It’s 5:05 am and I’m feeling the pressure trying to get this mobile app done. At 6 am, I finally complete it and collect my pay – § 5,290. I head upstairs and see that everyone else is up, while I haven’t even been to bed yet. Hunger overrules my need for sleep at the moment, so I pop a breakfast burrito into the microwave.
Peri gets dressed for her first day for school. Although I’m exhausted…I’m thrilled to be up to see her off.
Prosperity: What do you think of my dress mommy? Daddy helped me pick it out.
Alida: It’s cute…so much better than the ugly school uniforms I had to wear when I went to school.
Prosperity: Daddy says I’m going to have fun and I’ll meet a lot of friends.
I can’t remember ever being so excited to start school…and I definitely don’t remember it being very fun. I remember kids trying to pick on us because we were foster kids. It took a few threats and a punch in the eye every once in a while, from me, for that to eventually end. I’m sure that Peri will have a very different experience.
Alida: I have no doubt!
It’s time for Peri to catch her bus. Q walks her down the stairs and makes sure she gets on safely. I’m too tired to even step out the door. I head to bed to catch up on much-needed sleep.
I crawl deep up under the covers…hoping to get at least 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Q didn’t get his morning jog in, so he tries out the new treadmill outside…my birthday present to myself.
Q has his own deadline to meet. He calls up a model from the local modeling agency and gets to work in his newly designed studio. He gives the model, Pierce Delgato, an outfit to change into and takes a number of pictures until he’s satisfied. At least Pierce is a lot easier to work with than his last model.
After the fashion shoot is done…Q gets a strange text from his younger sister Sophia, asking him to meet her in Del Sol Valley for lunch. Q heads out right away. After their special greeting…
Sophia: Guess what! I’m married. I’m Sophia Talla now.
Quincy: Married? What the hell Sophia? Does ma and pop know?
Sophia: No…and I need your help telling them.
Quincy: My help?!
Q can already tell that this is going to be a long lunch.
I’m still asleep when Peri finally arrives home. She comes straight to the bedroom…
Prosperity: Mommy…I’m home!
I can use just a bit more sleep, but I’m anxious to hear about her first day, so I reluctantly climb out of bed.
I try to shake the lethargy away so I can give Peri my full attention, but she doesn’t care if I’m ready or not before she begins.
Prosperity: I had a green and yellow day today mommy!
Alida: A what now?
Prosperity: Green and yellow!
Alida: Uh…does that mean you had a good day?
Prosperity: The best day!
Before I can question her more about the use of colors to describe her day…Peri continues talking excitedly.
Prosperity: I met Jazmine, Branden, Marvin and Donnell today. That’s four friends! Then someone sent me a love note…I thought it was from the new boy at school, but it was from my friends playing a trick on me.
Peri is amused by that, but I’m not. That sounds a bit mean to me.
Prosperity: And my teacher is nice. Her name is Miss Grant and she read us a shiny yellow story at circle time.
Alida: Shiny yellow? Was the book yellow?
Prosperity: No the story…*impatient* listen mommy!
I have no idea what that means, but I let Peri continue telling me about her day without further interruptions.
Q returns home from the diner after helping Sophia call their parents to let them know that she’s married now. It went about as bad as Q expected…with his mom in a rage and his dad trying desperately to calm her down.
Q checks the mailbox, pays some bills and submits a photo for his client. Then he heads upstairs where Peri is snacking and waiting to talk about her first day of school all over again.
Meanwhile, I’m determined not to let the treadmill just become a dust magnet, so I head outside and hop on. Too bad I’ve forgotten that we’re not in Sulani anymore. The desert heat attacks immediately, but I power through as long as I can. Finally, I reach level 5 fitness skill and hop off before the heat finishes me off.
(Generation 1a Chapter Summaries)
