Generation 1, Chatper 3: Growing Up

If my life was busy and hectic with just Vivien, it became unimaginably so when Kai was born. Now I was responsible for making sure Vivien was doing well in school while also juggling the responsibilities of a newborn.  Jared and I couldn’t afford to quit work, and that made things difficult.  We worked opposite schedules (I worked days and he worked nights) so we rarely had any time to spend together. Most nights I would come home from work and catch a brief nap before Vivien came home, needing my help with her homework.

Vivien had been a very independent baby.  She rarely cried and she slept all through the night. Kai, on the other hand, was quite needy. I felt like I rarely got to do anything without hearing his cries for attention or food or needing his diaper changed. 

I loved it though.  I loved that my baby boy needed me, and I loved being able to give him the attention and affection he deserved.






 However, I worried that Vivien might be feeling neglected.  Often she would come home and after we finished her homework, she would steal away to the studio and paint until it was bedtime. 

Sometimes she would even skip dinner, though I made an effort to try and eat with her as often as I could, especially when her papa was working. 

Jared was often working.  He’d gained a promotion at the Bistro and now his hours were even longer, and the work harder.  I began to miss his presence in the house. We never fell asleep together anymore – we didn’t laugh, or cuddle or talk much.  It pained me to admit that this wasn’t the marriage I had envisioned for myself. I thought that when Jared began to grow old, he would retire to spend more time with me and the children.  But he kept his job, and even though he would never come out and say it, I think it was because his job was tied to his honor. He didn’t want to feel the disgrace of being too old to work. In fact, he took to fixing things around the house in an effort to show that he was just as capable as he’d always been. 

Vivien was still her papa’s girl.  She held a special place in Jared’s heart that neither myself nor Kai could ever hold.  Regardless of how busy he was, he always managed to find time to spend with his little pumpkin. 

And before we knew it, it was time for Kai’s birthday. I must admit, I was ready for him to become a toddler. I had so enjoyed Vivien’s toddler days – teaching her, talking to her, seeing her grow and learn with every passing day.  I was eager to have these experiences with Kai.

 We decided to throw a party and invited all our friends – even uncle Connor was there!

Kai was a beautiful toddler, although he had quite an odd gaze.  I secretly hoped he would grow out of it while I cut the cake and made small talk.

Jared began to spend a little more time at home with us after Kai aged up. It made me so happy to see that he was finally beginning to settle down a little and realize that he had a life outside of the Bistro.  In fact, I would often come home and find Jared chatting away with Kai, looking genuinely interested and pleased by the conversation. 

 

I continued to work on my reporting – so far I’d had a few hard hitting articles published, but I was hungry for more.  Unfortunately my eagerness led to the computer overheating one day as I was trying to bang out the last page of an article about the local pond that I’d worked VERY hard at.  I was so frustrated that I had not only lost my work, but now the computer was broken and we could not afford to hire a repairman.  Out of my frustration and desperation, I wielded a screwdriver and attempted to fix it myself. And to my own shock and awe, I was successful! Perhaps I was handier than I’d originally thought.

 

Vivi excelled at school. I helped her with her homework every afternoon when she of off the school bus.  I knew Kai had been taking up a lot of our time, so I made an effort to spend time with Vivi whenever I could.  Sometimes we would take trips to the library or the local pool. Although I detest swimming, Vivi was like a fish! She couldn’t get enough of the sport.  Sometimes we would do something as simple as run around in the yard playing tag.

In fact, I had been so focused on my family that I didn’t even realize my birthday was fast approaching.  And then, before I knew it, I had become an elder.

I tried not to be unhappy, I really did. But I couldn’t help but feel like my life had moved far too quickly.  For pete’s sake, my son isn’t even in school yet and I am already gray! I tried to push down the overwhelming feeling that I’d piddled around for too long.  That I had waited too long to get married, too long to have kids, too long to make significant strides in my career.  Now I was faced with the fact that I was in the latter stages of my life, and even though I had a lot to show for it, was it truly all I’d hoped for? I just didn’t know. I didn’t have much time to think about it though, because Vivi’s birthday was right around the corner.  My goodness, already? Seems like just yesterday she was just a toddler, needing my help to go to the potty and walk! Now she is about to be a teenager, and before long she will begin dating and going out and I j ust don’t know If I’m ready for this!

Vivien was marginally less excited. In fact, she was so engrossed in her painting that she didn’t even make it to the cake before she began to age up.

And she aged into a beautiful young lady. 

She got rid of her pigtails and let her long auburn hair down.  I was surprised to see how long it was.  I was also very pleased that she inherited my hair – nothing against Jared, of course, but the dark red just looks so much better.

  

For the most part, lift didn’t change much.  Vivien kept earning wonderful grades.  I helped Kai learn to walk - even in my old age, I can still get around!

Jared and Vivien were still thick as thieves.

I found myself longing for that closeness with my daughter.  She and her papa had always been close, but I couldn’t help feeling like she and I never connected like that. We loved each other, and I helped her with her homework, but if she ever had a personal problem she always went to Jared. They would stay up late sometimes watching TV and giggling. They both loved to paint, too. But I didn’t have that same ability and passion.

However, I had my sculpting.  And thus, I found a way to spend more time with Vivi without pulling her away from the thing she loved. And before I knew it, we began to work late into the night on our respective projects, chatting and laughing away all the while. I never felt happier.

But I had a nagging issue - something that I couldn't put off for much longer.  Which of my beautiful children would carry on our family name, and the legacy I'd worked so hard to found? They were both so intelligent and capable, but I knew there was no way both of them could stand to stay and raise their own babies in the family home. That left me with quite the dilemma. Should I ask them both if they want it? What if they both want it?What if neither wants it? Should I just choose? I had no idea.  I had never done this before and I felt nervous and queasy about having to do it now. I decided that I wasn't ready to let go just yet.  After all, Kai was just barely a child and Vivi was still in highschool. This could wait, right?