Chapter 46 – Age is Just a Number, Right?My daughter was right on one thing; these past couple of years have been rather eventful.
Why yes...I have gotten a bit older. It's the hair, right?
Shortly after we found out that Devon was dating he approached Malcolm about the prospect of having Nadia move in with us. At first we were all rather skeptical; they had only been seeing each other for a couple of months, and we weren't exactly sure where their relationship was headed at that point. Malcolm told him to give it a few more months, and then if they were still sure of their relationship, then yes, Nadia could move in.
Long story short, Nadia Cope moved in three months later and is now sharing Devon's room. She was very grateful for the invitation and seems to go out of her way to help out around the house whenever she can, which has already earned her a few points as far as Elysia is concerned.
My goofball of a grandson welcomed her in his own special way.
They do seem quite happy together, I must admit. I think that Devon really needed someone like her in his life. It's almost as if she has made him a bit more sane.
Or...not.
While all of this was going on we were getting ready to usher in the beginning of Zoey's teenage years. Everyone was excited, especially Zoey. She had done well in elementary and middle school and was more than ready to tackle high school head-on.
Happy birthday, sweetheart.
She has turned into a beautiful young lady, not unlike her own mother. And yet, Zoey is very different. Where Elysia is music-oriented, Zoey's tastes tend more toward physical activity. There isn't a day that goes by where she's not jogging around the neighborhood or working out on one of the machines.
That is not to say that she doesn't spend time with her friends though. Zoey and Andrew decided that they would be Best Friends Forever and are now more or less attached at the hip. Bella joked that he might as well live over here for as little time as he spends at home. (Between you and me, I don't think that Andrew is very fond of the ghosts.)
Zoey has also proven to be quite a good babysitter to her two cousins. Amaya and Marcus just love her.
It has been a while since we've had two toddlers in the house and I had forgotten just how rambunctious they can be at times. Marcus may technically be Amaya's nephew but they act more like brother and sister.
They do absolutely everything together.
Both are just as adorable as can be.
That following Spring came a pair of milestone birthdays that quite frankly stunned me. My son-in-law was now officially middle-aged.
Then, a month later...
Did my daughter and son-in-law really just turn
forty? I could hardly believe it.
Neither could Elysia. “Not another wrinkle.
Please, not another wrinkle.”
“Dear, you can hardly even see them,” Holly tried to reassure her.
“
Them? There's more than one?!” She frantically checked her forehead and heaved a sigh. “Oh
man, now I'm really in trouble. I don't remember you having this many wrinkles at forty! And just
look at those crow's feet!”
Holly gave up then and there, but Judd managed to rescue the situation when he got home from his concert. Serenading her certainly didn't hurt.
Later that night he took her out for dinner and dancing to help take her mind off of things.
Slowly Elysia began to realize that wrinkles and gray hair did not mean the end of the world. She had a great job, two wonderful kids and a loving husband. A few signs of age meant nothing. They were entering a new stage of life together and nothing was going to keep them from living it to the fullest.
Just a few short months after our daughter turned forty the time finally came for Holly and I to embrace elderhood. We decided to have our own private dinner at the Bistro for Holly's birthday. It is not that we didn't want to have the rest of the family around, but sometimes it's nice to just be a couple for once, especially when you live in a household as large as ours.
We had a very pleasant evening. Holly and I both ordered the ratatouille and we shared a bottle of nectar, then capped it off with a delicious angel food cake for dessert. As we were leaving the restaurant...
“How do you feel?” I asked.
“Could...be better.” She squeaked out. “Could you help me to the car? I think I just twisted my back.”
A few days later it was my turn. I was ready. Age means nothing to me anymore. You're only as old as you feel.
And that felt rather
painful, actually. Is it common to twist your back on your sixty-fifth birthday?
We're a little older, perhaps a little wiser, and a lot grayer. It really isn't so bad. True, most of our years are now behind us, but life is not over by any means. There are still memories to be made, books to read, scenes to put to canvas, jokes to laugh at, and nectar to taste.
But before I could get going with all of that...
...it was time to retire.
It was a bittersweet moment. I had spent forty-seven years of my life working at Sacred Spleen. There are a lot of pleasant memories tied to that place and many lifelong friends. With my brother-in-law taking over my position as head surgeon, though, I know that I'm leaving the place in good hands. Still, it will be strange not having to get up every morning and go to work. Now I'm left with lounging around in my bathrobe and cuddling with my wife instead.
I think I can manage.
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(A/N: A day later than I expected, but I'm still somewhat of a zombie and this chapter was being a pain in the backside.
Hope you enjoy!)
