Before we begin, as promised, here are a few shots I took of Freddie before he returned to boarding school. It's funny, my wedding day already seems like 100 years ago. Here he is in his formal wear from the day of the ceremony. He insisted those bare feet were a sign of respect and ... what was it? "Oneness with the earth on this blessed day." I love Freddie, but mercy, small doses.
This is his every day wear. I grabbed this shot right before he headed back to school. I love his dis-jointed teen-effort sideburns. It's kind of adorable, don't you think?
Anyway, I'm sure he'll break a heart or ten. I asked him if he had a girlfriend back at school and he leveled me with his big, goo-goo eyes and said something like, "Rosetta, I'm not sure that the restrictions of titles and expectations are the best thing to foster the natural tender state of love."
So, that's a "no?" Or maybe it's a "yeah, Etta, I have 3 or 4 girlfriends." Hippies.
I took over the responsibility of museum maintenance for Mom. While I was down there, I placed Dad's urn, finally. It was a hard goodbye, but I'm glad I was able to take the burden from my mother, who is really struggling with the loss. When she goes down there, she'll always remember that he gave her that bouquet of flowers, in her favorite color. I preserved them chemically so they will last forever.
I also created my young adult section. It's wider than Gran's and Mom's, but I think that's just because the Classic family has now been overcome with photography fever. It'll be fine. It's not as though there's any shortage of space in the basement.
Well, the days began to tick by and slowly we got over the loss of Dad. As much as you do, anyway. Emmett finally managed to make it to level 7 of the painting skill and got immediately to work on Mom's portrait.
I, on the other hand, woke up with somewhat of a surprise.
Hiram has decided to put his charisma to use by becoming a businessman, so I had to wait all day to tell him. When he finally came home, he put his hand on my still flat stomach and frowned slightly.
"Stick it out, Rosetta. I want to feel like there's a baby in there."
I laughed and arched my back so he could attempt to feel the little itty bitty clump of cells that would be our child. "You won't feel anything, Hiram. It's only the size of a bug right now."
He grinned at me, his dimples giving me heart palpations. He focused back on my belly and adapted a little child's voice. "Hello, Bug!" he said. "Do you love your Daddy? Daddy loves you!"
Hiram is family oriented, so I have no doubt that he's already in love with the child.
"It's a Bug, Rosetta. You said so."
"I was being comparative."
"Nope, it's already stuck in my brain. That's what you get for giving misinformation to lesser intellects."
"Oh, stop it."
Emmett has gone back to his old ways. I haven't caught him eating jelly beans, but I did catch him going to an alien party. Ah well, I guess enjoy the days you have. We can't all be immortal.
I've been nurturing my pregnancy by finding more and more stars. I name them all after baby things.
Mom's display was finally finished, and what a relief it was.
However! When she went to use the replicator, it had once again forgotten how to make ambrosia! I ask you, why would this happen twice? I think we need a new replicator. Luckily, we both had about a dozen life fruit that Grandma Carlotta and grown in her youth and half a dozen death fish that Gran has been breeding in the aquarium. We also have Ophelia.
I know my mother sat with hers on the day that ambrosia was eaten, but ... you know, I'm a genius. Yes, of course you do. Here's the thing. So very little surprises me anymore. I would love to be entirely shocked the day I consume my ambrosia. Is that so bad? And besides, I was doing important work. I was finishing up the decor of my future child's gender-neutral green nursery.
Well, sometimes things happen all at once. My mother, in a moment of triumph, sat down beside her mother, ready to taste everlasting life.
And I suddenly felt a stabbing pain shoot through my body.
Hiram had been wanting to watch the ambrosia eating, but suddenly he remembered he needed to be at the office when he heard the Butler panicking. He was gone in a flash.
Thanks, darling. Your support is invaluable. Anyway, I suppose I'm quite independent and can handle it on my own. That day, the house was awash in brilliant light. The first embracing my mother with the gift of immortality.
And the last giving me a daughter, sprouted from my body and my love.
Her name is Eden Classic.
I confess I only update our tale now because her infancy was a hectic one. She is excitable and sweet and loved being walked outdoors, but I barely slept. I am so very in love with my Eden.
Her toddler birthday, I'd hoped, would give me some solace. Perhaps I could even start my job one day! We put the cake directly in the nursery for simplicity's sake.
I wondered if she'd be blonde or ginger. If she'd have my dark blue eyes or Hiram's sky blue. She surprised all of us.
I picked her up and carried her to the dresser to get a look at her. She has my mother's coloring. She is entirely darling.
While the family ate cake and talked excitedly about all we'd accomplished, how far we'd come, and the future for baby Eden, I handed her a bottle and sat down across from her to watch her drink and giggle. Perhaps this seems ungrateful to all I've experienced, but as of right now I'm throughly convinced: my life is just beginning.
