Maia puts on a brave face and goes outside to meet Tami as she gets off the school bus.
Maia: Hey there, tadpole! How was school today?
Tambara: It was excellent! I met some new friends.
Maia leans over and kisses Tami’s cheek.
Maia: There’s something that we need to talk about.
Tambara: Is it about what happened in science today?
Maia feels her news about Luna is enough of an emotional strain for Tami. She doesn’t want to add to it by bringing up the call from the teacher today. Besides that, losing some of her recess was enough punishment. Maia leans down and pulls Tami into her arms to avoid what she must do next.
Maia: No tadpole. It’s about something else. Let’s find Daddy.
Maia calls from my office and asks me to accompany her and Tami to the living room. I give Tami a quick hug before following them upstairs. We sit on the couch, making room for Tami between us. Hopefully, this will make her feel secure as we give her the bad news.
Tambara: I met some friends at school today, daddy. I can’t remember their names, though. My teacher’s name is Miss Wells. She could be nicer and prettier, but I guess she’s okay.
Disrupting Tami’s nice day seems cruel, but it’s inevitable. It’s only a matter of time before Tami will wonder where Luna is. Maia takes the lead; after all, delivering bad news seems to be her forte.
Maia: We’re so glad you had a good day today, but now we need to talk about something that’s not so good.
Tambara: But I told my teacher I was sorry about what happened with my lab.
Wade: Something happened at school?
Maia: *to Dub* Nothing serious, and it’s already taken care of. *to Tami* I know, honey. But this is about Luna.
Tambara: Is she missing again? She was supposed to be good today.
Maia: No, baby. Luna isn’t missing. Luna died today.
It takes Tami a second or two to comprehend what Maia has said before the tears begin.
Tambara: *shuttering* D-did you p-put in a n-neighborhood alert?
Maia: I don’t think you understand, tadpole. She’s not missing, and she won’t be coming back.
Tambara: But why not?
I can’t leave Maia to struggle alone. I need to help with this discussion.
Wade: Like Mommy said, Luna has died. Your Pop-pop once told me that when things die, it’s like the leaves on a tree in autumn. Those leaves get old and fall to the ground. There’s no way for them to get back on the tree. The tree has lost them forever. But eventually new leaves grow on the tree to take their place.
Tambara: So a new cat will take Luna’s place?
Maia: Not in the way you think. Daddy is trying to say that maybe one day you’ll decide to get a new cat and that new cat will find a place in your heart, just like the new leaves on the tree. We cannot replace Luna, but we can learn to love another cat just as much.
Tambara: I don’t want new leaves! I want Luna!
Maia: I know, tadpole. I want Luna, too. It’s okay to be sad, and it’s okay to cry. Even mommy cried, and now I feel better.
Tambara: I’ll be sad in my room for a while.
Maia: That’s okay, too. I’ll check on you later.
Tami disappears into her bedroom, and I return to my office. About an hour later, she walks in while I’m editing my video.
Wade: Hey there, princess. How are you feeling?
Tambara: Okay
Tami sits down in the chair nearest to my desk. She’s never come in here to hang out with me before.
Wade: Is there something you want to do right now?
Tambara: Can you help me with my project?
Wade: Of course, but what’s the project?
Tambara: I have to make a castle—for school.
Wade: Really? It’s raining outside, but we should have enough space to work in mommy’s yoga room.
I get up, but Tami slumps down in sadness. Getting over Luna is going to take her a while.
Tami and I remove some of Maia’s yoga stuff and settle on the floor to work on her school project. She and I are both a fan of castles, so I’m determined to make this one look as good as possible.
Wade: This castle will be the best castle anyone at your school has ever made!
Tambara: *excited* Yeah!
We’re heavily focused on our task when Clyde suddenly enters the room.
Clyde: *casual tone* There’s water all over my living room and kitchen. I think there’s a leak.
Wade: Wait, what?
I need news like this to be delivered more urgently, but Clyde says it as casually as someone talking about the weather. A water leak could ruin the floors in our place. I jump up and apologize to Tami.
Wade: I have to go to your grandfather’s place right now. We’ll finish this up tomorrow.
Tambara: Okay, daddy.
Clyde somehow beats me to his house and is already sitting on the couch when I enter the unit. Sure enough, there’s water all over the living room, leading into the kitchen.
Wade: Do you at least know where the water is coming from?
Clyde: No. I’ve been staying put because I’m too old to slip in puddles and fall.
I guess he has a point, but it doesn’t make me feel any less pissed off. But I’m the owner and it’s my job to search for the leak. I check the kitchen, which is clear, and then the upstairs bathroom. There’s water spewing from the shower. I do my best to tighten the pipes, but some built-up pressure comes from somewhere else in the house.
I descend the stairs two at a time and enter the garage. While inspecting the water heater, I discover the problem and start trying to repair it. I’m not confident I know what I’m doing, and Clyde walking in two minutes later certainly doesn’t help. He stands there looking over my shoulder as I work.
Clyde: Do you know what you’re doing because it doesn’t look like you know what you’re doing?
Wade: *annoyed* I thought you said you were staying put.
Clyde: I want to make sure I don’t wake up dead and drowned tomorrow morning.
Wade: If you drown, you can’t wake up. But no need to worry; I think I have it fixed.
I put the water heater back together and check for any further leaks. There aren’t any.
Wade: See! I did it!
Even Clyde looks impressed. I clean up my mess and head back home.
I go straight to Tami’s room to check in on her. Tami is in bed, and Maia sits in the corner watching her.
Wade: How’s she doing?
Maia: Okay now, but our poor baby cried herself to sleep.
That’s heartbreaking to hear. I can’t stand the fact that my daughter is going through such pain, and there’s nothing I can do about it. But then again… maybe there is something I can do.
I leave the room and enter our bedroom to change into my pajamas. Despite what Maia said, I’m sure getting another cat will ease Tami’s pain. I’ll go to the pet store and pick one out tomorrow. Maia will see that she was wrong.
(Generation 4 Chapter Summaries)
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