Bebe had heard that her old friend Buster Clavell wasn’t very well, and she wanted to make sure she spent a little time with him before it was too late.  Buster was a great guy – he’d been very welcoming towards Bebe, and he made her laugh.

He also cooed over her children, tending to Brad’s needs as if he were his own son or grandson.  Bebe was pleased to see her old friend enjoying himself…

…and she wanted to give him a special gift before it was too late…

But as Bebe prepared herself to celebrate life with Buster, his time came.  Bebe was shocked, and frightened.  Had she caused her friend to have a heart attack?  Was it her fault that he died?  This was the first time Bebe had been in the presence of death and the experience shook her to the core.  She was someone who loved life, who celebrated it.  The thought of growing older had always scared her, and now she was face to face with the consequences of ageing she was even more terrified.  This could not be right.  This wasn’t what she wanted for herself, or for anyone she loved.

She quickly called Buster’s son, Xander.  Xander was probably her best friend in the Valley and together they cried.  They clung to each other, frantically sharing stories about the man they’d both loved and admired, wanting to keep his memory alive.  In the heat of the crying, Bebe tried to kiss Xander, tried to express her emotion in the way she knew best.  Xander simply took her by the shoulders and gently, firmly, said no.  They were friends and this was their time of grief.  It wasn’t a time to ruin what they had by adding extra complications.  Bebe wasn’t sure whether to be sad at being spurned, or relieved.  There was something strangely comforting about the touch of a friend when there was the knowledge that it was just that – a friendship.

It wasn’t long before both children had a birthday.  Bebe saved up her maternity pay to buy them a cake to share.  Annalise was so excited about being able to blow out candles.  This was her chance to be a big girl.  Bebe was so proud of her children – they were growing up to be so delightful.

Brad had his father’s red hair, though Bebe thought she could see a little of herself in his face.

Annalise still had her father’s nose, but she was beautiful.  She even started to help out by putting the cake in the fridge so it didn’t spoil.  That would keep Bebe and Annalise in meals for a little while, which was good, as though they had plenty of fruit and veg, they had little money to afford anything else, and Bebe had just had to sell her computer to shell out for a bed for her daughter.

As Annalise put away the cake, she had an unexpected birthday guest – Asa arrived, and he’d just had a birthday as well.

Bebe wanted to know what the young lad was doing at hers on a weekday.  He said he had the day off school because they needed to sort out the paperwork for his move from primary to secondary education.  She wasn’t sure whether to believe him.  She was never sure with Asa.  But then Annalise saw him, and came running, screaming his name, eager to tell him that it was her birthday and desperate to show him her new toy block table.

Annalise and Asa were great friends, and Bebe was pleased to see how much having a friend around cheered up her little girl.  She was also rather glad of Asa’s presence as it meant the children were distracted when she had something else she needed to attend to…

Brad’s uncle Jared had come over with a present for his nephew…and she had something she wanted to discuss with him…

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6. Starting a Fire > >