Generation 1, Chapter 1: Adair Arrives

I’ve finally arrived to my new town – a new town means new beginnings and I am certainly all for that.

My name is Adair Collier. I moved to Sunset Valley to start something new.  I’m originally from a small town and grew quite bored with what the town had to offer.  My goal for myself is simple: To start a family that will carry on and shape this town for generations to come.

With such a large goal in mind, I decided I should take what little money I had and use it to buy the biggest piece of land I could afford.  I wanted to own a piece of this town.  I wanted it to be mine.  Money for everything else - kitchen, bathrooms, hell even walls – would come later.  I had enough left over from the land purchase to give myself a tiny bed, a wall with a toilet, and a humble little kitchen that included a refrigerator and one counter.

And then there was not much else to do but find a job.  I’ve always had a penchant for writing, so I found myself heading to the local news office to see if any openings were available.  They had one job – paper boy.  Overlooking the obvious gender-bias in the position name, I accepted it.  I had to make money somehow and I was in no position to turn down a job.  I started the very next day.

I came home from my first day of work feeling good. I went to bed feeling happy about my prospects.  This job had room for upward mobility and would allow me to meet new people. Things were looking up.

I earned my first promotion a few days later.  Automated spell checker-checker.  This required me to refine my writing skill, so I spent a lot of my free time writing on the free computer at the library.

The higher-ups were so impressed with my work that they promoted me again. I was now a freelance writer! This new position required more self-motivation – I was now responsible for finding my own stories to write.  And I had to find them in whatever way I could.  I began to interview people.

Iliana had quite a bit to say

 

And interviewing is how I met Jared Frio.  He was my boss’s brother and worked at the local bistro.  He had handsome green eyes and thick, auburn hair.  I was smitten.  But I learned during the course of my interview with him that he is somewhat inappropriate – and can have quite a mean streak.

But I found it hard to forget about him.  I went home and spent the last bit of my promotion bonus on a guitar.  It was something I had dearly wanted but found it hard to stomach the cost of.  Today, I feel like I deserved it.  I plated into the night and found my skills improving with each subsequent pluck of the strings.

I earned another promotion within a few weeks.  And then another – I had moved right on up to Anonymous source handler.  My ride to work was much more comfortable, as was my accepted work attire.

Even more importantly, I had finally saved enough to start my very own humble abode. And I do mean humble. But I couldn't help feeling ecstatic that my hard work had finally materialized into the beginning of something grand. My mind ran wild with the ideas of how this tiny little house would grow...and the people it would someday be home to.

I saw Jared every once in a while.  It was always fiery passion when I did.  Between his mean-spirited nature and my hot-headedness, there were more than a few arguments.  But we both had passionate natures and we grew quite fond of one another.

I was still not sure about how we would do as a couple.  I was certainly in-lust with Jared.  But love? I wasn’t so sure about that.  I was focused on my career and neither love nor family were not really on my radar just yet.  However, I did let my guard down on the night of my birthday and allowed Jared to spend the night.

 

I was still playing the guitar in my spare time and I had gained quite a following around town.  I liked to play in front of the theater and I earned some nice supplemental income from my prowess.It felt good to have my thoughts materialize into something outside of my writing.

 

However, this night was different.  I felt ill and uncomfortable.  I tried to tell myself it was just nerves but I couldn’t escape the nauseating feeling.  The smells from the bistro across the street only made matters worse, until I couldn’t bear it any longer

 

I was so embarrassed that I hadn’t made it to the restroom in time.  My cheeks were beet red as I scurried home to the comfort of my bed, and I tried to forget about this incident and assure myself that it would be forgotten by everyone in due time.

Ugh…perhaps I shouldn’t have said “due time.”

It hit me like a ton of bricks that I was pregnant.  It all made sense -the nausea, the back pain, the too-tight jeans that used to fit.  Oh god.  Jared! How would I tell Jared? I was furious with myself for allowing this to happen.  As much as I liked Jared, I didn’t know if I loved him.  It nagged at me that he’d worked at the bistro for a year and was still a spice runner – a sure sign that he lacked motivation.  What good was fiery passion with a baby on the way?

I stressed for weeks about telling him.  I avoided his calls and feigned illness when he wanted to stop by.  After a while, I couldn’t hide it from him anymore.  My belly was noticeably and obviously swollen – it would not be long before word reached him.  I sighed and tried to quell the butterflies in my stomach as I dialed his number late one night.

“Jared? I have something to tell you…”

His reaction could have knocked me over with a feather.  His expression softened and his eyes glossed over.  He looked at my belly with a sense of wonder and pride.

He looked like a proud papa

He took my hands into his own and told me how excited he was for this.  I was bewildered by his response.  I felt a rush of emotion and before I could help myself, I was suggesting that he move in.  He accepted, and even brought with him a small sum that he had been saving for a rainy day.  We used the savings along with the money from my most recent promotion to add a nursery to our tiny abode.

We wanted the gender to be a surprise, so we tried to make the nursery neutral

I still went to work as planned.  Writing wasn’t strenuous and I was only scheduled to work 4 hours per day anyway.  My coworkers were ecstatic – especially Connor, who was so proud at the idea of being an uncle.  Every day I endured the questions that typically accompany a pregnancy. 

Coworker: “Is it a boy or a girl?”
Me: “I don’t know. We want it to be a surprise.”
Coworker: “Well what will you name it if it’s a boy? Or a girl?”
Me: “We haven’t really talked about it..”

And then there was the pinnacle of the awkward questioning – whether Jared and I had plans to get married.  I tried to dodge this one as much as possible.  Not only did I find it highly inappropriate, but it also forced me to face the idea that I was still unsure about whether or not I was making the right decision.

Oh god, listen to me. I'm eight and a half months pregnant, the baby's father is living with me, and I am still not sure if this is what I want. Good job, Adair. It's just like you waiting until it's far too late to go back before you decide to think through a decision. Is this normal cold-feet? What if I'm making a terrible mistake?

I didn't have much more time to ponder - my baby was coming regardless of whether I was making the right decision or not.

You were born on a Wednesday, Vivien.  You had piercing green eyes just like your papa and you were born at exactly 11:11AM. My insecurities and second-guessing melted away when they put you into my arms. I realized then that you were all I could have wished for in this world. 

You were your papa's wish too