Gail Populous was very excited to have a birthday. Being a kid wasn’t all that great – it was difficult to get your ideas taken seriously, and at school you weren’t allowed to play with any of the exciting chemicals.
But now she was a teenager, things would be different. She would be able to start experimenting, able to start preparing herself for her dreams to come true.
Gail didn’t plan to be like her brothers, slaving away at home, working, looking after the little ones until they were old enough to leave. No, her plans were bigger than that…
Unlike their sister, Fitzy and Eddie were happy plugging away at their painting and writing. Eddie was now a master painter and both of them found their work was in great demand across the Valley. Fitzy had started to branch out into sci-fi and non-fiction now he didn’t have as much to write about from his home-life.
Bebe, meanwhile, carried on as normal, fixing things, working from home and keeping the house clean.
She also found time to train Ian in all his essential skills. She was busy, but she wasn’t as happy as she’d once been. She was missing the sense of intimacy in her marriage with Asa. Sure, they woohooed on a regular basis, but there was something not quite right in their communications; a distance there hadn’t ever been before.
Truth be told, Asa’s mind was in several places. He had been concentrating incredibly hard on learning music theory, even though he found it really difficult, but his persistence had paid off and he was promoted to hit movie composer. He knew he should be pleased with his achievements, and he was, but there was something inside him nagging at him and telling him he should quit while he was at the top, before the pressure got too much.
And there was the conversation he’d had recently with Morgana still playing heavily on his mind; the thought she’d planted in his head that maybe he could be loved by even more people than Bebe and the children.
While Asa pondered on the direction his life was going in, Bebe quietly took herself off to hospital. She wasn’t afraid of home birth but sometimes the peace and quiet of the wards was a nice change, and she wasn’t sure that the children always appreciated their siblings arriving in the world in front of them. Baby Julie arrived as healthy and attractive as she expected any child of Thornton’s to be.
Over breakfast the next morning, Asa asked Henry what he should do for a job instead of composing movie themes. Henry said his daddy should work at the supermarket, then he could bring home lots of food at the end of the day. Asa thought this was a great idea and changed jobs later that day. Bebe was a little confused at her husband’s sudden change of heart, when he was doing so well, but decided not to question it too much. She knew work had been stressing him out and maybe this change was what he needed.
Gail also took a job there, and her big brother Cameron still worked there part-time, so it became a real Populous family haunt.
After his first shift of work, Asa went to the park to play his guitar and unwind.
He was a little peckish after a while, and a couple who were new in town, Pablo and Jennifer Martinez, invited him to have lunch with them and tell them all about life in Riverview.
Asa enjoyed spending time with the Martinezes, but after a while, Pablo had to go to work. He and Jennifer talked for hours. She was so easy to talk to and seemed to really appreciate his company. He felt warm inside, knowing he’d made a new friend.
As Asa Populous went to sleep that night, his thoughts turned back to his time in the park with Jennifer and to Morgana’s words about the ladies of the town finding him attractive, and it being possible to fall in love with more than one person. Asa slept that night feeling a little troubled, yet also strangely excited…
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June 11, 2010 at 8:22 pm
[…] 22. Making an acquaintance > > […]
June 11, 2010 at 9:43 pm
Loved this chapter!
I really like Gail!
Oooh! Asa’s thinking about cheating! I hope he doesn’t find out about all the babies, I think he’ll go really mad at Bebe! 😦
June 11, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Despite her throwing a silly LTW, Gail’s one of my favourites too. Probably because she’s not doing a stupid writing skilling task.
I don’t know whether Asa and Bebe will find out what each other is up to yet. No immediate plans for that but we’ll see.
June 11, 2010 at 10:27 pm
Gail sounds like someone to watch out for! She was grumpy and had no sense of humor, right? Did she pick up ambitious as her teen trait?
If Asa starts having affairs, he may have a big realization when one of his girlfriends gets pregnant…
Interesting that Bebe is bothered by the distance. Yay for another girl!
June 11, 2010 at 10:37 pm
Gail’s traits: Grumpy, No Sense of Humour, Clumsy, Commitment Issues
Yes, Bebe cares more for Asa than she’d care to admit. It’s not a great passion but he’s a real constant and support and they genuinely are friends. I think her experiences with Xander and Thornton have caused her to reflect on tenderness and friendship and warmth a bit more.
June 12, 2010 at 3:00 am
Wow, she’s gotten tough rolls! All she needs now is Unlucky, lol.
I bet as they remain young adults while all the others they know age, Bebe and Asa will come to see more need for a close relationship with each other.
June 12, 2010 at 12:03 am
Wow! Nice update.
Gail seems to take much after her mother character-wise. Looking forward to seeing Julie grow up. Interesting development with Asa. I feel for that man. He seems so vulnerable. But I also feel for Bebe. It’s all a bit messy right now. Maybe they should have a heart-to-heart and open up to each other.
June 12, 2010 at 10:59 am
Julie is great. It’s nice to have more girls in the house for a change. Bebe and Asa are both going through some interesting things – this challenge demands a lot of them!
June 12, 2010 at 11:52 am
Yay for Baby Julie! Gail seems to be thriving, despite her traits, lol. 🙂
I’m glad Bebe is noticing the emotional distance and I hope it prompts her to pay more attention to Asa. I wonder what she’d say if he had an affair and she found out? I mean….can she really fault him?
June 12, 2010 at 12:05 pm
She probably wouldn’t be too cross, but I think it’d depend on his motives. Bebe wouldn’t see herself as having affairs, she’s just doing what she thinks is necessary to ensure she has a long legacy and reduce the risk of defects from interbreeding in future generations, although she likes the encounters, it’s not as if they’re a chore for her – but they’re a one-time deal each time and other than Xander and maybe Thornton she’s not bothered about maintaining relationships with the men.
For Asa, it’s much more about feelings and romance (though who’s to say the same will be true of any women he connects with?).
I still don’t know when/if they’ll find out about each other yet. We’ll see what happens.
June 13, 2010 at 11:12 pm
I think Asa’s finally getting fed up. Bebe might not consider what she’s doing as ‘affairs’ because she’s not emotionally involved. They are sort of biological transactions to her. It is difficult to see Asa feeling the same way.
June 13, 2010 at 11:16 pm
Well, he doesn’t actually know what she’s up to, but you’re right about him being a bit fed up – stressed at work, a whole bunch of kids at home, no maids or repairpeople so they have to do all the work as a family, the house is always a messs… He loves the kids, but yeah, it’s getting to him.
He’s a hopeless romantic and the reality of family life isn’t always a romantic ideal. Plus he’s insane and inappropriate, so he’s always going to do things a little bit crazy, like quit a good job, fall for another man’s wife… and he’s charismatic, so it’s easy for other people’s wives to fall for him.
June 14, 2010 at 1:34 am
omg! I just read this whole story, from Annalise’s birth until now and I just have to say this is AMAZINGGGGGG! you are so talented one, but two, this story plot is so entertaining. keep writing cause I’ll keep reading, top notch!
June 14, 2010 at 10:41 am
Thanks so much! Wow, that’s a lot to read in one go. New chapter will be here today or tomorrow hopefully.
June 14, 2010 at 8:16 pm
Only 16 to go! Can’t wait for Asa’s affairs to start.
I wonder who baby k’s dad will be.
June 15, 2010 at 11:49 pm
[…] < < 22. Making an acquaintance […]