Does it matter

Round 17: November 2027

Greg Newman is 34, Malia is 31, Briony is 3, Rhea is 2 and Iona Fielding is 15.

Narrated by Greg.

Iona's such a big help when she's living with us. She's really into cooking so she's more than happy to get up early in the morning and cook breakfast before going to school. It's also nice to have an extra pair of hands with Briony and Rhea. Iona adores all of her little sisters and she's so excited about Erin's pregnancy.

She's already a much better cook than me and Malia combined. Iona's talking about going into catering but at the moment she wants to go to college before getting a job. Her ultimate dream is to open her catering business and maybe a deli too.

Erin says there was a boy in the picture some time ago but apparently that didn't work out. At least she hasn't really been going out on the weekends and hasn't talked about anyone specific to me or Malia. Not that I'd really want to hear. It's hard enough to understand that she's definitely not a little girl anymore.

Being a father for the second and third time has been a lot easier. I was such a mess when Iona was born and I really regret missing so much of her first years. I've been trying to make it up to her and we have a great relationship now. I just don't want to repeat the same mistakes again this time.

Financially we're not in the best place. We took a huge mortgage to buy this house and despite our best efforts we haven't really been able to pay back as much as we'd like. We've had the online store for our products but Malia finally suggested that maybe we should set up a little shop in our work space to lure more customers.

So I moved some stuff around, got some cheap shelves and we opened our little store. I don't have time to make as much pottery as I'd like with my full-time job so there's not much to sell. But so far it has been going surprisingly well.

We decided to concentrate solely on pottery in our store so I've been teaching Malia. Fashion is still her main passion but running the shop - as small as it is - is easier with us both making pottery.

Malia also decided to take some time off her day job. We haven't been actively trying but we're pregnant again! This pregnancy has already proven to be a difficult one. She's constantly tired and hungry so we figured that it would be best if she just stayed home with Briony and Rhea and worked on the pottery if she has the energy to do that. She's determined to also become a better cook.

She told me that although she loves her job, she loves being home with the girls even more. Also this way we don't have to hire a nanny so it's all good. The kids love having their mommy at home all the time too.

It's difficult to find time for ourselves but I think it's the same for all couples with small children and otherwise busy lives. And since money is tight we don't really feel like going out on a date even though Iona has said she could babysit. I still cherish the everyday romance, stealing a little kiss or just holding hands. Whatever life throws in our way I know we'll get through them together and to me that's more important than some extravagant romantic gesture.


Notes:

• Title from "Does it matter" by Janieck.
• Yup, Malia is pregnant and the baby is due in June 2028. So two new siblings for Iona next year!
• I've talked about how much I hate home businesses because there's no way to separate the household funds from the business funds but I think for this household it will actually work in their favour. Greg wasn't kidding about the huge mortgage - I think they still have about €50.000 to pay. So my plan is to make them have a home business until they hopefully get at least a couple of money perks to help them pay back at least some of the mortgage.
• Malia didn't quit her job but she has a lot of vacation days due to babies so she's basically on a paid leave (also helping their financial situation).