Disciple of the sun

Round 15: June 2023


Max Fielding is 67 and Regan is 59.
(Nyah is 37, Erin is 28 and Lilly is 18.)

Narrated by Regan Fielding.

Two years ago Max and I were going through a particularly rough time. We just somehow lost our ability to communicate with each other and every conversation ended up in a fight. It took an intervention from our daughters to see that we were heading into a divorce.

It took months of couples counseling but we managed to pull through. We both agreed to compromise for the sake of our marriage. Our counselor really made us both see that we want to be together and that we have to work for our relationship. I feel that now we're stronger than ever. Life has definitely not been easy but we're celebrating our 30th anniversary this year.

The girls wanted to buy us a vacation but we told them not to. Nyah has a big family, Erin's pregnant with her second child and Lilly's just starting a life on her own. It would not have felt right to take money from them. The idea of travelling was so appealing though that we ended up booking a vacation at Kalaupapa Island.

We went to the beach as soon as we had checked into our hotel. The island weather is amazing. It's so warm but not too hot.

I wanted to sunbathe but was a bit hesitant to show up in my bikini. Max said that I'm crazy to hide my body. I guess he's right. I look pretty good for a 59-year-old. I tried to convince Max to join me but he said he would just get sunburned so he kept his clothes on all the time.

He did enjoy swimming in the ocean though. He loves to swim and he's often been talking about building a pool in our backyard. After this it'll be even harder to say no.

Our hotel wasn't very luxurious but I really liked the place anyway. Our room was spacious and it was a really quiet and relaxing place.

The fact that we didn't book the most expensive hotel meant that we had some spare money in our budget to order room service.

We probably could have stayed in a tent and still have a good time. The most important thing was that we were together.

People kept asking if this is our second honeymoon because we were constantly kissing and hugging. We told them that this is our first. We never got to go on a honeymoon when we got married. It was a long wait but it was definitely worth it.

I even learned some hula dance from a local woman. The people living on the island are so amazingly friendly and beautiful. Max watched me the whole time and smiled.

"Mrs. Fielding, I thought I'd never see the day you take the time to learn hula dance" he said after the lesson.

I felt like I could've stayed forever in our little paradise but our vacation came to an end. We came home feeling relaxed and happy.

We decided to enjoy the next weekend by inviting our children and their families over. I managed to catch some fish for grilling. Fishing is just one of the new hobbies I've taken on in order to relax and forget about the pressures of work.

I won the Nobel Prize last year for developing a new ground-breaking medicine that works well for alzheimer's disease so money is not an issue anymore. We were able to do a little work for our garden and we really enjoy spending time outdoors now.

We're all very excitedly waiting for the birth of Erin and Toby's baby. She only has one month left although she says she's ready to burst any minute now. Iona can't wait to become a big sister. The moment they walked through the door she announced that Greg and Malia are expecting as well so she's going to get two new siblings. I don't think they've told many people yet but Iona was so happy she couldn't hold it in.

Lilly also came from Brixton with Josh. I was hoping she would come home for summer but both she and Josh decided to stay on campus and take some summer courses.

It was so great to spend time with the family. I'm very proud of all my professional achievements but lately I've started to regret focusing solely on work. I'm very lucky that I have such good relationships with all my daughters.

I'm so proud of Nyah. She had all the odds against her when she started as a principal in her early twenties but nobody questions her abilities now. And the fact that she's managed to raise four beautiful children and still make a career for herself is just amazing. Next year she'll be teaching one of her own kids for the first time when Skye starts high school. She's still in denial when it comes to having a teenaged daughter although Lilly keeps teasing her that it's a clear sign she's getting old.

I'm so glad Max and I didn't traumatise Lilly with the fights that she had to witness during her last years living at home.

I'm happy she's doing so well. Her studies are going great and I absolutely adore that boyfriend of hers. I wasn't thrilled when she started dating Josh when she was just 13 but everything's turned out fine - for all of us.

Notes:

• Title reference: Disciple of the sun by Von Hertzen Brothers
• I think it was about time for Regan and Max to go on a honeymoon! My notes say that they got married in 1993 although it's a bit vague since I had a completely different calendar system back then. Anyway, they've been together for a long time. I'm glad they were able to overcome their problems.
• Regan was promoted to the top of the Science career probably when I was preparing Lilly for college (applying for scholarships etc.). This session she got a hefty bonus of €55,000 from a chance card so their financial situation is a lot better than it was when I started playing them.
• Greg and Malia's baby is due in February 2024.