AN: Hello to all. I know it'll be to bold to assume people are thrilled I've returned, so I won't even ask. (Lol).
So, anyway, I received such good reviews for the conclusion of the Emily Story Arc, I thought I'd give it a go with an all new saga, thanks to a new wave of ideas. It'll be filled with new faces, new experiences, and new drama.
This new story arc takes place in the present day, ten years after the final chapter of Sunsets and Sunrises, and revolves around the Boho kids: Twenty-three-year-old Penny, thirteen-year-old Rodolfo, twelve-year-old Zack, and nine-year old Lucia. (Don't worry; the older Bohemians will make a number of appearances as well.) I can also promise new additions to the Bohemian family within this story arc, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them. And with that, I introduce to you all, the beginning of my newest RENT saga: the Boho Kids Story Arc. (Not an original name, but I couldn't think of a better one)
The morning sun shone through the window of the Condo. In the kitchenette, Emily Cohen was dividing oatmeal into separate bowls and arranging them on the old metal table. For a brief minute, she paused to run a hand over the smooth surface, smiling in remembrance. After her small moment, she crossed the room to a door, leading into a bedroom where two loft beds were positioned at opposite ends of the room.
"Okay, boys!" Emily announced, loud enough to wake the sleeping pair. "Breakfast is on the table. Time to wake up and get ready. You start sixth grade today." Groaning slightly, one of the boys sat up, rubbing his eyes and reaching for a pair of glasses that were balanced on the bed's railing.
"Aw, Mom," Zack moaned. "I was in the middle of a dream."
"Sorry, Zack," Emily grinned at her son, who'd inherited her frizzy mousy-brown hair and Mark's blue eyes. "Maybe you'll be able to have the same dream next time you sleep."
As Zack climbed down the ladder to make his way to the kitchen, Emily turned her attention to the second bed, and the boy who hadn't paid heed to her call to breakfast.
"All right, Rodolfo," Emily ordered. "You heard me. It's time to join the living." When no answer or acknowledgement of any kind came, Emily stepped over and pulled the covers away from the pillow. Instead of seeing Rodolfo's face, she found a pair of bare feet. "Oh, Rodolfo," Emily groaned, going to pull the covers off the foot of the bed. However, her action was met with resistance, as the lethargic boy was holding the blankets firmly over his head, refusing to let her pull them off. "Rodolfo, enough of this. You're going to be late for your first day."
"Don't wanna go!" Emily grunted at the muffled reply. "And don't call me Rodolfo. I like Dolf."
"All right, Dolf. Now, please get out of bed. Don't make me pull out the big guns."
"Go away," Rodolfo whined, snuggling deeper under the covers.
"All right. You asked for it." Emily returned to the pillow, where Rodolfo's feet were still sticking out. Taking one foot firmly in her hand, she started to tickle the arch. Instantly, Rodolfo let out a sudden squeal and sat up, shooting Emily an irritated glare, his chocolate brown eyes filled with annoyance. "That's better." Emily smiled cheerfully. "Now please join your cousin at the table before your oatmeal gets cold."
"Fine," Rodolfo sulked, stomping out of the room, his dirty blonde hair sticking up every which way. Emily watched him exit with a reminiscent look on her face.
"Rodolfo," she sighed. "You get more like your father every day."
Some time later, Emily was at the table with Rodolfo and Zack. As they ate, a young woman around the age of twenty three came down the stairs in the living room area.
"Morning, Mom," the girl greeted, running a comb through her long strawberry blonde hair.
"Good morning, Penny," Emily returned the greeting. "Heading out now?"
"Of course," Penny confirmed. "You know I'm supposed to be on time for my training." A small smile appeared on Emily's face as she remembered a night four years ago.
Flashback
Maureen launched herself at Penny, hugging the young woman tightly as the drama queen entered the Condo with Joanne.
"Happy birthday, sweetie!" she exclaimed as Penny returned the hug. "How does it feel, reaching the big One-Nine?"
"Aw, come on, Auntie Maureen," Penny laughed, turning to hug Joanne in greeting. "You know no one feels any different on their birthdays. And this isn't even one of the milestone birthdays."
"She's right," Joanne agreed. "The closest milestone birthday was last year."
"Don't be so dull!" Maureen persisted. "Our Penny's another year older. And she'll be out of high school very soon. And she'll be allowed to drink…"
"In another two years." Emily cut in from the other side of the room, where she'd been snuggled up to Mark on the couch, while the boys were trying to construct a Marble Express tower and little Lucia was playing with the old stuffed rabbit, Mr. Twiggers. "Penny's not of age yet."
"Well, it never stopped Mi…" Maureen trailed off at the memory of their vibrant friend.
"Hey, no tears," Mark scolded. "It's Penny's birthday. Besides, I think it's safe to say she wouldn't approve of us being sad today."
"You're right," Maureen agreed, wiping her eyes.
"So, Penny," Joanne began. "Have you given any thought to what you want to do after you finish high school in a few months? You planned on going to college, if I remember correctly."
"Yeah, that was the plan."
"Oh! Where are you going?" Maureen asked.
"Emily and I've been wondering that, too, Penny," Mark spoke up. "We know you sent in some applications, but you never specified where." Penny glanced at her parents before replying.
