A/N: The new chapter of "We Three Hearts" is now available!
April 1st 2023
Chapter 91
We Celebrate Summer's End
Dear Mrs. Friar,
If anyone I've already told hasn't spoiled the surprise for you, I wanted to catch you up on how things are going here. Dani's doing great, excited to turn eight in a few months. She's got this English accent she slips in and out of, between when she's at home and not, and it's really just the funniest thing. I need to send you a video sometime. Mariah just got a promotion at work, and we've been looking at buying a house. It's a big step, a lot to factor in, but we've got our sights on a couple of places and we're hoping to close on one of them soon. We want to get ourselves moved in as soon as we can, as much as possible, so we won't be in the middle of all that and the other big thing we've got coming up… We're getting married! Mariah asked me at the start of summer, and as surprised as I was, I had no doubt about my answer.
I can't stop thinking about how I might not be here if I hadn't taken this chance, and you know as well as I do that some of that is because of you and the advice you've given me. We haven't set a date yet, not until after the house thing is behind us, but as soon as we do and we can send them out, consider yourself and your family invited. I saw pictures of all of you the other day, through Stella, and I can't get over how all your girls are getting so big! Marianne looks so tall now, it's hard to believe she's just a year ahead of Dani. And Aubrey is two already? I just remember about when you had her and you were in the hospital, how the news made it through the quiz team chat. I almost flew right back to Texas, like I could be the one with the answer to bring you back around.
I'm looking forward to seeing all of you out here if you can make it. Ariel keeps joking how we need to get all the Born Curious members and have a UK/Wedding match. I told her only if we can get our blazers on. Guess we'll see how that goes.
Hope you are well. The school year should be starting soon by the time you get this, and I know that's one of your favorite parts.
Big hugs,
Helena Zimmerman
.
Dear Helena,
I can promise you that no one blabbed before I got your letter, but I also have to say at least that I was getting suspicious of something being in the works. I thought maybe you might be moving back to this side of the ocean, but you're clearly doing the opposite of that, buying a house, and getting married! I am so happy for you and Mariah both, and for Dani as well. From everything you've told me over the years, I know how hard you've all worked to get to this point, and now here you are. And you know that we will be there on the day if you want us there. All you need to do is send the invitation when there is an invitation to send.
I'm already looking forward to this idea with the quiz team. If you actually want to do it, I say go all out. You want special blazers done specifically for the wedding, I'll get those done for all of you, gladly so. Please send updates on the house hunt. If you should find yourselves in need of a decorator, I have one who would probably love nothing more than to get to pitch in with your English home.
Congratulations again, Helena. You deserve all of the happiness you're experiencing right now, and so much more of it to follow, too. Best of luck with everything,
Mrs. Maya Friar
X
A week had gone by and not a single sighting or call had been made with regards to the two lost dogs. It was as Lucas and Maya had feared it would be, and as much as it pained them to think that anything could have happened to Crowley and Squeak, it was worse for their girls, who had quickly become habitual guards at the windows, at the door, out on the porch… All of them were seeking as though at any second they would see a familiar figure running up toward the house. When they would leave the house, the car rides would be spent almost exclusively looking out the windows in silence and concentration, scanning their surroundings. They saw their posters out there, too, some of them in better conditions than others, and it was maybe the second bleakest reminder of the days that were stacking up between when they'd last seen the dogs and the present. The top position would have to go to their food and water bowls, sitting eternally empty, untouched. One morning, they'd come upon Aubrey, using all her focus and then some to get the food from the pantry and into the bowls, after she'd already gotten water into the water bowls. She'd also gotten a good amount on the floor, too, but Jax, Artie, Honey Bee, Yankee, and Liberty were all more than happy to step in and clean that up for her.
She'd had this look on her face when they'd asked her what she was doing, and there was no need for her to say a thing. She thought that if the bowls were full then the dogs would come. They always came running if they heard the telltale sounds, maybe caught a scent… It hadn't worked, and they'd had to clean out the bowls in the end.
Now, after a week, it was to wonder whether time would soften the wound, allow them to carry on. They wouldn't just forget their dogs, no, but they might resign themselves to the fact that they would never see them again, and that – along with the thought that they might never know what had happened to them – would be a whole other kind of pain for them, and for their parents.
And now, with the passing days, life was carrying onward, bringing some of those things that the end of summer would. Some of them would be wonderful, others bittersweet.
In that latter category, the clear runaway winner was the end of summer camp, whether for the mini camp, the kids' camp, or the Sullivan Stables camp. Marianne was going around like the world had dealt her another blow after the dogs for now forcing her to say goodbye to her new friend, Haru. He was headed home, as was his sister, although of course in Kimiko's case it would be a brief visit more than a return. Thanks to the unexpected swap of one of the year's exchange campers, she would now be spending the next year in Austin. And considering how she would then go right on to spend another summer at camp, it would be a very long while that her parents wouldn't be seeing their daughter, while the Farrells would be trading in hosting their nephew for their niece. If everyone got their wish, they'd be getting their nephew back once more over the following summer. And until then…
"Couldn't he stay here, too?" Marianne asked, putting on a very good impression of her little sisters when they showed their big frowns to indicate that they were Upset with a capital U and no one and nothing would get them not to be unless things went the way they wanted them to. They knew that some of the blame here went to everything going on with the dogs, so they gave her space to be annoyed where she needed to be. "He could keep staying with his aunt and uncle, and he could go to my school, be in my class with the rest of us."
