Chapter Ten: In Which the Kids Grow Up
Gilberto and Maritza move out soon after the twins are born. They want a chance to make their own mark in the world, and expand their family as much as they please (I overheard them saying something about ten children... crazy, I know!) Xander, Maritza's mom, and I scrounge up every last penny that's not indispensable in order to help them to buy a nice house. It turns out they have some savings of their own, and are able to get a wonderful place, full of space to raise kids. I haven't been by to visit them, but Xander and Bessie say it's and beautiful.
Bessie celebrates her teen birthday with a big party. Everyone from school is there. I wish I could hide in my room, but I put on a good face for Bessie. It's not that bad.
But once she's a teen, I decide it's time to take her and Buster to the cemetery. I haven't explained this whole strange thing to them, even though they've figured most of it out already. They obviously know they're Xander's aunt and uncle, and probably think that's weird, and have their own theories about that. And Bessie clearly knows she's different from other kids, but I'm not sure whether she knows exactly what this means.
I'm so proud when we walk into the graveyard and even though it's dark neither one of them shows a bit of fear. First I take them to Ransom's grave. They've never visited it. Buster has nothing but vague memories of him, and Bessie nothing at all, but they love him as their father nonetheless, and cry.
Then I try to explain. "Your father had been dead many years when I met him. I was a young woman, living here in the graveyard, and we met and fell in love."
"So he was a ghost all along?" asks Bessie. "So you, like..." She giggles. "Kissed him and all that stuff, even though he was transparent and immaterial? How does that even work?"
Buster rolls his eyes and pinches her arm. "You're real enough," he says, avoiding the slap she aims at him in retaliation.
"Yeah, but I'm not a ghost. Am I?" She gazes at me, dead serious now.
"I'm not sure, sweetie," I say gently. "But there is something called ambrosia that might be able to help you. It takes death fish and life fruit to prepare. I've quite a few death fish, and we could find life fruit if you wanted..."
"I like being this way," Bessie interrupts.
"A freak?" says Buster.
"I've always felt a connection to something deeper than just me. There's always been this... I don't know, this corner of my existence where the walls don't quite meet, where it's not quite solid, and I know I could go through and see what's on the other side."
Buster and I are quiet. Bessie's never spoken to us about this before.
"I love you whatever you look like," I say. "And it's your choice. You can change your mind later."
"I won't," says Bessie. "What about love, though? And babies? Will I be able to have children?"
Buster rolls his eyes and walks off. I try to tell Bessie that I don't know, that she'll just have to find out for herself.
"Maybe if your father were still here. Maybe he'd know," I say.
We hear a shout from over by the fence and look over to see that a few of the ghosts have come out of their graves and shown Buster what being a ghost is all about.
Bessie giggles. "Do you think I can do that?"
"Be nice to your brother, Bessie."
She doesn't listen, of course, and then she and Buster are off chasing each other around the graveyard, with the ghosts watching. I smile. This has gone better than I thought it would.
A few days later, though, I wake up around ten in the morning and find Bessie still at home, playing chess.
"Don't you have school?" I ask, worried.
She's concentrated on the chess board and doesn't look at me. "They kicked me out."
"What? How is that possible?"
She shrugs. "I guess they don't want a ghost at school anymore."
I spend the day calling the school and exchanging angry words with several people, but they finally all give me the same answer. Bessie isn't allowed on campus anymore. Something about not qualifying on account of her not having blood, or pigmentation, or being transparent. Whatever it is, it's ridiculous, but the fact remains that they won't take her.
I sit down with her and try to work something out. Buster's smart and an excellent student, so he offers to tutor her. I accept, since I wouldn't know the first thing about homeschooling. Xander and I team up to keep an eye on how that's going.
Xander spends a lot of time at Gilberto and Maritza's house, helping them with the kids and providing whatever he can. They're getting ready to move to another town, and Maritza's pregnant again... with twins. The house is kind of chaotic, Xander says, with two lively little girls and Gilberto always playing his guitar, but they're it's always hard as a young family.
I spend quite a bit of time at the graveyard. I'm feeling old, and it draws me. I never go near Ransom's grave, but I do talk to some of the other ghosts sometimes.
One night I meet a woman around my age reading a book on one of the benches. She reminds me a lot of me. We get to talking and really hit it off. She's an angler, just like me, and she loves the graveyard, too. Her name is Sunny Bashki.
"I was actually thinking of moving in," she says matter-of-factly.
Well, then, of course, I have to tell her everything, my whole story from the day I first set foot in the place with the intention of living there, all the way to the present day, and my concerns about Bessie and her future. Sunny reassures me and gives me some good advice. I think I've made a friend.
My birthday catches me by surprise a few days later just as I'm hopping out of the shower. The kids run in to cheer and congratulate me. I can't believe my hair fell out! And I'd never wear that outfit by choice!
A makeover and clothes change later, I feel a bit more like myself. I decide to try my hand at cooking again, since I'm supposed to be wiser now and everything. I burn the food anyway.
Bessie doesn't like it that I dye my hair. She says there's nothing wrong about aging, and that I shouldn't try to hide it. Easy for her to say! Her hair will always be the same color, and I bet wrinkles won't even show up on her skin. But deep down I know I'm really afraid of growing old, because I know the end is drawing near, and what will happen then? Will I meet Ransom? Will he know me? Will Jennie make my death hell?