"I applied to the Bellevue School of Nursing." Penny announced. "I want to be a nurse."
"Really?" Joanne looked surprised.
"Yeah. I've been talking to Dr. Jordan about it, and he said it was a good school. And it's very close to the old neighborhood in Alphabet City."
"Sweetie, it's not that I don't think you'll do well," Emily said. "But becoming a nurse is hard work. You'll have to take very advanced courses, and there are rigorous exams."
"I agree with your mother. Are you sure you want to study in that field?" Mark added.
"It seemed like the right path for me," Penny explained softly. "I… I haven't forgotten about… about Uncle Collins, and Uncle Roger, or Aunt Mimi. And I'll always remember the friends I had when Mom and I lived in the Center. I've seen people with health conditions and disorders from the moment I was born. It just seems wrong to not try to become a nurse, so I'd be able to help people with health conditions and disorders."
"So, you're really sure about this?" Mark asked.
"I am," Penny insisted.
"Well, Penny," Emily replied seriously. "If it's important to you, then we'll support you in this." Penny's face broke into an instant smile and hugged her parents in delight.
End Flashback
"Don't forget, Penny," Emily reminded as Penny packed up her things, getting ready to head down to the hospital where she worked as a student nurse under direct supervision of Dr. Jordan. "You have to pick up Lucia after school today."
"Don't worry. I never forget my sister," Penny assured. "See you later. Oh! Have fun at school, Zack, Rodolfo."
"I like Dolf!" Rodolfo called as Penny closed the door. Seconds after Penny had left, Mark dashed out of the bedroom, in the process of tossing his trademark scarf around his neck and shoving the matching beret on his head.
"Sorry, Emily, honey. Can't stay for breakfast!" he announced, heading strait for the door, swinging his old blue bike onto his shoulder as he went. "I got a full schedule today, so I'll have to grab something on the way. Have a good day. I'll see you at dinner. I love you." With that, Mark had disappeared out the door. Emily sighed and got up from the table, shaking her head. Without a word, she proceeded to the ancient couch, where Mark's messenger bag was sitting. As Rodolfo and Zack watched with amused grins, Emily carried the messenger bag to the door and stopped within inches of it, holding the bag out expectantly. Sure enough, the door reopened seconds later, and a sheepish looking Mark took the bag from her.
"Thanks," he blushed in embarrassment.
"Don't mention it," Emily replied. The nonjudgmental reply forced Mark to smile. Emily never told him off for forgetting things, and never used lines that began with 'you'd forget your own head'. Instead, she put her energy in keeping his fat out of the fryer and bailing him out if he got into a bad situation. On one occasion, he had left for work with his mind focused on his latest project, and forgot some important rolls of film that his boss at Redefining Pictures wanted to review. Emily had shown up at work with seconds to spare, the film rolls in tow. When Mark had asked how she'd gotten clean across town when her van was in the shop and the taxi drivers were on strike, she'd replied with the vague explanation of 'tour bus, subway, bikers, pedal-cab.'
"Okay then," Mark chuckled, kissing Emily's cheek. "I'll see you tonight."
"And now for you two," Emily turned to the boys. "Finish your breakfast and then get a move on. First days of school are important, and I don't want to leave you here when I take Lucia to her school on my way to work."
"Mom, it's not like you'll get fired for being late," Zack pointed out. "You're your own boss." When the boys had been five and four respectively, Emily had resigned from her old position at the Village Voice and had gone into business for herself, establishing a small photography studio using some of the money Nana had left her when the elderly woman had succumbed to old age.
"Don't be cheeky, Zack," Emily pretended to scold. "Paying customers expect the studio to open on time each day." Once Zack and Rodolfo had finished the oatmeal and the dirty bowls had been stored in the sink, Emily handed them their backpacks.
"Why do we have to go today?" Rodolfo wondered out loud. "They never do anything on the first day."
"Because administrators look at things like attendance when people apply to college." Emily explained.
"Well, why do I have to go to college?" Rodolfo persisted, refusing to give in. "You never did."
"That was different. Now, your lunch." Emily took two paper bags from the counter, one marked with a 'Z', the other with an 'R'. "Now, that was turkey on wheat for Rodo… sorry, Dolf, and pastrami on caraway for Zack."
"Mom, can't you make me something like ham sometime?" Zack questioned, making a face. "The other kids tease me for never having normal sandwich meat."
"I'm sorry, Zack. But if you want to blame anyone, blame your Great Aunt Isabel. She refused to approve of your father and me when we got married because of our different cultures. The only way I was able to get her to support our marriage was to promise that any child we had together would be raised under the Jewish faith. As for those other kids, just remember that any kid who makes fun of you is a poor despondent child who'll wind up working for minimum wage all their lives. Now you both have a good day. Oh, and for the record, you two: this year, we don't want letters or calls from the school principal saying you've… broken into the office to storm the PTA and campaign for name brand pizza in the cafeteria. Understand?"
"Yeah, Mom."
"Whatever you say, Aunt Emily." With that, the boys were out the door. However, in doing so, they missed the proud smile on Emily's face as she glanced upwards.
"I swear, Collins," she grinned. "If you were around to team up with those boys, I think I'd actually be afraid of what you three would accomplish." The smile never leaving her face, Emily went up the stairs to wake up Lucia.