Me-Me is sitting with Dub in the living room, reading a book at the end of the day. It’s one of his favorites, and he practically has it memorized.
Melisa: *reading* The happy little bear goes to the store and buys a –
Wade: Cat!
Melisa: Good job, Dubbie! *continues reading* But the cat is lonely, so the bear buys a –
Wade: *excited* Rat!
Melisa: Yes, he does, but that only makes the cat hungry. *continues reading*
Ma arrives home from the mausoleum a few minutes later. I walk over to check on her.
Kai: Are you okay?
Prosperity: I’m fine. But I think I’ll go upstairs and take a little nap.
Kai: You can take a nap, but you don’t have to go upstairs.
Prosperity: What do you mean?
Kai: Follow me!
I lead ma to what used to be our craft room.
Kai: Me-Me and I were able to complete your bedroom while you were gone.
I sit down while ma looks around.
Kai: So, what do you think?
Prosperity: It’s beautiful, Kai. I love it. You even put the family pictures up.
Kai: Yes, and I have some good news. Me-Me and I are expecting another baby.
Prosperity: *smiles* Just the type of news I needed to hear today.
Kai: I’m glad. Well, I’ll give you some time to get adjusted.
I leave, giving ma a chance to take the nap she mentioned.
After Kai leaves, Peri suddenly realizes she doesn’t feel like taking a nap. There’s something about her new room that is bothering her. It takes a minute or two to understand what it is.
It’s the photos on the wall – almost everyone in them is dead. She’s lost her parents, three grandparents, and now her boyfriend. There’s nothing she can do about that. That’s out of her control, but she can ensure that she’s doing what she can with the time she has left, which means that there’s no time for naps.
Melisa: Does she like the room?
Kai: Yes, and I told her about the new baby too. She was all smiles.
Melisa: That’s great.
But when Kai leaves the kitchen, Me-Me can see that the version of Peri that enters a minute or two later is not the one Kai just described. There are no smiles, just a hanging head – clouded in grief.
Me-Me is wise enough to know that it has nothing to do with the bedroom. Instead, there’s something else bothering her mother-in-law that she’s sure she won’t completely understand until several years from now.
Me-Me watches silently as Peri grabs leftovers from the refrigerator, warms them up, and heads to another part of the house.
Peri goes upstairs to see her grandson. She needs to be surrounded by life right now – not dead loved ones in pictures.
Wade is sitting on his potty. Peri doesn’t care; she wants to be near him. So she sits down next to him with her plate in hand.
Wade: I poop in the potty, ganny.
Prosperity: *reassuring tone* It’s okay; it happens to us all.
That’s enough for Wade. He continues handling his business while Peri handles hers.
Peri finishes up her meal and gets up to take her plate back downstairs.
Prosperity: Keep up the good work, Wade! I’ll be back up to check on you in a minute.
After Peri leaves, Dub successfully finishes using the potty. He is now fully potty trained.
Me-Me is downstairs upgrading the kitchen sink when Peri returns with her plate. Me-Me can tell that she’s already feeling much better.
Prosperity: Kai told me about the new baby. I’m so proud of you both. Congrats!
Melisa: Thanks.
Prosperity: How are you feeling?
Melisa: Not as bad as I did when pregnant the first time
Prosperity: Maybe that means that you’re having a girl.
Melisa: maybe
Prosperity: I wanted to ask – is it okay if I get Wade ready for bed and read him a bedtime story tonight?
Melisa: Sure, that would be great. He constantly whines and cries when I try to do it.
Prosperity: I remember Kai going through a crying phase as a toddler, too. He had tears at dinner, at bedtime, and he’d even wake up in the middle of the night – in tears.
Melisa: *chuckles* At least we know where Dubbie got it from.
Dub is upstairs pulling out toys when Peri re-enters his bedroom.
Prosperity: There’s no time for toys right now. How about a story instead?
Peri has said the magic words. Dub is anticipating his story so much that he doesn’t fuss while Peri changes him into his pajamas.
Once Dub’s eyes have closed, Peri sits there for a moment longer, just listening to him breathe. Not quite ready for bed, Peri once again gathers up her paintbrushes and heads outside to complete another painting. She has some definite plans for this one.
(Generation 3 Chapter Summaries)
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