Per Sunny's advice, I decide to find something for Bessie to do. Sheˇs not been idle by any means; she's a much better cook than me, and she's been developing her natural logic skill. Still, I think that a bit more responsibility and a schedule would do her good. I suggest that she apply for a part-time job, and she chooses the spa, since she feels it might help her a bit with being a doctor later on. I'm not entirely sure what connection she sees between the two, but I agree heartily.
She says her co-workers give her odd looks, but the customers love the feel of her cool and semi-liquid hands, so she's happy.
Lately Buster's been seeing a girl called Janie Jolina, and hasn't had much time for Bessie.
I'm ready to have a talk with him about neglecting his sister when I find out he's been up to something else: setting Bessie up with a friend of his from school, Alfred Wolff. Bessie and Alfred quickly fall in love, and she's so happy that I can't complain.
Buster's birthday arrives, and we're all gathered in the kitchen as he's blowing out the candles when it happens. Bessie arrives a little late, in time to witness Xander passing away.
We all rush into the living room, sobbing as Grim arrives to take him away. Xander goes quietly, with a little smile just before he hops into his urn.
Bessie's boyfriend Alfred is shocked and a little scared. Grim looks straight at him and hollers: "Be a man, won't you! Death comes to everyone. There's no reason to be afraid of it!"
Since he seems to be in a talkative mood, I dry my tears and approach him.
"Mr. Grim?" I ask hesitantly.
"Kitee Bones," he says in a booming, gravelly voice. "You used to live in my graveyard. I liked having you there, keeping me company. Ghosts are dreadful company. What's up with the move?"
"My kids," I explain, and then hesitate. "Could I ask you a question?"
"Sure!" says Grim.
"When Ransom went to the netherworld, did he forget me?"
Grim scratches his head thoughtfully. "Not sure what you mean."
"He didn't remember me." I have trouble keeping the pain from my voice.
Grim sighs. "Look, Kitee. Let me explain something to you. The netherworld is like a symphony. They do have them in this dimension, right? Good. So it's like a symphony. Every note is harmonious, perfectly in tune with the rest, and they're all... well... dead."
"You're alive, correct?" Grim continues.
"Yes."
"You're not part of that symphony. Life isn't a symphony. In case you haven't noticed, it's pretty chaotic. Gilberto and Maritza Clavell, for example, recently had twin girls and called them Jenny and Clara. Not only do they look exactly like each other and like Jennie and Claire, but they won't even be able to tell the names apart! Now if that's not chaos, you tell me what is."
"I don't understand."
"You're not a note in the symphony. You're a noise. Ransom broke out of the symphony once, when he came to live with you, and fell in love with you. He's back inside of it now, wholly. Didn't you ever wonder why the only thing the ghosts do is play silly tricks? They're beyond worldly concerns, all peacefully part of the symphony."
"So you're saying that when I die, I'll be a note in the symphony again, and Ransom will know who I am, and remember our life together?"
"Maybe. I can't say. Things shift around when they're converted from the noise of life into the symphony. Here's hoping, though." He crosses his fingers and, with no further ado, melts through the floor in a puff of black smoke.
I'm not entirely comforted, but I feel a little better. There's still a chance, at least, that we'll someday have that forever Ransom promised me.
Buster doesn't wait long after his birthday to propose to his girlfriend, Janie. She immediately accepts, of course.
No mother could have been prouder than I am when I watch Bessie blow out the candles at her young adult birthday party. I've gotten her through her teen years, and more importantly, she's gotten herself through them, and grown up to be a confident, determined young woman...
... who loses no time in proposing to her love, either. I'm a bit concerned about what his answer will be, because I'm not entirely sure where they stand on the whole issue of her being a ghost, but judging by the happy dance he's said yes!
Preparations begin for the wedding. We'll be celebrating both of them together. Janie and Alfred both move in, and Janie's been throwing up in our toilets, by which I surmise we'll be seeing the first grandchild soon.
She's a bit odd. She's always running to check that she didn't leave the oven on, even though she never cooks, and there's the fact that she bathes in her underwear.
Alfred, even though a bit of a slob, seems like a much more nice and normal guy. He's got a job in law enforcement, which means he and Bessie get to train their logic skill together. I think a cop is a much better prospect than a thief, which is what Janie wants to be, but what can I say? I won't question my children's choices so long as they're happy.
Xander comes out every night, since we've kept his urn, but he doesn't bother us. He just dances, mostly.
Finally, the day of the wedding arrives. We have the ceremony in the back yard, next to my little garden. First Buster and Janie exchange their rings. I think I'm going to cry. My little Buster!
Janie has to run out in the middle of Bessie and Alfred's wedding vows to throw up. That morning sickness has her on her toes! I'm happy to share this moment with my friend Sunny Bashki, now an elder as well.
It's a beautiful ceremony and a great party, despite the crowd. After everyone's left, Bessie comes over to me and with a little smile announces:
"Hey mom. I thought you might want to know. I'm pregnant."
Thank you for reading, and for waiting! This wasn't the last chapter; there'll be one more. Hopefully I'll be able to put it up tomorrow. I've already played almost to the end, so all I need to do is write it.
The bugs make it hard to play, but a few of them inspired plot developments, for example: when Bessie became a teen, it said there were no schools to attend in town, even though Buster was still going. Also, the school bus stopped coming, so he was always late.
By the way, Maritza and Gilberto really did have another set of twins and name them that, but I wasn't able to see them before the family got randomly deleted, as tends to happen.
I hope you enjoyed! Stay tuned for the last chapter.
