Chapter 29 – Musings in the Key of EllyDad finally relinquished the new password, but only after making me promise that I wasn't going to scare him again with another romantic photograph. I'll leave that up to auntie Darlene. (Just kidding!)
It has been an interesting year to say the least. Good memories, not-so-good memories, and a whole lot of in between.
Most notable event was, of course, the birth of my baby cousin. Things were rather rough for aunt Darlene this time around and she wound up on bed rest for the last two months of her pregnancy. Aside from being completely stir-crazy by the end of it she pulled through just fine, and when all was said and done she gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
Meet Devon Geoffrey. What a cutie!
Can you tell he already has his daddy wrapped around his little finger?
Oh yeah, we had another burglar. Mom didn't recognize this one, so he must have been new in town. When will these people learn that robbing the house of a cop is a bad idea?
Iris wasn't terribly thrilled about being awakened out of a sound sleep and proceeded to give the burglar a piece of her mind. It was rather amusing to watch a toughened criminal being told off by a seven-year-old.
The arresting officer was laughing by the end of her tirade. Iris is not afraid to speak her mind, that much is for certain.
My aunt doesn't quite know what to do with her sometimes. Iris is a ball of energy and is constantly on the go, not unlike a certain hyperactive uncle of ours. (Though according to Dad uncle Arlo was much worse.) If she's not at school or doing homework she is usually in the back yard or playing at the park with her friends.
Judd and I are still doing well. More than well, actually. Our third anniversary was a couple of months back. We didn't do anything much to celebrate; things were a bit on the crazy side with school so we just ordered pizza and hung out at the house. It was still a wonderful night though.
I love him so much. He is my best friend and more. It's like he's the other half of me, and I miss him terribly when he's not there. Lately we have been talking a lot about the future...and Judd has said some things...
In the interest of not giving my dad a heart attack I don't think I'll say anything more, though truth be told I think my parents are already suspecting something.
Okay, changing the subject now.
Believe it or not we're back on speaking terms with Dallas. I know, surprising, isn't it? A few months ago he came over to the house and apologized for what happened that night a few years back.
Granted, things will never be the same as they once were. He still has some anger issues that he is trying to work out, not to mention that the dynamic is completely different since Judd and I are now a couple. Regardless, I am happy to once again call Dallas a friend, and I know that Judd feels the same way.
As surprising as that whole thing was it doesn't hold a candle to what happened a few months later. Sit back...you're
not going to believe this one.
Two Saturdays ago Judd and I were planning to meet the Frio twins at the park for a jam session. Lana and Sylvia were running late, so we decided just to walk around and chat while we waited for them to show up. As we were wandering through the park I noticed an elderly couple not too far ahead of us. There was something oddly familiar about them that I couldn't quite place...until the woman happened to glance in my direction.
I stopped in my tracks. The instant I recognized her uniform I knew exactly why she seemed so familiar. There was no mistaking the family resemblance; I was, for the first time in my life, face-to-face with Vita Alto. My grandmother...which most likely meant that the sinister looking individual next to her was my grandfather Nick.
The expression on her face was that of utter shock. From what Dad tells me I look almost identical to Mom when she was my age, so it was almost a given that she knew who I was. To be perfectly honest, I was somewhat scared. Mom has never spoken highly of her. What sort of reception would she give me—a granddaughter whom she had never even met?
“You...are Elysia Bunch, are you not?”
“Yes, madam President,” I politely replied. A hint of a smile played upon her features.
“Well-mannered. I expected no less from the child of my child,” she spoke. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Our conversation was short, but surprisingly pleasant. When I told Mom of our meeting later that evening she was stunned—particularly when I made mention that her mother expressed a desire to speak with her again. I didn't hear anything more about it until a few days later when I overheard Mom talking to Dad about possibly meeting her for lunch later that week.
They spent over four hours at the Bistro together. I guess it takes a while to catch up when it's been over twenty years since last they spoke to one another. Mom still doesn't trust her entirely, and I can't say that I blame her given their checkered past...but at the very least there seems to be a mutual respect between them.
What exactly will come of this nobody knows. I for one am willing to give my grandmother the benefit of the doubt, if for no other reason than the fact that she's over eighty and probably will not be around for that much longer. Maybe Mom will finally be able to have some pleasant memories tied to her mother. It's worth a shot, right?
(A/N: Thanks for reading!)
