Chapter Ten

 

Dad is still at it, exploring strange places in Riverview to find interesting new seeds and trying to catch all the different types of fish.

He doesn't let getting older slow him down any either.

When I say all the types of fish, I mean all the types of fish. I had no idea there was such a thing as a robot fish, but Dad caught one anyway. He says you can catch them in the river outside the science center, because they toss them in the river.

In my free time from school, I focus on my skills. I'll do whatever it takes to be successful in my career when the time comes. Thomas and I play chess a lot, and so far he hasn't beaten me once. Not to brag but I was able to pick up the guitar quickly too.

Mom and Dad insist we still make time for family meals, and with Mom's cooking I can't really complain.

Dad catches the food and Mom cooks it. That's how it's always been in our family, and I didn't realize until I was older that most people just go to the grocery store.

Mom tried to visit Betty at her new house, which is a super nice little townhouse, way better than our own old house, but she wasn't home at the time. Too bad. I would've liked to visit too and see her new digs.

Samuel is a little social butterfly. He's way more social than I was at his age. It's easy for him to make friends.

Dad was super excited about these latest fish he caught. The first one is a vampire fish he told me. That creeped me out, but the second one he caught creeped me out even more. He went fishing by the graveyard at midnight to catch these things too. Is he nuts?

Dad said he caught a deathfish. Creepy.

Betty decided to hold her wedding with Arthur at the Gazebo in true family tradition. Too bad it was winter at the time. I'm not sure how my sister stayed warm in that dress to be honest.

Mom was beside herself with happiness of course. She's always been so family-oriented. She's told me often that me and my siblings are the most important things in her life.

So yeah Betty and Arthur got married right there in the snow, and it was actually pretty sweet.

I provided the entertainment of course!

Finally, it was my time to become a full adult. Now I'd be able to get the job I've always wanted at the Doo Peas Corporate Towers. When I have my way, we're going to be swimming in the simoleons. No more scraping by, living hand to mouth with the help of the garden.

It's time to get to work!

Chapter Nine

 

Tommy can be so boring sometimes. All he wants to do is fish and paint. I swear he is the least ambitious person I know, aside from our Dad. The two are peas in a pod.

It's so crazy to me that Mom and Dad have a toddler. Mom is so old now. Somehow she still finds the time and energy to teach Samuel the skills he needs to grow up.

Dad figured we needed a break so we all decided to go to the fall festival in town. Dad ran off as soon as we got there. I guess he really needs a chance to unwind. Who knew gardening and fishing could be so stressful?

Mom won the apple bobbing contest. I was surprised, and she yelled at me for being so surprised.

"Just because I'm older now doesn't mean I'm dead, James!" she admonished me.

Ok, so I kinda deserved it.

Dad won the pie eating contest. Jeez, what ever happened to parents letting their kids win stuff now and then?

Mom found a huge hale bay out back and couldn't resist the urge to start baling it. I think Dad has rubbed off on her a bit too much. I just realized now how that sounds. Ew.

We did get a really nice picture out of the whole thing though, even if some of us still had pie all over our faces.

Samuel is still a baby, but Betty is now an adult. She and Dad had already talked about her plans for after graduation. I know he's excited because all she can talk about is Arthur. He's happy there'll be another man in Betty's life to take care of her or something. That's a little sexist to me, but Dad has old-fashioned ideals. 

Mom also adores Arthur. I have to hand it to him; he did everything right. He got on our parents' good side and even asked Dad for Betty's hand in marriage.

She said yes of course. It's going to be weird here without Betty, too many guys in the house, a real sausage fest. At least I'm pretty sure Arthur is a good guy. If he's not...

"Just so you know, if you do anything to hurt my sister, I'm gonna punch you in the face," I said, laughing but not really joking at all.

"Jeez, James, calm down," said Tommy, ever the negotiator and nice guy.

"I love your sister, James," said Arthur. "I'd never do anything to hurt her, I promise."

He better not. 

