Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Chapter 2.9: Fight for Him

 Jesse has been shirking his responsibilities to his son. Rickey has become quite the town brat, going around town stealing things from other kids and pushing them around. Claude is fed up hearing about his grandson being a terror and takes matters into his own hands.


"Maybe now that women will see you for the pest you are you'll have a little more time to spend with Rickey!"
Croak!


"Grandma, muffins are ready!" Vera calls.
Varinia bought a stove like the one her daughters used to use. She sure does love those muffins.


Amira is back to working out. She desperately wants another promotion at work and  it helps her relieve stress. She is able to block out everything when she's at the pullup bar or jogging. Exercising really is her favorite hobby.


Claude is finding other creative outlets now that he is a hit movie composer. He finds it soothing to paint while Varinia plays new compositions.


Little Dahlia is a quiet baby. Michael spends most of his days caring for her and blogging on his phone.


"Will my readers like my new blog post? It's all about you!"


Amira stops working out so that she can eat a salad. She finds the fridge stuffed with baked goods. The majority are muffins. She is displeased by the lack of any food of substance in the fridge but she also can't be bothered to cook anything else.


Vera and Dahlia share the nursery. Mostly it's ok. . .


Until Dahlia starts shrieking in the middle of the night.


Vera makes her way to the couch and spends the night there. Amira and Michael are unaware that she is out there when they get into an argument about how much time Amira spends working out instead of bonding with Dahlia.
"This is my stress relief, Michael!"
"I understand but. . ."
"And you know how I felt about having another baby. This has not been easy on me!"
"Amira, I know but she's here and she deserves to have her mother."


This little springtime gnome tries to alleviate the tensions by playing music.


Claude realizes that he's losing some of his skills from lack of use. He starts practicing his magic before work everyday.


Dahlia wakes up very early and Michael tends to her. Amira tends to her garden instead.


"What are you doing down here?" Michael asks. "It's very early you should be in bed."
"I tried to sleep up there but Dahlia kept crying so I came down here. I slept on the couch," Vera admits.


"I know it's not fair to you to have to share a room with your little sister. I'll talk to grandma, grandpa and mom and see if there's anything we can do to get you your own room. How does that sound?"
Vera's eyes go round, "For real, daddy? My own room? Can I have a bookcase for all my books?"
"Whoa, whoa, I said I would talk to them about it. We'll see what comes of it. Deal?"


They seal the deal with some early morning video games.


"I'd charm you with a stink be gone charm but I don't remember the incantation."
It's probably for the better that Claude doesn't use his magic on the baby.


Amira finally brings herself to the nursery. Dahlia is laying in her crib quietly contemplating her surroundings. Amira knows she has to do better by her youngest daughter. She cuddles the little girl to her and begs herself to feel motherly.


The house undergoes some construction.


A new room has been added upstairs.


Decorated in Vera's favorite color spiceberry.


Complete with a bookshelf with all of her books.



Amira and Michael show Vera her new room. Amira is very sensitive to Vera's reaction. She needs to be validated.
"Thank you so much, daddy!" Vera bubbles excitedly. "I love it!"
Vera runs and hugs Michael.
"Thank your mom," Michael whispers. "She put in a lot of hard work to make this happen."
Vera turns to her mother and half covers her face in her shoulder.
"Thanks, mom."
Amira can't help but feel a mix of resentment and disappointment. How does she keep messing things up even when she tries to do the right thing?


Dahlia gets a swing in the living room so that she can swing while Michael plays video games or blogs.


Amira makes breakfast for her family but everyone is too busy to eat with her so she eats her waffles alone.


Claude tries to help Michael with the repairs around the house. He can feel his magic becoming powerful once again. It is exhilarating.


Vera makes sure there are no monsters under the bed. There are no monsters under the bed. . . this time!


He could be a plumber instead of a game coder but that would be no fun.


When she is too sore and exhausted to work out, Amira turns to the chemistry set. Engaging her mind in complicated formulas are a great escape.


Varinia provides mood music.
"Mom?"
"Mhm?"
"Do you think my kids hate me? Do you think Michael hates me?"
"Of course not! Why would you think that?"
Amira shrugs to herself.
"It just seems I can't do anything right by my daughters and Michael and I argue more than talk these days."
"Everyone has rough patches," Varinia admits. "I almost lost your father for good before I realized what a fool I had been. If Michael is who you love, then you fight for him. You always fight."


Amira isn't sure that she has much fight left in her these days.


Michael rushes into the laundry room to subdue the washer.
"Didn't you hear it jumping around?" Michael asks huffily.
"Yes," Amira admits.
"Why didn't you do something?"
"I was busy." Amira says as she turns back to the chemistry table.
Varinia packs up her laser rhyth-a-con and shoots Amira a look that goes ignored.


