amused.
Daphne woke up early to apply layers and layers of makeup on her face. Did anyone even like her at her school?
She was often alone after school, with no real friends, or even a boyfriend. Looks like she’s 100% single, now. Looks like the gym doesn’t like her, either. She begged for friends.
And it worked. Looks like she wanted to be more than friends… Erich and Candace often danced together, for workouts. I loved how my husband and my Mom were close, and didn’t bicker.
One day, while Brighton was playing chess, he felt a strange tingling sensation. He read about it, and saw it in the hospital, and knew exactly what it was…
He passed away.
The death affected the whole household.
Brighton’s grave went next to Amanda’s, Billy’s, and Alice’s.
Rest in Peace, Brighton.
Erich tried to cheer me up. But it was hard for him, too. My sadness was contagious. Eventually, it made us closer with each other.
Candace resorted to drinking, again.She was so close with her father, especially after he defended her.
Even Dad, who didn’t get along with Gramps was sad.
Erich ran home after work, so he could stay fit. Plus, he didn’t want to pollute the Earth with cars. I found this sweet, because I didn’t want the trees in my garden to have polluted air.
Daph continued to find guys to flirt with. She was never home, because she was the only teen. I felt worried, but then I thought she’d be okay. She was a genius, after all, and even if she was snobby, she had a good head on her shoulders.
After a day of gardening, I was relaxing on my bed. I was thinking of these past few weeks.
“Daphne, Cassie, and Nikolas, three, Mom and Dad, 5, Erich and I, 7, that means one slot’s open for a baby! Yes!” I thought to myself.
A couple of days later….
Erich would rub my belly before he left for work. He considered this a good luck charm, since he was winning all his games.
I had way more time to water the plants now. Morning joggers weren’t to happy to see a pregnant woman gardening, though. I rolled my eyes at them. I wanted to have plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables during my pregnancy.
And we’d often get visits from ghosts. This is Great-Aunt Barbie- or Bijou. I’m not so sure, actually.
Daphne was obsessed with money. Whenever she wasn’t spending it, she was counting it, touching it, storing it, wasting it, thinking about it, or reading on how to earn it. It wasn’t a surprise her initials were the same as Donald Trump’s… “You’re going to become a Grand Uncle! That means screaming babies! Diaper duty! And baby sitting! You won’t be able to focus on work!” I told Nikolas. I hope he got freaked out. He deserved it.
Mom was happy when she found out she was gonna become a Grandma.
I continued gardening. It made the pregnancy go by quicker. But suddenly… it was time.
I drove myself to the hospital. It’s a girl! Her name is Eva Timberson.