If Wishes were Horses -- a Wishacy (February 25)

[MarianT]

Thanks, everyone!

Playalot, welcome to the Forum! Yes, I did manage to catch Jezzie at peak cuteness, something that doesn't often happen.

[MarianT]

Chapter Six – Two Birthday Parties
It didn’t take long for Roy to come into our life.



By that time, I was at the point where I could get street art commissions any time I wanted. Although I haven’t produced any masterpieces yet, I think I’m getting to be pretty good.



Anyway, I began to wish that I really could quit my day job – and the Watcher obliged.



“Fantastic!” said Tori. “That means you can look after the children while I go back to my job.”

“But I’m going to have to be away from the house…”

“And my pregnancy leave will end after Leisure Day,” said Tori.

She did condescend to look after Roy while I tried to pick up some tips at the Summer Festival.



We also decided to have a birthday party for Jezzie so that I wouldn’t have to deal with a baby and a toddler simultaneously.



Jezzie selected a wardrobe in her favorite color, aqua. Tori had a kimono left over from her childhood days, which Jezzie picked immediately for her formal outfit.



She’s a bookworm and has already started a science fiction novel – Wishing Upon a Star. She explained to me that Wishing is a pink rabbit who lives on a star near a black hole. It’s too soon to tell, but I think she’s going to be a professional author.



What’s amazing is that she has been in school such a short time. She did get credit for attending a game at the stadium over the weekend, though. She looked very small when I dropped her off.



Tori expressed a wish to have a birthday party for Roy, so we invited some people over to watch him blow out his candles.



Even though he was surrounded by people, he started complaining vociferously of loneliness. He’s a bit eccentric, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.



Tori says he’s going to look exactly like me when he grows up.



We dressed him in a warm shirt because it’s fall now and starting to get cold outside. When Jezzie returned from her outing, we suggested she put on something warmer, too.



Tori wants Jezzie to make the honor roll, so it will be a while before our little girl becomes a teen. Hopefully, I’ll have painted a masterpiece or two by then.

[simaholic^]

Jezzie is so cute! I love her outfits and she totally rock that hairstyle. Roy is adorable.

[Playalot]

Gotta love that crying baby thought bubble 

[MarianT]

Chapter Seven – A Really Spooky Day

Roy’s toddlerhood went by in a flash. One day I was teaching him how to walk…



The next day I was attacking him with the claw…



…just before the guests arrived for his birthday. The woman in blue is our repairperson, Tuesday Sears.



Roy picked out his own wardrobe in his favorite color, Irish green. From left to right, his everyday outfit, his formalwear, and his winter wear.



Tori’s birthday came the next day. I was afraid she would have a fierce mid-life crisis, but she wasn’t fazed at all about reaching that certain age. She didn’t want a party, though. She said we had plenty of cake on hand already.



The next day was Spooky Day. Sadly, it rained all day, but the children still had fun. Jezzie went outside to play in the leaves.



Roy went to the Festival and had an unexpected experience when he went through the Haunted House.



When our unhappy little ghost drifted through the front door, I assured him that he was still a much-loved part of the family.



He and Jezzie went trick-or-treating, while Tori and I attended a costume party. Roy got candy, but Judy Bunch gave Jezzie a little witch gnome.



We thought that was the end of the festivities, but I forgot that my birthday was coming up. I haven’t painted even one masterpiece yet. I’m not ready. My children are going to become teen-age monsters. Will my wife still love me when I have wrinkles? That’s right – my birthday was the prelude to a mid-life crisis.



My first wish was to move to a new house, which we did the very next day. It has a kitchen and a dining room with a table that can seat all of us at once.



Roy and Jezzie each get their own bedroom. Roy expressed an interest in pirates (should I worry about this?).



Jez didn’t want any toys. She’s going to become a teenager soon, now that she’s fulfilled Tori’s wish and made the honor roll. She did put in a request for her own computer, a good-sized bookshelf, and a comfortable chair (don’t let its appearance fool you – it’s ergonomically designed and has the price tag to prove it).



As for me, I have my own workspace. I should produce a masterpiece or seven any day now. I’m a little concerned that the Watcher will grant all of my mid-life crisis wishes. What if I want a divorce? I’m perfectly happy with Tori – I don’t want to screw that up. I wish I could go back to being young – no, scratch that, I’d just have to go through all this again. I don’t know what I want really, except for the Watcher to quit cackling evilly in the background.

[PeregrineTook]

Poor little ghost Roy!!

[MarianT]

Chapter Eight – Midlife and Other Crises

There’s more to a midlife crisis than wrinkles, let me tell you. Wait – is that a gray hair in my sideburn?



There are also the wishes for new clothes…



…a tattoo (a Celtic Knot, to remind me where I came from)…



…and a muscle car with flashy decals – the Rock Town 3000.



If you’re an idiot, you tell your spouse about some of the wishes you’ve had, making it clear, of course, that you would never divorce her or flirt with her friends.



You feel the desire to experiment with temperature extremes, going swimming on a chilly evening…



…and warming up with a bowl of vegetarian chili.



Eventually, I did patch things up with Tori. I asked her to try a couple of different hairstyles:



And then I showed her the masterpieces that I’d painted when inspired by her.



She was pretty pleased with the results, and said I didn't have to sleep in the igloo anymore.



Life in the Hooley household seemed to be calming down, but then Jezzie had her birthday.



Choosing a wardrobe was easy for her (that’s her formal, everyday outfit, and winter coat):



Deciding what she wants to be called has been more difficult – Jez? Jezz? Jezzi? I suggested her actual name, Jezebel, but she arched her eyebrows and gave me the look she inherited from her mother. Being a teen didn’t seem to bother Jezzi much – until prom night came along. She looked beautiful in her dress.



It didn’t surprise me at all that she was named Prom Queen.



But apparently while I was reading a bedtime story to Roy…



…Jezzi was enduring the horrors of mean chaperones, crushes who wouldn’t dance with her, and people who stepped on her toes and threw drinks in her face. For some reason, this has given her the desire to become a journalist. “What are you writing?” I asked.

“Why Prom Sucks: an Expose,” she replied. "I'm going to publish it in the school paper."



Peace seems to have finally descended upon our household – barring the occasional interruptions of cell phones.



But I don’t think it’s going to last. Roy acquired the flirty trait when he became a teen.

[RaiaDraconis]

The way you described Hans's mid-life crisis was hilarious. Poor guy, having to sleep out in the igloo.

Roy and Jezzie turned out cute!

[Rhoxi]

Aw, Jezzi is so cute!!

And nice job there with the flattery--excellent way to make up with your wife.