Daffodil - Gen 8 Ch 2

I don't think I can do this anymore. I never realized being a mom would be this hard. I've been up with Cypress since four this morning, and I have to leave for school in less that three hours.

I grimaced as I felt the sting of tears begin again at the corners of my eyes. Of course I love my son dearly, but it crushes me to consider what I've given up. The athletic scholarship I had been on track to receive is now a distant dream. I barely have time to get my schoolwork finished these days, let alone contribute in any meaningful way to my old teammates at the Junior Sports League. Lost in my own private pity party, and almost asleep on my feet, I don't know how long I stood there.

Suddenly Cypress' hungry cries jolted me back to the present. I sighed heavily as I reached for him once again, hot tears now trickling down my cheeks.

Before I could do so, however, Denis was there in front of me, snatching Cypress from his crib, calming him instantly.

"Go back to bed, love. I'll wake you up when it's time to leave for school."

I smiled sleepily at him, and stumbled off for a two hour nap. If there is one bright spot in my new reality, it is my wonderful husband. He absolutely adores our little boy, and it is amazing to me how he took to fatherhood like a duck to water. Whenever I start to feel overwhelmed, he is right there to share the burden.

And mom has been so supportive, babysitting every day while we are at school. So I guess I should be grateful, but sometimes I can't help but wonder, what might have been.

Now, don't get me wrong, I do love my little family dearly. Denis and Cypress mean the world to me, and I wouldn't trade them for anything. I guess what I mean is, I wish I could have it all - beautiful family and epic sports career.  

But that seems an impossible dream. As mom's pregnancy drew to a close, we found it harder and harder to even steal a few hours away from home. Whenever we could, we'd make our way downtown to the park.

Denis would pull out his guitar, and I'd let the pounding beat wash over me, driving away all my cares. Sometimes people complained when he turned up the volume, but for me, the louder, the better. So I never heard my phone that afternoon, Papa calling to tell me I had a baby sister. Mama and baby were doing fine, the message said. Her name is Peony.

Finally! My birthday is here, school is finished - we graduate tomorrow! No more trying to balance bottles and diapers with homework and classes.

Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to balance bottles and diapers with my epic sports career. Yup, I still want to go for it. With no scholarship, I might have to start at the bottom, but hey, I've never been afraid of hard work.

I have never seen anyone so excited about a birthday as Denis was, though. I finally pried it out of him that it wasn't the birthday itself that had him so excited.

"This is so cool! I never had a cake for my birthday before. My mom never made a big deal about birthdays. I don't think she could afford a cake. I kinda just grew up on my own."

I had to laugh when he made a big show of making a wish and blowing out his candles.

That's my guy, still as handsome as ever. I can't wait to see him in his graduation gown tomorrow!

There was no way Denis was going to leave Cypress with a sitter. He insisted on bringing the babies with us to graduation, and Papa was pretty easy to convince.

After the ceremony, we exited the auditorium proudly, ready to toss our diplomas in the air! Well, at least I was ready. True to form, Denis had already stashed his diploma in his back pocket, and was intent on playing with Cypress. I do so adore that man!

"Yes!!! Daffodil! Come quick! Hurry!"

We had only been home for a few hours, when I heard my mom let out a shriek of delight from the back corner of the yard. She's been out there for days messing about with a pile of rocks that she had dug out of the ground near Grandpa Brook's old actor trailer. Knowing mom, she probably found a rare bug or something.

I stared in amazement at what I saw. Water was bubbling merrily out of the middle of mom's pile of rocks, carving a small trench in the earth on it's way to emptying into Sunflower's pond.

"Mom! How did you do this?"

"I didn't! I had some ideas for making a garden for Papa Brook, so I stacked the rocks up next to the wall yesterday before your birthday party. Now a spring has formed under the rocks, and ... and.."

"... and made a ... brook. For Grandpa." I finished the sentence for her, gazing in awe at the magic of it all. Instinctively I reached my hand up to clasp my pendant, and found it warm and glowing.

After graduation, life fell into a routine. I had time now to get myself back into shape. I had hoped that the coach at the stadium would have given me a chance to at least try out for the team, but she refused to even speak with me.  The front office did offer me a job as a snack hawker, so I reluctantly took it. At least I'll get to see them play this way. Maybe if I can get in with the coach, I'll get my big break.

Denis spends his days at the art museum downtown. The curator had been impressed that he was voted 'most artistic' at graduation, and had offered to make him the junior curator. I wondered at the wisdom of that, knowing that Denis' sticky fingers just can't keep themselves off certain valuable pieces of art. So far there hasn't been any trouble, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed anyway.

Especially since I found out that he's been sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night, and not returning until just before dawn.

"Denis? What the..?" I yawned sleepily.

"Shhh... go back to sleep, love."

"No. Tell me." I murmured as he slid into bed beside me. He was lucky I was so exhausted, or I would have let him have it.

"It's not what you think, love." He whispered quietly as he pulled me into his arms. "I'm working undercover for your dad.  He wants me to go to work at the warehouse every night, and report back anything I hear about some guy the call the Emperor of Evil. It's the deal I made with him the last time I got caught shoplifting."

I was relieved and upset at the same time. Surely my dad wouldn't ask him to do anything dangerous, would he?

Time continued to fly by. I snagged a job as toddler coach, which at least gave me access to the rest of the coaching staff, and Denis split his time between the art museum and the warehouse. Cypress and Peony grew into adorable toddlers, who soon became inseparable.

It was so cute to see them babble to each other while they played.

Denis, of course, adored them both.

"Ahaha... I'm gonna get you!"

"EEehehehehe!"

"Hey there, sweet girl! How's my Peony today?"

*giggle*

"Pleeeeeeaassseee? One more? For me?"

*sigh* Denis wants another baby so bad. But that would mean putting my dreams on hold once again.

"I'll think about it."

In the mean time, Lotus in her teen years is starting to give mom and dad fits. No, she never pranks, or stays out after curfew, or... other things that someone else in this household might have done. No, she spends all her time chatting with her online friend - a girl named Violet, who she's never met in person.

The problem is this: Violet lives in Bridgeport, and she is a vampire. Dad especially is livid, and has threatened to take her computer privileges away. Mom is pretty nonchalant about the whole thing, if you ask me. I overheard her arguing with dad - something about our 'Bridgeport relatives?' What's that supposed to mean?

Anyway, the whole thing boiled over on prom night, when Violet showed up in a limo to take Lotus to the prom. Dad of course forbade her to go, but she defied him and ran out the door and into the limo. And that wasn't the worst of it. Later that night, she sent a text message out to all of us.

"I'm going to Bridgeport with Violet. We are in love." She never came home that night.

But I didn't find any of this out until the next morning, as I spent the whole night hugging the toilet and cursing my weak will. Why had I ever agreed to have another baby?