Hey everybody! It's been a while. Sorry, I've had a lot going on lately with preparing for a national SkillsUSA competition, fixing things up around the house, getting a new vehicle, looking at job applications, planning my summer, and finishing up this school year. Also, I'm lazy and have been lacking motivation for a while to continue with this story. But I'm back, bear with me.
So, what's up in the Frio house? Cypress waited a little while before getting a job. The house is far past financially stable with Lyric's job and tips, Connor's books, and Zelda's gardening. Cypress had a ton of free time after getting out of high school, so he took the time to work on science, fishing, gardening and handiness. He did eventually apply as a test subject, earning a higher salary than projected due to his experience in the science skill. He moved up the ranks pretty steadily.
I had planned on Lyric's 10 items to be snakes, but after about four or five of them the family found they could be a bit of a pain to take care of. Cleaning and feeding was okay, but being required to play with them became more of a chore than enjoyable.
The family collected snakes until they had about eight of them. Eventually it became too much to deal with and the snakes were sold to.....whoever got them. We'll have to be a little more careful when buying Lyric's snakeskin jackets, I guess. The snakes were all sold and the family pledged to never let the reptiles take over their house again. But when Zelda spotted a Malayan Krait while going around town, she couldn't resist and set him up in Lyric's room. Hello, Apollo II.
Unfortunately, not too long after this addition to the family, a subtraction was made...
Connor and Zelda were cuddling together, reminiscing on their fruitful lives. Connor was high up in the ranks of writing and was earning well over the 4000 simoleons per week he aspired when he was young. Zelda reached the top of her gardening career and reached her lifetime wish of having a perfect garden. Cypress finally started to fit in and was making friends and learning lots of things. He loved to take care of his mother's garden and had a steady girlfriend (who finally reached young adult on her own, btw). And Lyric... Lyric loved life. Connor and Zelda both knew somewhere in the back of their heads that Lyric had a duty to fulfill. He was climbing the ladder of the music career, he was an amazing guitar player, he was making plenty of friends of his own, his relationship with Sandi was going strong, and his with his family were very strong. Zelda's last moments were happy in the arms of the man she was suddenly thrown into years back.
Of course, Connor couldn't bear to see her go. This was the woman he loved! When he was younger, living with his older brother and working in a newspaper press office, he would've never imagined to find someone his heart even skipped a beat for. An indescribable force pulled him to this woman with a personality completely opposite to his own. They married, rebuilt his home, had two beautiful children... But now the person he spent his happiest moments in life with was leaving him.
"It's time to let go, Connor," his wife told him "I've never spent a moment suffering with you, but nobody can stay alive forever."
"But what if you ate those life fruit in the garden instead of selling them all?!"
"I can't avoid death. I evaded it for a while getting tattoos and snacking on things from the garden while nobody saw, but it's my time now."
Zelda took the hand of death with grace.
The garden became solely Cypress', and he enjoys taking care of it every single day.
Zelda's guitar went to Lyric. Lyric can't quite make himself able to play the guitar his mother loved, but he keeps it safe in his room where he can admire it.
Connor finds even the simplest, most mundane of daily activities to be impossible when he can't stop and hold his wife. His brother died of old age a bit before Zelda did and he dealt with it without too much pain. Now that Zelda is gone, he finds himself thinking about his brother more. He thinks about Connor's ex-girlfriend, Claire, and her death. He feels guilty for not paying more attention to his niece, Stephenie. It becomes apparent to him that Landgraabs and Goths are gone except for their sons. Hank Goddard from down the street is gone, and Pauline's age is showing. Zelda's sister and brother-in-law are long gone. Parker and Kaylynn are all grown up. Connor thinks he may be going insane.
Connor knows his own time will come eventually and he'll be reunited with his wife. Until then, he's going to spend time with his remaining family. His two sons are all he has left, and he's going to stay by them for as long as possible. He knows Lyric and Cypress love him just as much as he loves them, and their presence will get him through until his time does come.
