First off I want to start by saying Happy New Year, a little late I know but life has been hectic! So much happening in my life right now! Secondly this will probably be the last chapter of the story and be mainly a text based chapter so that I can have free range on how to wrap it up. I'm going to write this one a little differently! I hope you guys enjoy it!Ellie's POVDear Readers,
I do better with writing my feelings down since that is what I do for a living. Which by the way, is pretty amazing as a food critic! So many new restaurants to try out! Gives me a chance and the excuse to eat new foods! Anyway, I am steering away from what I really have to tell you. It's been quite some time since the last update of our crazy family.
We lost mom two years ago. The day started out as it normally did, I came downstairs that morning for my daily cup of coffee before heading into my office to write. Mom was downstairs already and making breakfast, I would take my plate upstairs usually, I grabbed my cup and my plate of food while kissing her on the cheek. The twins rushed downstairs bickering about something small and stupid like usual. They ate their breakfast and headed off to school. It was around noon when mom popped her head in to tell me she was going to take a little nap. I smiled and told her that I loved her and she went to her bedroom to nap. I must have been working longer then I thought because the next person to pop their head in was Jude. He had asked me where mom was because he knocked on her door and there was no answer. I'll never forget the feeling that I felt at the very moment I walked into her room. I remember shutting the door behind me and walking over to the bed where she was laying very still. I shook her a few times and called her name but nothing would wake her up. It was all a blur from there: walking out of her room, telling the twins to call an ambulance, going to the hospital, trying to keep the twins from falling apart even though they already were. Coming back home was the worst, the house felt empty. There I was, just barely an adult, now responsible for two teenagers. It was a rough time for all of us. But we made it through just fine because we stuck together.
Jude asked me to share this picture. It was the very last picture of mom. I think out of all of us he was the one to take it the hardest. He almost flunked out of school, slipped into this depression that kept him in his room all the time, and it was a struggle to get him to eat anything. I think Gabby was more effected by his struggles then with the fact that mom died. They had this weird twin connection going on that you read about.
My life has been a struggle since mom passed away. It didn't turn out quite the way that I wanted it too. I hoped to find someone and get married and then later start a family of my own. In a way I got the family part, but it was different because they were my siblings and no my children. So I dove in deeper to my work and focused on making sure that the twins were taken care of. I am now an elder and I don't have much things to say about myself. I retired from being a food critic because it just got too hard to go from place to place now. That and now all the new restaurants were opening in the city and I didn't want to keep paying for a taxi. So I stayed home most of the time. I took over taking care of moms garden and fired the gardener.
Life for Gabriella has been pretty exciting. She had moved to the city shortly after graduating high school and started as a waitress at a diner for some extra cash. There she met Caleb, a regular customer who came in to see her. They soon became dating and now were married with a child on the way. They hoped for a little boy but they would be happy with which ever they got. Caleb was a police officer and at times I wished that he would become something else. He was gone long hours of the night and I often got phone calls from Gabby. She worried about him being hurt, and she worried about raising the baby alone because he was gone all the time. She soon found that painting helped take her mind off of things. It wasn't long that she quit the diner and turned painting into a career. I worried about the stress all the time, but I knew they would work it out. Whenever things get too serious, I always remind her of her makeup phase of being a teenager. It was terrifying.
Jude managed to turn his life around for the better and moved to the next town over shortly after Gabby left home. He spent most of his time volunteering at the local nursing home in his town. He wanted to give every ounce of help to them as he possibly could. On the side he worked at a law office as a receptionist for some extra money. He made sure to come home a few times every month and he looked so happy when he did. Oh? Did I mention that he has a little girl? Her name is Lily and she is the cutest thing ever. He loved her with everything he had and was an amazing father. He was married, her name was Rebecka. The first year was great, they were the happiest couple out there. Then Rebecka was diagnosed with breast cancer, the most aggressive kind there was. She passed away a few months ago. Jude took it with stride though, they had said their goodbyes and he still hurt of course but he wanted to be strong for Lily. It was going to be hard enough when Lily got to the age where she started asking where her mother was.
It was comforting to know that the twins had their own lives and something to live for. Whether it was a husband or a daughter. They were well taken care of and I no longer had to worry as much about them as before. It would make it easier to leave them when the time came. I guess my life wasn't too boring, I got to watch their lives unfold and they found happiness. Just the thought of that made me happy. I was lucky for the life I was given and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Sincerely,
Ellie
Well, there it is. The last chapter. It's kind of short but I hope that I wrapped it up with enough information and such. Thank you so much for being patient with the long wait times between chapters at times. An even bigger thank you for taking time to read my story! =]