It's rare when the family has a meal together these days. Dad is always busy fishing or gardening, Tommy's off doing his own thing and me...well, I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that I'm the supposed heir of this whole family inheritance thing. I don't think Dad fully gets that I intend to make my own money and eventually move out of this cramped cottage of a house for something bigger and better.

Dad has been trying to spend more time with Samuel lately after his fishing is over. It feels like hardly anyone pays attention to the little guy. His birthday is coming up. At least he somehow learned how to walk and talk.

I don't know what it is about Sam, but I find him a little off-putting. I know that's kinda a terrible thing to say about your little brother, but I don't know if I really like him. Of course I love him, but it's hard to like a kid that hardly ever has anything nice to say and always seems to be in a really crappy mood all the time, not to mention always bugging us for stuff. Maybe we'll get along better when he's older. 

Chapter Eight

 Author's Note: In this chapter, we switch POVs from Henry to our generation 2 heir James! 

Dear Journal,

Prom ended up being a drag. Betty made Prom Queen, but when I asked out a girl I had a crush on, she rejected me! It was so humiliating. Dad kept going on and on about how proud he is of us, and I love him, but man he has a tendency to be so sentimental sometimes.

He's tried repeatedly to get me to take over the farm when I'm of age, and I keep telling him it's not gonna happen. I've known since I was a kid that I just want a normal job, maybe something in business. We've struggled so much growing up, never having as much as other kids, and I don't blame my parents, but I just...don't want to struggle for money so much.

So on Leisure Day...yeah, I get the irony...I decided to do a job shadowing thing at the Doo Peas Corporate Towers. One day I'm going to get a job there for real.

Betty got asked out by this kid named Arthur Grover at prom and now they've got a steady thing going. I wish it was as easy for me to talk to girls as it seems to be for Betty to talk to boys.

While I was working hard to ensure we actually have money in the future, my family was goofing off in the garden. Why am I not surprised...I mean, I guess it was Leisure Day but still. No wonder we never have any money!

Apparently they went from playing in the sprinklers to having a water balloon fight. Don't they realize how bad that is for the environment?? That's a total waste of water. 

Betty spent the day at the Festival with Arthur. She placed dead last in the hot dog eating contest. I could make a joke about that, but I'm not, because it's my sister and that would be gross.

Dad loves Arthur. He says he's an upstanding young gentleman. He's always saying old-fashioned stuff like that. He's taught me how to be respectful and polite and stuff, but it does get old after a while. Sometimes I just want to break the rules and see how much he flips out.

Dad kept going on about having the perfect garden for some reason. I don't know. It looks like any old garden to me, but I don't know anything about plants. But yeah he feels like he's achieved his lot in life or something, and now it's basically just discovering all the plants there are to grow or something. Wow, so exciting. I swear I'm not trying to sound like a jerk, but we're just different people.

Samuel grew up into a toddler. He's pretty cute I suppose. I don't feel all that close to him since we are so far apart in age. I'm honestly not sure what my parents were thinking having a baby at their ages. They seem more like Sam's grandparents than his parents.

Apparently Dad found some special seeds. It's all he could talk about lately. One of them gives off this cool fruit that keeps you warm. The other one creeps me out though. The fruit has skulls on it!

Betty is still going steady with Arthur. The two of them are so cute together that it makes me wanna puke. I wish I could've found a girlfriend at prom. Dad says I have plenty of time to be dating girls, but he's old. 

Thomas is a teenager like me now. He's pretty cool, but he takes after Dad a lot. He loves being outside, loves going fishing. I just don't get it at all. Dad should just let him inherit everything; it would make more sense. But Dad says I'm the one who has to carry on the family name. That's stupid. Just because I was born first? Who came up with these rules? 

Mom is an elder now. She doesn't let it slow her down. She still has time for all of us somehow. I don't know how she does it. How am I supposed to do what my parents did? Raise and support a family with barely anything to their names? I hate to admit it, but what they've done is pretty impressive. I'm not sure I can live up to their example.