Chapter XXVIII

Little Hope was certainly the star of the first month of her life. The Sunflower House was bombarded by the enourmous amount of visitors who were very impatiantly waiting to meet the new "Ford baby". First of all, Joyce and Paris met their little sister and loved her the minute they saw her. "She ith tho tiny, I could eat her!" Joy exclaimed and gave a big kiss to her sister, wheras Paris giggled again and kissed Hope's another cheek.

Gladys was beaming over Hope, Lake announced that she already envied the little one's eyelashes, Mrs Veratti couldn't give Hope enough of her kisses and Lorenzo was constantly talking to her in a passionate Italian. Julia's parents, Blythe's parents and Grandparents Blythe along with Grandmother Rosemary came for a week long stay in May to greet their little granddaughter and great-granddaughter.

Faith and Rilla held each other's hands as they saw Hope and thanked God that she didn't join the journey of Luna's Willis and Leslie's Alexander. Jem and Ken were simply in love with their granddaughter and already started calling her "Hopie" which Julia didn't quite like the sound of, but was unable to stop the "crazy grandfathers" from "grandfathering".

Grandmother Rosemary thought Hope to be indeed the sweetest baby she has ever seen. Grandfather Blythe was very pleased with her as well, although underneath he wished that her hair wasn't dark red, but just as red as his favourite Joy's curls were. Grandmother Blythe however smiled as she held her little great-granddaughter and her grey eyes started shining as if she was a girl herself "She looks just like little Rilla looked like when she was born." she announced "But there is something in her cheeks and her eyes that none of the other great-grandchildren of mine have." and on that, Hope opened her big hazel eyes and showed off her toothless mouth, which made her proud great-grandmother to laugh cheerfully.

Shortly before the leaving of the Sunflower House's Glen-visitors, Julia's book which she called "The War of Nurse Blythe" was published and she was able to give about dozen copies to the hands of her proud relatives who were coming back to Glen with such pride in their hearts they could hardly bear it.

Dear Diary, Julia wrote at the begnning of July.

My book got an amazing turn and I couldn't have jumped higher than I did when the publisher told me just that. My book already wandered off to the States and is making its way to England, just like Blythe's books of poetry did! Blythe wasn't surprised at all and he invited me to a special dinner a day after the publisher told me about the success of my book.

But that's not the end to all the happy events that happened, as just yesterday my whole family witnessed the wedding of my baby-sister Cee to Patrick Veratti. It was the most magical wedding I have ever attended (except for my own wedding to Blythe of course) and I had tears in my eyes throughout the whole ceremony. Cee was all beautiful and her cheeks were rosy-red, while her eyes gleamed with happiness and joy and... love for everything around her. She wore Cecilia Meredith's old wedding dress, and so our grandmother's whom we have never met and for whom Cee was named after.

The dress wasn't all snowy white, but was rather touched by time and it looked almost grey, but with the help of grandmothers Blythe and Rosemary, the dress looked as alive as the bride who wore it. The dress had beads on the top and a few random sequins at the bottom. There were small violets pinned onto its collar, making Cee look like a real angel. Cee wore Mother's old veil and held a perfect small rose-bouquet, with the roses Blythe and I picked up from our Secret Way to the Light (of which no one else knows and probably never will, maybe apart from our children, one day) for her the day before.

Patrick was all bright, talkative and nervous just as every other groom would be. He looked so handsome, so handsome I swear that I could see all of my girl-cousins looking at him as if he was a king himself.

Dad walked with Cee down the aisle and I could see how small tears were forming in his dear eyes, and I couldn't blame him. During the ceremony I held Mother's hand which was shaking as Cee was the last one of us to get married and move away from home. Jenny and Lorenzo were extremely touched by the speech Uncle Jerry gave and they were overjoyed by the happiness that radiated from their son's face.

All in all, Cee became Mrs Cecilia Elizabeth Veratti and Patrick kissed her so passionately that nobody couldn't do anything else but to laugh and cheer. Then it was the wedding feast and Cee with Patrick didn't hear nor see anything apart from each other. They were talking about something and laughed over something else, then whispered about something completely different and laughed again; it was simply a pure joy to look at them.

I was glad not only because that Cee and Patrick married eventually, but also because I was able to see my whole big and loud family again.

I met Merry and Luna's little Cuthbert who is a perfect mix of his parents. He has dark red curls on his head and dark blue eyes like Luna's very own. And he smiles and laughs, all the time! Luna is so happy around him, and both me and Cilia came to a conclusion that she can hardly see anything but her children and dear husband.

