It was a relatively hot day in October in Peace Valley. The local coffee shop "Brook's Brew" already had all the early risers coming in for their daily doses of coffee. One young man sat in the corner nibbling on a bagel sandwich. He was waiting for someone. The man himself looked rather handsome. He was tall with an incredibly fit body. His long raven hair was in a ponytail, and he wore fashionable glasses. Despite dressing casually, he was still very handsome.
The man checked his watch, giving the time as 7:30 a.m. "Okay, calm down, Alex. You can handle this. After all, Kathleen had no problem meeting her cousin Maddie for the first time. Why should you be anxious meeting your cousin Vlad for the first time?" Alex whispered to himself. Roughly ten minutes later, Vlad Masters walked in; despite being a ghost hunter in this reality, when not on the clock, he and his wife Maddie dressed normally. Today, Alex's cousin wore a simple navy polo shirt and black dress slacks.
Alex waved him over to the table he reserved. Vlad was also nervous about meeting his cousin for the first time. Ever since his eldest daughter Ceci had done a DNA test for fun, he'd meet more unknown family members then he thought. For his wife, Maddie, she'd meet her cousin, Kathleen Wells. Plus, her children and ex-husband. They got along swimmingly. So when Ceci told him she had located his distant cousin on his mother's side of the family, he wasn't sure how to act.
Still, Vlad seemed pleased his cousin Alex already knew the type of coffee and bagel sandwich he liked. "I'm sorry for being a tad late," Vlad apologized. "I had trouble finding my keys this morning."
"It's not a problem, cousin. Everyone loses their keys at one point or another. I'm happy the coffee shop is just a short distance from my apartment building. So I got to enjoy an early morning walk."
"Yes, it is rather warm this week. Being in the high 80s is most unusual for the first week of October."
"I blame climate change, which too many people aren't taking seriously. But let's not talk about that. This is a chance for us to get to know each other. After all, we're family even if we're distant relatives."
"Well, again, you have my mother's maiden name. So we at least know we're maternal cousins."
"Yes, it's strange. My name, Alexei, is your middle name, according to what your daughter, Ceci, told me when she helped set this meeting up."
Vlad shrugged, "Well, my wife's cousin Kathleen is also her maternal cousin. Since Wells is her maiden name. Maddie informed me Kathleen is a popular name in her family. So I guess Alexei is popular in some parts of my family."
"That does make logical sense. So shall we get to know each other?" Alex asked, to which Vlad nodded. Vlad's first question was asking about his cousin's immediate family.
"Well, my family immigrated from Russia four generations ago. My family also moved around a lot due to my parents' work. My father provided onsite tech work around the country, and my mother never wanted the family split up. So, lived mostly out of an RV."
"Well, that had to be an interesting childhood, at least," Vlad replied as he sipped his coffee.
"Don't get me wrong. I loved the adventures we had and getting to see all of America. Yet, it was challenging being home-schooled by my mom, even if she had a teaching degree. Every once in a while, I wish we'd planted some roots. It was when I was eighteen that I could put down some roots. I went to college here in Wisconsin, though not the same one as you.
It was a smaller, lesser-known one. I wanted to start simply before moving on to better things after childhood. I study business and other similar subjects. I eventually came to Peace Valley for the slower pace and now work as a co-owner at the local sporting goods store."
"Wow, that's all very interesting," his ghost-hunter cousin acknowledged.
"So what about you, Vlad? What's your life been like? You don't have to tell me if some of it's too painful."
"I'll give you the short version. My parents immigrated from Russia two months after they married. My father wasn't a good man, and we'll leave it at that. My mom had to raise me and my older sister Nayda because my dad wasn't a good father or husband.
My sister eventually opened a small clothing boutique/art gallery. She had two children with her now ex-husband because his gambling addiction got way out of hand. She's so busy she rarely visits us. My mother, on the other hand, works at the state university teaching philosophy. But again, she is swamped during the school year, so seeing her grandkids isn't easy for her.
"I'm sorry your father wasn't a good man. But you seemed to turn out alright. A tad eccentric, some people might say. But you seemed to be an excellent father and husband," Alex pointed out as he refilled their coffee.
"Well, most people don't say that to me or my wife. But thank you for saying it, cousin."
"Not a problem. Do you have an interest outside of ghost hunting?"
"I'm the ultimate Packers fan. It is the only thing neither my kids nor wife can stand about me. Saying I'm beyond obsessed."
"I'm not into football myself. But everyone is allowed to like what they like. Myself? I like going to the local dog park and playing with my dog."
"You have a dog?"
"Yes, his name is Oso, and he's a terrier mix. He loves to run and play. Do you have any pets?"
Vlad shook his head, "My youngest daughter, Felicity, has been begging for a kitten as long as I can remember. But my wife is firmly against it. She doesn't want an innocent animal to be hurt by our equipment. However, I'll be honest, Alex. It does pain me to see my little one so upset. I do believe she can handle a pet. I've been trying to persuade Maddie to allow our daughter the kitten she desperately wants."
"Well, good luck with that. Hardheadedness isn't the easiest thing to overcome. How about your son, Charlie? I heard he recently won the state spelling bee."
"Yes, he did. He's always been rather mature for his age. He is a brilliant young man. Since he started school, he's always gotten straight As. He isn't one to make trouble and is the only kid who always keeps their room neat."
"I'm sensing a but here," Alex commented, and Vlad sighed before nodding.
"Maddie loves all our children equally. But both of us are worried that Charlie takes things far too seriously. It was hard enough for his best friend Ruben to get him to read a fantasy novel. All we're hoping is he can learn to loosen up some. You know, be a kid? You only have eighteen years to be a kid. Then you'll spend the rest of your life as an adult. So you should enjoy your time as a kid."
"I can agree with that, Vlad. I also think people must realize that there are no best years of your life. Age doesn't determine if its the best or not. Your choices do. So live life to the fullest and enjoy each day you're alive," Alex replied as he downed the coffee.
"Most of my childhood, Alex, wasn't the best. But I still tried to enjoy being a kid while it lasted."
"Understandable. So would you like to come to the dog park with me? Since I couldn't bring Oso inside because only service animals were allowed, I leashed him in a nice cool corner of the coffee shop."
"Sounds good to me. Let's go, cousin," as they paid the bill and headed to the local dog park.