Chapter 24 - So Serene Because the Roses are in Bloom

It's disconcerting to have an elder brother who's actually an elder.  Pierre has had another birthday.  He wouldn't allow a photo after he blew out his candles; who knew he was so vain?  I was, however, able to sneak a candid shot or two later on, so his grey hair and pot belly have been duly documented.  I suppose one never outgrows being a little sister.

Andre and Michelle have had birthdays as well. 

 Michelle revels in her new-found adult prerogative:  i.e. pursuit of Aaron.

The others are pairing off as well:  Phillippe and Constance;

Andre and Janessa,

And Marcel and Belle.

Eve entered elderhood with a good bit more grace than her husband did.

In due course, we had a flurry of weddings.

And in somewhat less due course, it's finally happened.  Kolton and I have our own baby on the way at long last!

This has led us to our difficult decision to leave the family home and move to a place of our own.  No hard feelings and I'm sure we'll visit often, but it's time.

Chapter 23 - Everything's Coming Up Roses

Things are definitely looking up for me:  enter Kolton!

He's a first-rate boyfriend:  interesting, attentive, kind to the children.  He even likes Simton Abbey!

The writing continues to go well.

My efforts to cook healthy meals and work out have paid off magnificently.  In the words of a tweener hit from a bygone era, "Holy Moses, everything's coming up roses".

Andre and Michelle are growing up well; their favourite hobby is to whipsaw an unsuspecting great-aunt out for her daily constitutional. Fortunately for me, they're gentler with their not-so-great aunt.

We had a quadruple birthday extravaganza for Eve, Marcel, Philippe and Pierre.

Aunt Monique has ruined Marcel altogether.  She taught him to fish and it's all he wants to do at any hour of the day or night.

Philippe prefers chasing girls, playing guitar and video games.

What is it with the men in this family and their fascination with mixology?!? Pierre has walked away from the top of his career as a concert pianist to become a mixologist.  I refrain from publicly voicing my opinion that it's proof of his laziness.

On the upside, he was able to make some brilliant cocktails for Kolton's and my wedding.

This is a Shadow Realm.  It's said to fend off the Grim Reaper; I'm sure if I were the Grim Reaper, I'd head for the hills if anyone thrust such a concoction into my hand!  Philippe emboldened himself, however, and seems to have suffered no lasting effects.

I'm discovering that my reason for being so put out with Pierre is envy; I'm a music lover myself and have never had the confidence to try making a go of it.  So I'll give it a go and let someone else be vexed with my walking away from a brilliant literary career.

Andre and Michelle are in high school now. 

 Andre has taken over the business aspects of the garden and doing quite brilliantly with it. 

Michelle is eager to start dating as soon as she finds the right boy.  The only one she finds interesting is Aaron Quiroz, who is much too old for her.  Kolton keeps a close eye on them, and who could possibly resent a chaperon in this getup?

Chapter 22 - Stasis

Make that last before the next two arrive! Yes, Eve had twins again.  May I present to you Andre and Michelle Desjardins?

Fortunately, Marcel and Phillipe are indeed out of diapers and going to school.

They're a delightful pair.  I hope their siblings turn out even half as well.

My writing goes swimmingly; I've published sixteen books and my royalties rival the income from our garden.

That was the good news.  The bad news is that I've never had a boyfriend; only a few flirtations that went nowhere and one of those was way back in high school.

Obviously I need to get out more.  The first attempt was less than stellar; you may note that everyone here is female, elderly, one of my relatives or some combination thereof.  Next attempt isn't much better although it's gratifying to see that Michel finally made it into mixology. Now we're getting closer. Closer still but nowhere near where I want to be.

The mirror tells me that there's something else I must do as well.

As if there weren't enough to do between babysitting, learning to cook, keeping up with repairs and tending the garden!

Meanwhile, Pierre has had a birthday, as have Andre and Michelle.

My own birthday will be here all too soon; it would be lovely to have a family of my own by then, and even better if said family didn't consist of a change-of-life baby like me.

