Now that Dub is old enough, I figure it’s time to teach him some of the bigger farm chores. So I set him up next to Cocoa Puffs so that he could learn to milk her.
Kai: Okay, so now that you’re in position, wrap your hand around two of her teats. You’re going to squeeze in a downward motion – be careful not to yank or pull too hard!
Dub is staring at Cocoa Puffs’ teats and udders. He hasn’t even attempted to reach for them.
Kai: The cow isn’t going to milk itself, son. Grab two of the teats.
Dub keeps staring with disgust written all over his face.
Wade: Eww, dad – do I have to?
Kai: You can’t grow up on a farm and never learn to milk a cow.
Wade: But it’s my birthday. Do I have to do this today?
Kai: *firm tone* Grab the teats, son!
Dub reluctantly reaches down and grabs two of Cocoa’s Puff’s teats as instructed.
Kai: Good, now squeeze downward.
After a few unsuccessful tries, Dub gets some milk into the pail. I can see he’s tired from being up so early with Dray, so I let him off the hook after a while.
Kai: Nice work! I knew you could do it. Maybe you should take a nap before we leave for Copperdale later today.
Wade: Okay, dad.
Dub rubs Cocoa Puffs’ side for a while, then goes into the house for a nap.
Ma walks over to the stable with Belle by her side. Belle isn’t looking like her usual self, so I look closer. She’s obviously sick.
Kai: Ma, I need to take Belle to the vet, and Me-Me has left for work. Can you watch the boys for me until I get back?
Prosperity: Of course!
Luckily there’s a country vet located not too far from the house. So I grab Belle into my arms, and we make our way over. Once I’ve signed her in, a vet comes out to greet us after a very short wait.
Dr. Eranson: Hello, I’m Dr. Harold Eranson. What can I do for you and your pet?
Kai: I think our dog is sick. Her coat is a strange color, and she won’t stop shivering.
Dr. Eranson leads us to an examination room. After running a few tests, he gives me the diagnosis.
Dr. Eranson: It looks like Belle is suffering from Winterfest Fever. There are several treatment options. The basic treatment will run you §150, or we can do the more expensive medicine at §750.
Kai: Give her your best, doc.
Dr. Eranson gives Belle the more expensive booster, and I leave the vet with a fully healed dog.
We return home, and Belle runs off to play with her toys. I find Mase outside playing on the monkey bars. Naturally, he runs over as soon as he sees me.
Mason: Is Belle okay? Gran told me she was sick and had to go to the vet.
Kai: She’s fine. Don’t worry.
But Mase’s worry reminds me that I still need to talk to them about ma.
Kai: I need to talk to you and your brother about something. Do you know where he is?
Mason: I think he’s still upstairs in our bedroom.
I know that wherever he is, he probably has his phone in his hand, so I send him a text telling him to meet us at the chicken coop.
Dub arrives at the chicken coop with Mase and me. The chickens and roosters immediately surround him.
Wade: Dad! They’re getting feathers and muck all over my new sneakers!
I’m over Dub’s complaints for the day.
Kai: We live on a farm – get over it! I need to talk to you two about something. Have a seat, please.
Dub sighs and sits down on the nearby log next to Mase.
Mase immediately notices that one of our roosters is missing.
Mason: Daddy, where’s Ebony?
Kai: That’s part of what I wanted to talk to you about. Our gardener found Ebony lying still on the ground this morning. He was dead.
Mase becomes visibly upset, and although Dub doesn’t show it – I can tell that the news is hard for him too.
Mason: But why, daddy? Why was he dead?
Mase’s question helps me transition to what I want to say next.
Kai: He was old. And when things get old, they eventually die.
Mason: But will he come back?
Wade: Dead things don’t come back!
Kai: Dub is right. They don’t come back. It’s like the leaves on the tree in Autumn. First, they die, then fall to the ground, but don’t return. But eventually, new leaves grow on the tree to take their place.
Dub appears to swallow his sorrow, only to replace it with more complaints.
Wade: Dad, did you call me out here to talk about leaves and chickens? I was finishing up my nap.
Kai: I brought you out here to talk about your Gran Peri.
Wade: What about her?
Kai: She’s getting older too – like Ebony and the leaves on the trees.
Mason: She’s going to die?!
Kai: I’m sorry, son, but yes. Eventually, everything that lives dies. It’s the cycle of life. We’re born – like the chicks, we get older, and some of us have kids, and then our kids grow up, and our job is done. We get older, and we die – like Ebony. Do you understand?
Mason: So if we keep getting older, you, mommy, and Gran will die?
I answer Mase’s question with the best answer I can come up with as the boys and I continue our discussion. But then, Dub surprises me by opening up about a friend at school whose younger brother died from drowning in a pool. It’s tough to talk about, but I explain that people sometimes die from accidents or being sick – not always from old age. They eventually ask about their Gran, Jalisa, and Pop-Pop, Merlin, and I realize we’re probably close to losing them too. I suddenly wish I had made Me-Me a part of this conversation.
By the time we’re done talking, I feel the boys have better tools for coping with whatever happens in the future. The important thing is that they are aware; somehow, I feel more knowledgeable and better prepared. Dub excuses himself to back inside while Mase surrounds himself with the newly hatched chicks.
Mason: I’ll take very good care of you so you’ll be healthy and grow up to have your own chickens! I don’t want you to die for a long, long time!
I head to the orchard to harvest the fruit trees, but I’m really seeking some time alone to reflect on everything the boys and I have discussed. Talking about death is one of the hardest lessons I’ve ever had to give them because there are so many uncertainties. But, I hope I did my job in preparing them.
Meanwhile, Peri is working on another painting, dealing with the loss of yet another friend. Unfortunately, Kimmie Daniels has passed away. At this point, she’s almost numb from being surrounded by so much death and bad news.
(Generation 3 Chapter Summaries)
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