All summer long

Round 2: 1981-1985

What a better way to start summer than burning the food and getting a visit from the Fire Department. Regan is trying her best at gaining some cooking skills but so far it doesn't look too good.

Rianna and Jackie are able to get Regan's cookings down their throats somehow. While they have breakfast, Jackie tells Rianna that she's going to be a big sister soon. "You know, I still love your father as much as I did on the day we got married. Or even more."

When Jackie gets home from work that evening, she is greeted by a hailstorm. Jackie will begin her maternity leave now but she has decided that she will get back to work as soon as possible after the baby's birth.

In order to avoid more visits from the fire department, Ryland decides to cook the dinner. He figures he needs the practice because the next day he will have to impress the headmaster of Wellington's private school so that Regan and Rianna can get in.

Regan is at work when headmaster Amar Smith arrives but Rianna is ready to schmooze him up. She gives him a tour around the house and then Ryland serves lime speared sprawns for dinner. The headmaster is very impressed by the family and says the school will be delighted to have the two girls as their newest students.

The next morning Rianna and Regan head to their new school dressed in their brand new uniforms. Regan won't be able to enjoy the priviledges of private school for long though since she's leaving for university in a few days.

Jackie and Ryland take full advantage of the beautiful day by swimming and relaxing by the pool. Ryland can't seem to stop touching Jackie's baby bump but Jackie doesn't mind. She's happy that Ryland has the time to support her during the pregnancy even though he's busy with his career and the upcoming election.

Regan seems to be living on espresso. She's pushing herself to the limit in hopes of meeting the requirements for college. She still needs one scholarship in order to qualify. The clock is ticking and she's really afraid she's going to be uneducated.

Regan's hard work pays off and she's accepted to Brixton Academy in the Physics program.

Jackie and Ryland continue their wonderful day by dancing to some oldies. The huge bump doesn't seem to slow Jackie down at all although Ryland tries to tell her to take it easy.

Maybe it's the dancing and maybe not, but later that evening Jackie goes into labor. She gives birth to a healthy baby girl Denise. Ryland isn't really helpful during the birth, he just stands there and stretches his arms.

Jackie gets up in the middle of the night to feed Denise. She would love to stay home with her newborn baby but Ryland's salary is not enough for both Rianna's private school fees and Regan's college tuitions. And to be completely honest, Jackie isn't really the stay-at-home type of mother.

Denise has grown a bit so Jackie decides this is the perfect time for her to get back to work. They have hired a nanny to take care of the little one. Jackie spends the last few hours at home playing with Denise and teaching her to walk.

The nanny obviously has... issues.

Rianna learns the down-side of being a teenager: zits. She spends hours in front of a mirror and wishes the pimples would go away. Luckily Jackie has bought her an effective acne cream so hopefully she'll have her smooth complexion soon again.

Rianna gets her mind off of her acne problem when Regan comes for a visit from university. She brings along her friend Stella Harris. The girls have rented a small home on the campus because living in a dorm doesn't appeal to them at all.

Ryland gets home from work and is delighted to see his little sister again. He has also invited his friend Max Fielding and decides to cook spaghetti for dinner.

Meanwhile Denise has woken up and lets everyone know that she wants to join their company immediately. This little girl seems to have quite a strong mind, it'll be interesting to see what she's like as a teenager.


Notes:

• Title from "All summer long" by Kid Rock
• I was afraid that Regan would not qualify for college. Luckily she got the orphaned teen's scholarship, otherwise she would've gotten a serious hit in aspiration as "Be Uneducated" was in her fears panel.
• I don't know what pissed the nanny off but she walked inside the house like that on her first day. She did a good job with Denise though so maybe she was having a bad day when she arrived.