Chapter 21 - Upheavals

Note to self:  Do not, repeat NOT, tempt fate with chronicle chapter titles!  I knew that my mom was like two hundred years old and thought that Grim Reaper was procrastinating out of dread. After all, she did put him to work in the garden the last time he was here.  He did, however, come for her.  Her last words were "Wish I had time for one more bowl of chili".

Grim returned for Alain the next day.  

Hana remains inconsolable despite my best efforts to comfort her.

She's also terribly overworked.

Eve does her bit in the garden and is learning to cook as well.  She is, however, quite pregnant, so frequent breaks are necessary, or at least advisable.

I'm lending a hand in the garden and doing the household repairs.  I don't know how my mom and Hana managed to make it all look so easy. Thus far, I haven't dared to step into the kitchen. The thought crosses my mind that we may need to let go of the garden.  This would be a last resort; I grew up on tales of how our ancestor built our family fortune by planting that garden while she scrounged sandwiches and slept on park benches.  Nonetheless, it's leaving the three of us with very little time for anything else. 

Eve and Pierre have twin boys! Meet Marcel and Phillippe Desjardins! Eve wants a large family; I'm not sure she was ready for it to grow this large in one fell swoop.

Grim Reaper returned for Hana.  I understand that she never got over losing Alain and try not to be selfish, but what on earth will we do without her?

I need to have a talk with my lazy brother; he's perfectly content to mix drinks, dance and chill in the game mat while the rest of us work ourselves into exhaustion. 

Grim Reaper is still lurking about the premises; it's unsettling, given that he's already reaped all of the elders in our household.

Pierre is mending his ways, whether or not it had anything to do with our chat.  Who knew that he had it in him to change a diaper, much less tend the garden or clean the kitchen?

With great trepidation, I'm learning my way around the kitchen.  Scrambled eggs can't be too difficult, right? How about garden salad?

Now that we've established a modus operandi, getting things done, however awkwardly, Eve has some big news.  Let's just hope that the boys are out of diapers before this one arrives!

Chapter 20 - No One Born No One Died

Since I want to be a writer when I grow up, Michel tells me I should start by taking over the family chronicle.  I don't know what to say but here goes nothing.  I can't believe my mom made me do homework after Monique's wedding.  I mean, it's not every day that your aunt gets married, is it? I didn't say much, though, since I was still on her list about that Sea Spray.

Pierre and Eve got married, and, you guessed it, once again my mom made me do homework. I'm bringing home A's; you'd think she could relax.

Pierre's violin playing is superb; he can bring anyone to tears with it.  So can Alain's guitar playing but for an entirely different reason.  It's probably beyond help but, with Pierre's help, he's getting better with the violin.

Alain and Hana have both gotten old.  Three guesses what I got to do after their birthday parties.

It's finally my turn! No more pencils, no more books (unless I'm writing them), no more teachers' dirty looks!  I'm joining the writer career as soon as we've finished this party!

I probably should have paid more attention to my mother's lectures about time management.  I was late to work my first week and the fact that I'd been absorbed in writing a book didn't cut it as an excuse.  

We were all completely floored when Michel and Nicola moved away.  No one's gone away mad, of course, and they visit nearly every day, as do Monique and Dante, but it's odd not to have them here.  I miss Nicola, she's a good friend.  I have nothing against Eve but we haven't had a chance to get close yet. 

Hana is stepping up and learning to cook; I see the day coming when I'll need to as well.  We'd been awfully spoiled when every meal was celebrity chef caliber.

We were no less floored when my mom went to work for the Space Patrol.  She's doing a fine job but I'd always thought they had an age limit.  I don't know just how old my mother is; she claims to have stopped keeping track when her odometer rolled over. It is, however, a well-known family story that she and my father were already pretty old when they got married because my father was too stubborn to propose until he got his commission.

It's also a well-known family story that Alain and Hana waited so long that they had to elope to escape the inevitable ribbing they'd have had from the family.  They're making up for it now; you'd think they were newlyweds.  Unfortunately, one mustn't say "Get a room, you two!" to one's elders.

Speaking of TMI, Eve has beeen mopey lately.  She and Pierre have been trying, unsuccessfully for a baby.  I'm pretty sure that she's pregnant now though there's been no official announcement yet.  I guess it's still a touchy subject.