Early September -- Mike
"Duckies!" yelled his squealing five-year-old. The poor little guy had yet to comprehend the massive changes that were about to happen. To him, grandma and Papa's house was where he got to watch the ducks with Papa and tussle with their two very patient retrievers. He tried to bolt down to the pond as soon as Mike lowered him from his booster seat. Thankfully, Louise, his older sister, helped corral the boy in the split second it took Mike to grab his hand. At eight, she always acted older than she was. Every year she got older, was like three, and Louise looked more and more like a smaller version of her mother, only with Mike's blue eyes instead of Deborah's dark green. Louise certainly had her same headstrong attitude.
Mike and his small family were making what was likely a permeant pilgrimage to his hometown. Deborah's folks had been a Godsend to getting them where they were, but they were retiring and headed off to tour the country in an RV. Mike had monopolized their time long enough; it wasn't fair to them or his children's cousins. Mikey and Louise were not their only grandchildren, only the youngest. Deborah had been a surprise, ten years younger than her brother, even further afield from her two sisters. For the five years that Mike had sleepwalked through his life, they had helped raise his children. He had made damn sure to be present when he was at home, but work and his social life were like a fog-addled mess. How Mike had managed to keep his employment the whole time was primarily due to his stellar record before and a very understanding boss. Mike had moments of clarity where he felt like his old self, but they were fleeting; they had allowed him to stay at least caught up with his projects, barely.
When little Mikey was only three months old, Deborah succumbed to a vicious and sudden cancer. Deb was diagnosed when she was six months pregnant with Mikey; she refused chemo and radiation until after he was born. By then, it was too late; her organs were riddled with tumors. They said it was a miracle that he made it to term. At least Deborah got to meet him before the pain became excruciating. If it weren't for his kids, Mike would have disappeared into a bottle long ago. They were the only thing that kept him sane as he battled grief. It finally felt like he was shambling out of an extended dark fugue; since the pandemic started, Mike had been working at home. His supervisor had taken notice that his work had improved markedly. When the firm had decided to give the option to work from home permanently, Mike decided to move back home. Mike couldn't live in the house that Deborah made their home any longer. He would always have the memories and his children.
"Uncle Jason!" Louise yelled out as Mike's younger brother drove up to the house. Jason had just married Michelle, his long-time girlfriend, six months ago. They lived just around the block from his parents in a duplex. The pair were building their own place at the outskirts of town, but it would be a few months before they could move into it. Michelle was really hoping to have everything set up in time for Christmas.
"How are you two!" Jason bent down to receive a hug from his niece and nephew. He and Michelle had been frequent visitors since Deborah passed. His kids were close with both of them. "Grandma and Papa won't be back until tomorrow, but Aunt Michelle is baking cookies inside; you two think you can help her out? She might need someone to help taste them."
"Yeah!" Louise took Mikey's hand as they sped across the yard, visions of sugary delights likely occluding any other thoughts. Mike smiled; those two had been through so much, but still so happy and well adjusted, mostly. They had their good and bad days like all children, but the good was far more prevalent.
"How was the drive?" Jason said with a smile, likely already knowing the answer.
"It should be a five-hour drive, four when we were younger and didn't know better. It took eight hours. Kids took it better than last Christmas, so that's an improvement." Mike shook his head but was still grinning.
"When's the moving van get here?"'
"It's all in storage for a couple of months. I gotta make sure Louise and Mikey like it here first. I can work from anywhere; if it needs to be back there, it'll have to do. Louise is going to miss her friends. It'll have to be in another house though, ours sold in a week."
"It is a seller's market. Three months with mom and dad, are they ready for that?"
"It's all mom has been talking about. Since you two aren't providing any grandkids the need to get their fill."
Jason stopped in his tracks for a moment. "About that," His eyes swiveled as if he was going to get caught passing drugs. "Don't tell mom and dad yet; we just found out today. They are not going to be the only grands around in nine months." Jason beamed proudly.
"I thought you two were going to wait until she got her master's."
"A. This is her last semester. B. We didn't think it would happen right away. I was looking forward to more trying for a baby."
"Congratulations, you are going to love being a dad."
"Don't tell mom and dad yet; I know they won't be back in town until tomorrow." Jason reiterated. "Michelle wants to tell her parents and ours at the same time. Her folks will be in town in a week."
At that same time -- Ellie
"No, sweetie, mama has got to get this finished before we go to the park. I promise I'll read that to you tonight. Why don't you go play with Aunt Cheryl and Cody for a few minutes?" It was hard to say no to her daughter when she entered the room with a book, but she was still on the clock.
"Okay," Katelynn trundled excitedly off to the front room. It was hard to believe that her little blonde clone was going to be four in a month and a half. Ellie loved Halloween, but her daughter being born on the date had given her more reasons to go all out for the spooky holiday. It was hard to get into the spirit for Katelynn's first couple of birthdays, but now she had no choice but to be buoyed by the little girl's enthusiasm.
I am so lucky to have such a great daughter.
Ellie pushed through a series of spreadsheets, lifting the most critical data to filter into a report for her boss.