Jonah is really getting to be quite a young gentleman, with his blonde hair and brown shining eyes. His parents are very proud of him. And that's where I have to say another extremely surprising and yet wonderful news. Leslie took the chance of having her entire family around her and she stood up from her chair and announced to us all that she is pregnant again. I couldn't be more thrilled for her, as I know that however much she loves her Jonah whom she consideres as her very own son, she always wanted to have a baby from her skin and blood. Everyone simply jumped on Les and Roland who laughed and laughed together and said that they couldn't imagine anything more perfect to surprise them.

Jake played some of his new compositions and we all think that he is a master of the violin, no matter what other people might ever think, our Jake is a brilliant musician for his music brought tears into our eyes and this only a good music can do.

Rose and her children are living with Aunt Nan and Uncle Jerry now and are much happier and much more full of life since the last time I saw them all. Rose was dancing and singing with Cilia, Luna, Leslie and me during the wedding feast and it seemed to me that she really started her life again, along with clever Jackie who was running around with his sister.

Nancy was proudly showing off her big growing stomach and saying that she is sure that she is having a girl, I just hope that she's wrong and that she would learn, for once in her life, that one can be wrong sometimes.

But Nancy couldn't overshadow the first meeting of my little girl with the whole clan. Hope really was a cherry on the cake during this wedding feast. Ever since the day she was born, she always brings this sweet magical atmosphere into the place, as if she was an elf and not a little 'human' baby. She is already two months old and it seems to me that she knows exactly what's going on around her and she simply wants to charm everyone around her with her long eyelashes and big hazel eyes. She cries sometimes, more than Joyce did (who never actually cried) but she giggles just as often and so I manage not to loose my nerves when she gives this highpitched sound warning me that she will cry in a few seconds time.

Uncle Ken simply adores her, it's probably because she looks so much like Aunt Rilla. He just loves his little "Hopie" as he and my Dad call her now. I can already see which of my children are whose favourites. Hope is Uncle Ken's, Paris is my Mother's and Joy is entirely Dad's and Grandfather Blythe's. Thank Goodness that this doesn't matter to neither me nor Blythe, we love our children equally and we are so extremely proud of each of them, even if they haven't even started school yet, whatever they do is just perfect to their parents.

Anyway, Cee said her goodbyes with the brightest smile she had ever worn on her face and she and her husband (!) Patrick made their way to the train station, as they started their journey to New York, to their new home and new life together as the "married artists" as Rose started to call them.

I simply can't wait to receive my first letter from no one else but Mrs Cee Veratti!

Yours,

Julia Una Ford


Summer went very quickly, just like every other summer does. With the success of Julia's first book, her publisher advised her to produce a sequel about her life after the war and she gladly agreed and started writing "like crazy", as Blythe described her, once again. "I would never think that writing is such a wonderful thing to do." she announced while she was in the kitchen with Hope in her arms, who was waiting for her mother to give her some of the warmed up milk.

"I always thought it to be very enjoyable." Jenny agreed. She was in habit of visiting the Sunflower House each day at midday just to check whether Julia needed some help with her three "little monkeys".

"It really is." Julia nodded "Now I know why Blythe always spends hours in his office, working on just one or two poems!" Julia chuckled and kissed Hope's little forehead who smiled immediately.

Jenny grinned at the two of them and hugged little Paris, who was sitting on her lap, more tightly "Hope is definitely one of the sweetest little infants I have ever laid my eyes on." she said.

Hope, as if she understood, giggled and put her hand on her nose in a funny way, making both of the women to laugh "She definitely has this charm, hasn't she?" Julia replied "Am I wight you wittle monkey?" she tickled her baby daughter under her chin.

"Did you get a letter from your sister eventually?" Jenny asked Julia suddenly.

Julia sat down on the chair next to Jenny and smiled in delight "Yes, I did." she replied "And I couldn't get any happier for my dear Cee. She seems so full of life, I don't think anyone managed to do that before your Patrick came on the stage." she grinned knowingly at Jenny.

Jenny chuckled "They definitely do suit each other." she said "But I still can't quite belive that they are married!" she exclaimed "And that they live together for a week now, nowhere else but in New York!"

Julia shook her head "I know, I can't quite believe that my sister Cee, is an artist and is married to an artist and now lives in New York, in the States! I wonder what our dear Susan Baker would say about that." she smiled mischievously and then took Paris in her other arm as he was reaching out for her attention.

