Chapter 45 - Better Late than Never
Evil Gerald Morven may have been, but there was a line when it came to his family.
As he watched his mother sobbing on what was meant to be one of the proudest days in her eternal life, he couldn't stand aside any longer.
That line had been crossed.
"I've got a bone to pick with you, Mr. Reaper," said Gerald, his voice trembling with sadness and anger.
"I am not capable of choosing the time or the place, young Morven," said Grim.
But Gerald wasn't listening. "You've got some nerve showing up here, today of all days, to reap the soul of my father!" he continued.
"It was his time," came the reply.
"That's bull. You're just here to ** me off. You're probably working with whoever wanted to keep me out of the Secret Agent career, aren't you?" Gerald accused.
"I know nothing of the…" Grim tried.
"Lucky for me," Gerald continued, "I need to get some mean interactions under my belt for my next promotion, and I've chosen my victim."
"I wouldn't, if I were you," Grim warned. "You'll be seeing rather a lot of me over the years, you know. Your grandmother has made peace with that."
"And what about Grandma Colette? I see her around sometimes, Grim, and she's just as sad in death as she was in life. You don't
end suffering, old fiend. You prolong it. We're all immortal in the end, aren't we? Aren't we?" Gerald was yelling now.
"I wouldn't put it that…" Grim tried to answer, remaining remarkably calm under the circumstances.
"Of course you wouldn't!" Gerald shouted, "because it's stupid, isn't it? It's all stupid. You're stupid, the rules are stupid, this dynasty is stupid, and if the rules can't be changed, then what's the point in continuing? In the name of the Watcher's God, who actually benefits from all of this?"
"Surely you don't expect me to have an answer?" Grim asked.
"Aaaaaaargh!" Gerald shouted, attacking his target.
"So we're going there, are we?" Grim muttered. When was the last time he'd gotten into a fistfight with a mortal? He wondered. Gerald wasn't immortal yet.
"I can't look," muttered Rose. It was all getting to be too much for her.
"You may have won that fight, Gerald Morven," Grim muttered, his head spinning, "but if you think that's enough to keep me from returning for your loved ones when their times come, you are mistaken. Time marches on, unhindered, except for those who cheat it."
"It's not cheating," Gerald muttered, "if it's in the rules."
"Awww yeah," Edith cheered.
"My big brother just whooped death's butt!"
Rose, meanwhile, just wanted to hide.
Unfortunately for her, while the rest of the family dispersed, she and Iris had a small matter of unfinished business to attend to.
"Do I have to eat it?" Rose asked.
"I'm afraid so," Iris replied.
"I have no appetite. Especially not for this stuff," Rose muttered.
"Go
on," Iris urged her, "you've earned it."
"I don't feel like I have. It just feels wrong, Mom." She sighed. "Does the emptiness ever go away?"
"It will grow dull in time," Iris answered, "but no, it doesn't ever completely go away."
Rose sighed sadly. "The immortal's curse, hey?"
---
As is usual after the death of a loved one, the family passes the next few days in a bit of a slump. They cry it out.
They give themselves pep talks.
They tried to engage as much as possible in the pastimes that brought them clarity of mind.
Or the pastimes that brought them peace,
They buried themselves in their work;
mourning their loss by finding love and fulfillment elsewhere.
("Farewell My Love" was Rose's first ever Sad Book. And it was, of course, a Bestseller. Now that we don't need any more.)
But when they needed to talk to someone about the unfamiliar emotions they were experiencing, the sadness hotline was there, and thankfully there were people out there who really did care. Even about the likes of Gerald Morven.
Not being as close to Norman as his mother-in-law, his wife, or his children, Harley bounced back quicker than everyone else. Which of course meant attempting to get everyone else back on track. Now that a spot had opened up in the house, she was eager for it to be filled.
"
You can't adopt, Harley, you know that," I told her gently.
"I can look though, can't I?" Harley muttered. "You know, I'm about to become an adult. You forgot, didn't you? Didn't think of it. Sure, Iris waited to have Rose until she was my age, but then Rose wasn't a child as long as my child will be a child. And Joaquin
still died when Rose was a teen."
"
Toddlers are new to me. I'm sorry. But you are right, and I should have taken that into consideration," I try to apologise. "
But it wasn't an easy decision for me, you know that?"
"But it was your decision." Harley said, accusatorily. "You just let Iris think it was hers. Let Norman think he was the one who made her change her mind."
"Look at her," Harley continued, pointing at one of the pictures of the smiling children. "Already a child. No toddler stage - I could bring her home tomorrow and still see her young adult birthday, couldn't I?"
"
Maybe you could," I replied, "
But she wouldn't be yours. And more importantly, she wouldn't be Gerald's. And you know the rules."
"The rules can be changed," Harley said, airily. "I'm going to figure out how to change them."
"
I really don't think they can."
"You chose Chimo. You chose me. You're really the one making the decisions - I'm not stupid. I bet you've got the name and traits and aspirations and skills and personality of my child all figured out in your excel spreadsheets already, haven't you?" Harley asked. "I'm not even pregnant yet. But tell me, am I having a boy, or a girl?"
I wasn't sure I liked how much fourth-wall breaking was happening in this conversation, even for this story, so I may have refused to answer straight away.
Harley sighed. She closed out of the Simnardos adoptions web-page and diligently began hacking the Lothario Trust - her daily career requirement, of course.
"My point is," she murmured, "you're controlling a lot here. And if you wanted to break the rules, you could.
I think if you wanted to change the rules, you could do that, too. But if not, I'll figure out a way myself."
"She's right, you know," said Iris. "Well, partially. Most of that made her sound completely nutters, but she's right about having a child. Chimo's still got a week of childhood left. Now, granted, Norman had him at the end of adulthood rather than at the start, but it's still different to when I was having kids."
"There's just been so much sadness in the house as of late, since Norman…" my voice trails off.
"Nevertheless, time marches on," said Iris firmly.
I do take note that she's holding a saw.
As if she was making a point, when I start sending Harley out to the flirty garden, she twirls into an adult. I knew her birthday was soon, but it had seemed between the Ambrosia and Norman and everyone just moping around, I had forgotten completely.
I'm sorry, Harley, really I am. I'll get Gerald and we'll get started on this, won't we?
Maybe you can both change into something nice, put on some nice music…
I know we're all still in shock about Norman, but there really is no more time to waste.
And so, better late than never, generation four is on its way.