It's Saturday morning and Vera wasn't woken up by a screaming baby.


She decides to enjoy the morning reading Unicorns for Audrey in bed. It's heavenly.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Bonus
Moira's son Norman makes an ADORABLE toddler!



Saturday, June 18, 2016

Chapter 2.8: Indifference

Michael takes over potty training duties while Amira runs off to work. As a Getaway Driver she works until the early morning hours.


When Amira gets home she cares for Vera while Michael, Varinia and Claude head out to work. Just her and Vera all day. It's hard to find trime to sleep. The lack of sleep makes her grumpy, it's not a good combination.
"This is our home. Can you say home?"
"Home!"
"Right, moving on."


Exhiliration and terror at its finest.


"You can do it," Michael coaxes.
Michael's phone rings incessantly but he ignores the calls. This is his family time.


Varinia provides brilliant music for her daughter. Amira turns back to the chemistry set. It bugs her that she's never mastered the right combination of ingredients to make a young again potion.


Right in the middle of working on some chemistry Amira is hit with a wave of nausea. She hopes it's because of the chemicals and not something else.


The twins, always doing things together.




The grandparents sense that Amira and Micahel could use some help and they step up. Claude has never had to deal with a toddler before. This is all new. He manages not to drown the baby and counts that as a success.


Michael's mother is getting old. She recently dolled out the inheritance to her three children. Michael gets a lamp. Almost everything else is left to his brother and sister. He's not surprised seeing as Rico and Teresa have continued to live with and care for Lolly in her old age.

With her recent promotion to Bagwoman under her belt, Amira discovers that the nausea is due to pregnancy and not chemicals. She isn't sure how she feels about it. On the other hand, Michael is thrilled. He has always wanted babies.

With Lolly's impending death on the horizon they agree to stop by and bring Vera to see her as well as announce their second pregnancy.


Lolly is happy to hear that she has another grandchild on the way.


For the time being she bonds with Vera.


"So do you think this new baby will be red like you or green like Vera? Any chance it might look more like Michael?"
Even Rico thinks his mother's question is rude. Amira lets it roll off her back. Lolly has gotten so old she's practically senile.


Michael arrives to his mother's home with news of his most recent promotion to Code Monkey. He's climbing the ladder. Lolly is proud.


"I'm so happy for you Michael!"


Shortly after congratulating Michael and Amira, Lolly feels a tingling in her gut and starts to glow. She knows it is time.


She dies right by the kitchen table where her family shared a last meal with her.


Her family is there to watch her pass. Seeing Michael's mother die makes Amira realize that her parents will one day die too. The Young Again potion has prolonged their lives but they are still aging.


Grim appears in the middle of everyone mourning.



Lolly shakes his hand, content with the life she has lived.


Shortly after Lolly's passing, Amira goes into labor. Michael wants to name the child after his mother but Amira refuses.
"What if it's a boy?"
"We can figure out a name," Michael says.
"Our child should have its own identity." Amira counters.


Micahel moves 10 times faster than Amira can waddle.


I wish I could have kept up my workout regimen.


Michael is running at 500% Amira is at 50%. It's been this way her entire pregnancy. Excitement versus indifference. Amira knows that her feelings make her sound cold-hearted but she just doesn't know how she'll be able to love another child as much as she loves her first. Selma and Maeve have tried to convince her that her heart will expand to include her second child but Amira is not convinced.


Back at home this little guy appears in the kitchen.


Amira carries her second daughter out of the hospital. They name her Dahlia in honor of her birth on Spring Fling day. Amira doesn't feel the sudden rush of love and emotion just resignation. Michael is through the roof with excitement. The only thing Amira knows is that she does not want any more children.


"You have a little sister, Vera!"
He scoops the little girl up to introduce her to her new little sister.


Lacy Darer's ghost comes to haunt the Van Hofwegen lot.


Amira still isn't feeling as joyous as she thinks she should.
"Vera, will you just repeat after me? Baseball."
"Lightbulb!"
"Seriously?"


"I'm going to have to beg my boss not to fire me after all this maternity leave. Can you say 'beg'? Can you say 'Mommy would rather be at work than chained to her house like a pet'?"
"Beg!" Vera squeals.
"Great."


No one notices that it's Vera's birthday this time.


"Yipee!" Vera sings as she explodes into childhood.
She doesn't notice that no one is paying attention.


Childhood.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Dahlia Van Hofwegen
Clumsy
Loves the Heat

Vera Van Hofwegen
Brave
Genius
Bookworm    

Generation 2 Rolls:
Marital Status: Couple
Children: 2
Primary Career: Criminal (Thief)

Secondary Career: Video Game Designer (Engineer)
Generational Goal: ?
Miscellaneous Fun: Opposites Attract/Perfect Match