Belief

Round 13: Spring 2020


Sam Cooper is 42, Grace is 37, Madelyn and Ross are 9 and James is 4.
(Jack is 37, Paige is 36, Nyah and Denise are 34.)

Narrated by Grace Cooper.

I'm still shocked about dad's new relationship. I'm happy he's found someone but getting a stepmother that's 5 years younger than me is not what I was expecting. And they're having a baby too!

The kids are a bit puzzled as well. The twins don't remember their grandma because they were so little when she died and James wasn't even born then. They keep asking all kinds of questions about grandpa's new lady friend.

But life goes on anyway. James started pre-school this year and he needs help with his homework. Madelyn and Ross usually do their homework on their own nowadays, they only ask for help if they can't figure out something out by themselves.

I had a day off work and I called Jack and asked if he wanted to come over. He did and we sat down for breakfast. He's just as shocked as I am. We all put on a happy face when dad and Tina told us about the pregnancy but I think deep down inside we were all going through mixed emotions.

"Dad transferred the ownership of the farm to me" Jack said. "He said that the farm has been mine ever since mom died and he wants things to stay that way."

I'm so happy about it. I was worried that Tina might want to get a share of the farm or something but things turned out perfectly.

"How do you really feel about all this?" I asked. "I mean, this whole situation, dad being with such a young woman."

He said that he's getting over his initial shock. It was pretty hard to see dad with some other woman than mom at first but he's getting used to it now. They still need to make new living arrangements.

"I think dad and Tina want to get their own place. The house isn't big enough for all of us and I guess they want some privacy as well. Frieda already said that she doesn't want to move anywhere."

Jack said that dad wants Frieda to live with him and Tina.

"I guess he doesn't want to leave her behind but she's old enough to decide for herself. Dad and Tina will be busy with the baby and Frieda loves living on the farm."

I hope they can come up with a solution that makes everyone happy.

I talked about this with Sam in the evening and he said that I've been really stressed about this situation lately. He said that on Saturday he would take the kids to the park and I could get a day for myself.

"Call your girlfriends, go out for lunch or do whatever you want. I'll take care of the home front."

So on Saturday morning I sat down for breakfast with the kids while Sam took care of the dog and then they left for the park.

I met the girls at Café Carousel. We all think it's the best restaurant in town and Denise's mom Jackie always surprises us with some special dish whenever we go there.

It's been over almost 15 years since we graduated and we all have husbands and children now but sometimes I feel like we haven't changed at all. Denise still tells the most outrageous jokes I've ever heard and Nyah tries to shush her down so that nobody in the surrounding tables could hear.

It's so great to get together like this. We all have busy lives but we always try to make time for each other.

I suggested that we should order some sparkling wine to celebrate our day off. It's not that often that all four of us get together.

We all noticed that while Paige raised the glass with us, she didn't take one sip of wine.

Of course we confronted her immediately.

"Paige, why aren't you drinking your wine" Nyah said with a smile on her face. "Could it be that you have some news for us?" Denise continued.

Paige looked at us all and then she nodded.

"I'm pregnant" she said. I think we scared each and every customer in the restaurant when we all squealed and jumped up from our seats to give her a hug!

Paige said that we are the first to know after Todd, her parents and dad and Frieda. "It's still quite early so I'm not broadcasting it to everyone but I figured you all should know."

I'm so happy for Paige and Jack. This is only my second niece or nephew so I'm pretty excited about it. It sounds crazy to think that there'll be two new babies in our family in the winter!

I've often wondered whether Jack and Paige would ever have another child or if they even wanted one. Paige told me that they've been talking about it for years and then finally decided to try a few months ago. She was getting a bit worried that they waited too long but I'm glad everything turned out fine.

We all agreed that we have to get together more often from now on. Nyah said that she'll gather us for the next meeting even if we have to meet at their house.

I had a really great time and I felt like most of my stress disappeared during our lunch.

It was nice getting back home though. The kids were playing Don't Wake the Llama in the living room and Sam said he'd go work out now that I was home. The kids invited me to join them for a game and we had a really nice evening just playing and spending time together.


Notes:

• Title from "Belief" by Gavin DeGraw
• Yup, Paige is pregnant too! The baby is due in Winter 2021.
• I'm doing extra hours at work at the moment so updates will come pretty rarely but I try to pop in to play whenever I have time.