Chapter 7: Secret Plans
A/N: Okay...so in getting ready to write this chapter I was just re-reading the last chapter. It was kind of boring. For that I apologize, and also for the delay between chapters. It's a busy time of year at school. The good news is I only have about 30 school days left *jumps out of chair and dances around happily*. Can you tell I'm excited?
(Eric's POV)
Once Annie and I got the kids out of the house, we got out our secret ledger. Annie set it down on the desk and went over the numbers we had been keeping track of.
"Well, it looks like we finally have enough money saved," I grinned at my wife.
"So when should we tell the kids about this?" she asked me.
"I don't know. Maybe we should keep it as a surprise," I suggested.
"Oh, but we would have to tell Matt and Sarah. And I guess Lucy and Kevin. So they can clear their schedules. They should be able to keep a secret from the younger kids," Annie explained.
"You're right. We have to tell them, but it's a secret to the rest of them. Do you want to call Matt or should I?" I inquired.
"I'll do it, you can find a time to tell Lucy and Kevin. You know, tell him to drop by and see you at the church or something," Annie said.
"All right then. This should be very fun. I'm getting excited already," I kissed the top of Annie's head.
We replace the ledger marked "Bills 2001" back where it came from. None of the kids would ever find out the secret plans kept in a book marked "Bills". Very boring to them. That was part of why the plan was so well hidden from all of them. I loved having secrets with Annie, especially ones that we successfully keep, our family being so nosy and all. This was the really good kind of secret too.
(A/N: Don't worry. The secret plan will be revealed to you soon enough.)
(Matt's POV)
It was a little bit late when our phone rang.
"Who is it?" I asked Sarah, yawning.
"It's your family," she handed the phone to me.
"Hello," I said.
"Hi Matt. How are you?" my mother asked.
"I'm good, a little bit tired," I told her.
"That's good. I'm sorry to call, I know it's 10 o'clock in New York," I started, then explained the plans to Matt.
"That's a great idea, Mom. You and dad can be real sneaky if you want to! I'll talk it over with Sarah, I'm sure she'll love the idea too," I assured Mom.
"Okay, it was good to hear your voice again. But I'll let you get back to your studies," Mom said.
"Yes, I'll call you again sometime when the kids are in school," I told her," so they don't overhear you."
"Great, I'll expect to hear from you soon. I love you," Mom said.
"Bye mom," I hung the phone up.
"So what's this I hear about your parents being sneaky and needing to talk to me?" Sarah asked.
"Oh you'll like this one," I told her.
(Simon's POV)
Dinner at the Dairy Shack was actually kind of nice. Us kids could talk without our parents around. You have to be more careful about what you say around your parents, and with them out of the picture, we could talk more freely. Everyone got caught up with Mary. She had been through a lot and it seemed very good to have her come home.
"So, have you thought much about names?" Lucy asked.
"No, I mean I've only known for a week," Mary replied.
"Have you been to a doctor?" I asked.
"Yes. I visited one before I called Mom and Dad, just to make sure I was really pregnant. I should probably see one here in Glen Oak," she sighed.
"I'll take you to my doctor," Lucy offered.
"Really? That'd be great," Mary said.
"So, Simon, enough of the girl talk, how's school?" Kevin asked me.
"It's getting better. People don't treat me like I have the plague anymore. It's still not, um you know, normal, but it's so much better. It's nice to get back to normal life," I explained.
"Yeah. At first it doesn't seem so, but life really does go on after hardships and tragedies," he said.
"I know, the first months, it seemed like life would never be normal again. But it's slowly getting more normal. I don't think it will ever be the same, but I don't expect it to," I said, honestly.
"Simon?" Mary asked.
"Yeah," I replied.
"I asked what you thought of me being back here in Glen Oak."
"Oh. It's good. I mean, it'll be awkward for a while, for all of us, but I think it's for the best," I said.
"Oh good. I just want to make sure no one is terribly is upset by my being here. Cause if I'm bothering anyone, I can easily leave again," she hung her head.
"No Mare, you need to be here. To be with your family. We can help you," Ruthie piped up.
"Yeah, it's your home. No matter where you go, you can always come home," I told her.
"Don't go Mary, you just got here," David looked ready to cry.
"Okay, I won't be leaving," Mary hugged her youngest brother," don't you worry about it."
"So if you have a baby it will be my niece?" David asked.
"Or nephew, if it's a boy," I explained.
"Oh. So what's Sammie then?" he asked, confused.
"Sammie is still your niece. Niece just means your brother or sister's child is a girl. Nephew means it's a boy," Kevin explained laughingly.
"I don't get it, but that's okay. Niece. Sammie is my niece," he thought hard, " I can remember that."
I laughed, not so much at David, but because of him. It was cute that he was struggling with the concept.
"Basically, you'll be their uncle. That's all you should worry about," I told him.
"Now I can remember that," David smiled again.
A/N: Okay I stopped it here. Next chapter you will find out about Eric and Annie's secret plans. And don't worry it won't be long before the next chapter is up. I promise it won't be as long as it was this time. I decided to split the chapter in two because it was long. So I'm not quite done with the second half, I had to modify it a bit to make it its own chapter. It will be here soon!