"Annie, he needs to go home. He misses it, and his parents," Lucas pointed out. Her little pout was enough to confirm she did know this, yes, and she hated that it made her whole argument fall apart. "You'd miss us, too, if you went off for weeks and weeks like he did, wouldn't you?"
"Yeah, wouldn't you?" Maya chimed in, and they might have been given an award for how swiftly they triggered that pout to crumble from their girl's face with a bit of silliness.
"You guys are so weird," she shook her head.
"Oh, do you hear that?" Lucas asked.
"I do. I think someone cracked open their teenager pack early. Quick, put it back, put it back," Maya gestured. Marianne laughed and, loving a bit as much as the next Friar, pretended to take something and close it up, hide it and lock it behind a door. "Key?" Maya extended her hand, and Marianne dropped the invisible key into it. "Thank you. Now where should I… Oh, I know. Huckleberry, lift up your hat…"
As much as it pained all parties involved, Kimiko and Haru went on home, even as all the campers departed from Mel's B&B. And now, with the start of school just around the corner, the last thing for them to look forward to was finally upon them: the Babineaux party.
Lucas loved to tell the girls about how he'd been going to these since he'd been little. It could already be baffling for some of them to think of their father or their mother as children like them, even if they would be shown pictures, and videos, but every new discovery would get to feel like a reset of the shock of it all. It was still the truth, wasn't it? Lucas had become friends with Zay when both boys had been no older than the triplets, and the very first summer's end that had coincided with their friendship had brought the small Lucas in the midst of the extended Babineaux family, from Zay's parents, to his aunt and the host of this party, to the great and legendary GiGi, his great grandmother.
The girls had been shocked here, too, having assumed that the famous cookies they loved so much had been named after their fellow turtle Gigi, which wasn't exactly wrong, seeing as the five-year-old girl had been named after the woman who'd passed before she'd ever been born. Zay was particularly glad to tell his friends' children about his great grandmother. To hear him tell it, she was nothing short of mythical, and frankly that might not have been exaggeration, not to any of them who had known her in life.
"Hey, where do you need us?" Maya asked Nadine when the Friars arrived at the house, their offerings to the buffet split among them along with bags containing changes of clothes for after the pool. Wyatt was with them this year, along with Finn, and they were proud to see that he'd brought only the necessary minimum.
"Oh, I'm not sure yet, but come here, you need to see this," Nadine motioned to invite haste, and the others – including a very excited Nellie and Gracie – followed her until they could see out into the yard.
The Mantovani-Zvolensky and Garcia-Choi families had arrived ahead of them, and while Giulia, Connor, Jae, Allie, and Santi all ran around and played, Sophie and Asher chasing them, Ray was helping with the small stage, and Chiara was aiding at the grill, leaving the youngest of the family, six-month-old Violet, in the hands of Rosa Del Vecchio, her surrogate mother. Seeing this, it didn't strike anyone as particular save for Maya and Lucas, who showed the fascinated shock that the scene would warrant.
For as long as the babe had been out in the world, with her parents, Rosa had not held her, had not wanted to or been able to, and they had respected that. She had put herself forward and she had carried her friends' baby for them, delivered her on to them, going so far as to then provide them with milk that she continued to pump for them. She wanted to make certain that the baby girl would get all that she needed. But she had never held her. She'd needed to keep this distance between them, that was what they figured, always, and there was nothing wrong with that. Then, today, according to Nadine, little Violet had been left to doze peacefully in her seat, near to where her siblings were playing and, following a sudden and startling sound, she'd woken and started to cry. Rosa had not even blinked for a second. She was just a few steps away and, before anyone else could get to her, she lifted up the baby girl and went about calming her down, talking to her as Rosa would… and Violet had calmed down. Since then, she'd been there, held by the woman who'd carried her and spoken on and on whenever she'd kicked, and she looked enthralled. As for Rosa, she looked relieved, like her mind would be running over with the single thought of 'what was I so worried about?'
"Mommy?" Mackenzie asked, soon after, as she trailed after Maya, carrying a box so she might help and get the party ready for everyone.
"Yeah, Macaw?" Maya asked back, counting absently in her head.
"They're not coming back?" Mackenzie asked.
"Who's not coming back?"
"Crowley. Squeak." Maya stopped so suddenly that Mackenzie bumped into the back of her legs, sending her box falling to the ground and spilling its contents. At once, the three-year-old knelt down and started putting everything back inside, ignoring the fact that she was also picking up dirt at the same time.
"It's okay, I've got this," Maya crouched and lightly relieved her daughter of her task until she sat back on the ground and looked up to her, still waiting on an answer. Maya sighed. She could be honest with her, tell her that it was less and less likely that the dogs would be coming home, but then she knew how the confirmation would sit with her, and she felt much more at ease with letting her hope without feeding her any boldface lies. "I don't know. I wish I did," she told her, reaching out to brush at her hair, which had been pulled into a braid matching that of big sister Marianne, even if it was not nearly as long. "Wherever they are, I'm sure they miss you and your sisters, and the other dogs, and Daddy…"
"And you, Mommy," Mackenzie pointed at her. Maya smiled.
"And me," she agreed. "Come on, let's go see if we can find another box like this," she looked down to the dropped box. Mackenzie got up now and picked it up. "Right, better take care of this one first."
TO BE CONTINUED
See you tomorrow! - mooners