Jenny grinned for she knew who Susan Baker was, not only from Julia but also from Anne Blythe with whom she had been corresponding ever since their first meeting in the Sunflower House when Julia and Blythe moved in there "I'm sure she would be a indignant, but she would be very happy for dear Cee who found happiness and love in her life when she thought she would find none." she said eventually.

Julia nodded in agreement "I'm sure you're right, Jenny." she replied and then giggled when she looked at both her son and daughter in both of her arms smiling at each other "Look at them, Jenny, don't you think they are the most perfect babies you can imagine?" she said sweetly and then looked over Jenny's shoulder "And where's Joyce? Joy!" and suddenly a dimpled, frecled face appeared at the kitchen door "Oh, there you are darling!" and Julia stretched out her hand towards her "Come here and Jenny will take the picture of us all!"

Joy runned across the room to her mother's "occupied" arms while Jenny took the camera out of the cupboard and took the picture of a perfectly happy mother with her three very different from each other children, and in many years to come each of them would look at that photo and think that they all looked like nothing but the merriest family in the whole universe.


Dearest Leslie,

How wonderful that you already refurbished the nursery room, although don't be so fast with everything! With my experience (can you believe that I really have three children of my own?) my advice to you is to plan things really slowly and make the best of all the preparations for the baby, it's the most fun thing to do!

You think that you'll have a boy, hm? Don't rely on your instinct, dear, you know that it can be deceiving. I never knew or felt whether I was having aboy or a girl, but do you remember when my Mother and Aunt Nan told us that when they were pregnant with me and Rose, they both thought they were having boys! Good for me and Rose that they were wrong!

I just can't wait to meet your little son or a daughter, Les!

There, you know already that right now I am in New York with my wonderful husband Blythe. But you enquired more details of our "anniversary trip" (we are married for five years! Five years, Les! It's so incredible but yet such a lovely darling thought!) to the States.

As you know, we are staying with my sister and my brother-in-law (!) Cee and Patrick and I must say that they really have a lovely house. Not a big one, but a very cosy one which definitely looks nothing but like a house of an artist. All of the rooms are in different, warm colours and there are paintings, sculptures, paints and canvases everywhere! And Cee looks so natural in there, it's insane!

So yes, Cee and Patrick work together in Patrick's studio in the very Manhattan, and they work there for several different museums and markets. They have loads of work to do every single day and it's a very good choice that they are living in New York, in the very centre of busyness.

Anyway, Blythe and I decided on forgetting about the whole world for this one precious week as we consider it as our "real" honeymoon (but could my honeymoon in the Sunflower House be any more wonderful if it was the trip to the States?). Although I am not able not to think about my three angels staying at the Sunflower House with Aunt Rilla and Uncle Ken.

We sleep till however long we want to, we go to sleep whenever we want to, we visit places whatever we want to, we go to all the restaurants wherever we want to…. You get the idea, right, Les? We don't think of anything else but how to spend time in a relaxing and fun way fro both of us. We still have two more days to go, until we come back to White Sands, but we already visited many many places, too many to tell you about each of them.

I really feel like I am falling in love with that city, it's so big and mysterious. Glen isn't mysterious at all, neither is White Sands, or Four Winds. But New York is something like London, a big, almost huge city, with so many places to see, admire and learn about.

But however much I love big cities, I don't think I would endure living in one. I don't mind visiting them from time to time, or even working there, but to live: no, not really. Blythe thinks quite the same as me, but he is fascinated by New York to the degree where he is taking pictures too often I think (if that's even possible).

But we are enjoying ourselves very much. And although I love my work as a writer and my role as a mum, I think that I really needed some vacation, some space, you know? And with whom I would go on a nice and relaxing (not to mention, romantic) vacation if not with Blythe?

But now, when I feel refreshed and new, I am glad of coming back to the Island, to my beautiful Joy, Paris and Hope, to my wonderful friends Lake and Gladys, and just coming back home, to all of you my dear family-folk.

I cannot wait to visit you Leslie and I promise you that I will soon! (as soon as I will feel that my second book can stay a bit longer on my desk, untouched by my pen).

Always Yours,

Julia Una Ford (or rather Mrs Blythe Ford)

P.S. Leslie, did you really like the strawberry cake that I sent you? I'm not too certain about it, you know how bad in cooking I always was… Just tell me that it was horrid, and I will do my very best to make it the best strawberry cake on the whole Prince Edward Island (just for you my darling)!