A/N: Okay...so in getting ready to write this chapter I was just re-reading the last chapter. It was kind of boring. For that I apologize, and also for the delay between chapters. It's a busy time of year at school. The good news is I only have about 30 school days left *jumps out of chair and dances around happily*. Can you tell I'm excited?
(Eric's POV)
Once Annie and I got the kids out of the house, we got out our secret ledger. Annie set it down on the desk and went over the numbers we had been keeping track of.
"Well, it looks like we finally have enough money saved," I grinned at my wife.
"So when should we tell the kids about this?" she asked me.
"I don't know. Maybe we should keep it as a surprise," I suggested.
"Oh, but we would have to tell Matt and Sarah. And I guess Lucy and Kevin. So they can clear their schedules. They should be able to keep a secret from the younger kids," Annie explained.
"You're right. We have to tell them, but it's a secret to the rest of them. Do you want to call Matt or should I?" I inquired.
"I'll do it, you can find a time to tell Lucy and Kevin. You know, tell him to drop by and see you at the church or something," Annie said.
"All right then. This should be very fun. I'm getting excited already," I kissed the top of Annie's head.
We replace the ledger marked "Bills 2001" back where it came from. None of the kids would ever find out the secret plans kept in a book marked "Bills". Very boring to them. That was part of why the plan was so well hidden from all of them. I loved having secrets with Annie, especially ones that we successfully keep, our family being so nosy and all. This was the really good kind of secret too.
(A/N: Don't worry. The secret plan will be revealed to you soon enough.)
(Matt's POV)
It was a little bit late when our phone rang.
"Who is it?" I asked Sarah, yawning.
"It's your family," she handed the phone to me.
"Hello," I said.
"Hi Matt. How are you?" my mother asked.
"I'm good, a little bit tired," I told her.
"That's good. I'm sorry to call, I know it's 10 o'clock in New York," I started, then explained the plans to Matt.
"That's a great idea, Mom. You and dad can be real sneaky if you want to! I'll talk it over with Sarah, I'm sure she'll love the idea too," I assured Mom.
"Okay, it was good to hear your voice again. But I'll let you get back to your studies," Mom said.
"Yes, I'll call you again sometime when the kids are in school," I told her," so they don't overhear you."
"Great, I'll expect to hear from you soon. I love you," Mom said.
"Bye mom," I hung the phone up.
"So what's this I hear about your parents being sneaky and needing to talk to me?" Sarah asked.
"Oh you'll like this one," I told her.
(Simon's POV)
Dinner at the Dairy Shack was actually kind of nice. Us kids could talk without our parents around. You have to be more careful about what you say around your parents, and with them out of the picture, we could talk more freely. Everyone got caught up with Mary. She had been through a lot and it seemed very good to have her come home.
"So, have you thought much about names?" Lucy asked.
"No, I mean I've only known for a week," Mary replied.
"Have you been to a doctor?" I asked.
"Yes. I visited one before I called Mom and Dad, just to make sure I was really pregnant. I should probably see one here in Glen Oak," she sighed.
"I'll take you to my doctor," Lucy offered.
"Really? That'd be great," Mary said.
"So, Simon, enough of the girl talk, how's school?" Kevin asked me.
"It's getting better. People don't treat me like I have the plague anymore. It's still not, um you know, normal, but it's so much better. It's nice to get back to normal life," I explained.
"Yeah. At first it doesn't seem so, but life really does go on after hardships and tragedies," he said.
"I know, the first months, it seemed like life would never be normal again. But it's slowly getting more normal. I don't think it will ever be the same, but I don't expect it to," I said, honestly.
"Simon?" Mary asked.
"Yeah," I replied.
"I asked what you thought of me being back here in Glen Oak."
"Oh. It's good. I mean, it'll be awkward for a while, for all of us, but I think it's for the best," I said.
"Oh good. I just want to make sure no one is terribly is upset by my being here. Cause if I'm bothering anyone, I can easily leave again," she hung her head.
"No Mare, you need to be here. To be with your family. We can help you," Ruthie piped up.
"Yeah, it's your home. No matter where you go, you can always come home," I told her.
"Don't go Mary, you just got here," David looked ready to cry.
"Okay, I won't be leaving," Mary hugged her youngest brother," don't you worry about it."
"So if you have a baby it will be my niece?" David asked.
"Or nephew, if it's a boy," I explained.
"Oh. So what's Sammie then?" he asked, confused.
"Sammie is still your niece. Niece just means your brother or sister's child is a girl. Nephew means it's a boy," Kevin explained laughingly.
"I don't get it, but that's okay. Niece. Sammie is my niece," he thought hard, " I can remember that."
I laughed, not so much at David, but because of him. It was cute that he was struggling with the concept.
"Basically, you'll be their uncle. That's all you should worry about," I told him.
"Now I can remember that," David smiled again.
A/N: Okay I stopped it here. Next chapter you will find out about Eric and Annie's secret plans. And don't worry it won't be long before the next chapter is up. I promise it won't be as long as it was this time. I decided to split the chapter in two because it was long. So I'm not quite done with the second half, I had to modify it a bit to make it its own chapter. It will be here soon!