Anthony is 31, Susie is 26, Robin is 5, Starling is 3 and Palila is 2. Lyndon Humphrey is 57 (Gretchen Futa is 46, Patrick Futa is 14)
Susie tried to smile as they sang Happy Birthday to her oldest daughter, Robin.
Robin was turning five and would be getting a "big girl" bed and going to "big girl" school.
Anthony grinned since it meant one more child out of diapers and into school.
To be honest, Susie wasn't upset about Robin's birthday or her baby growing up. No, she was estatic since it meant things would get a bit easier...hopefully.
She was upset with her foster father, Lyndon.
It hadn't even been a year since her foster mother's death and while she didn't expect for him to sit at home alone for the rest of his life, she was still shock when he mentioned that he was going out on a date with some woman from his grief support group. Not just any woman, the leader of the group! That had to be inethical!
Gretchen was her name and Susie hated the sound of it, the roughness against her throat. She was open with her grief story of how she lost her husband and daughter and a car accident. They were driving to the hospital to be with her as she delivered their son, Patrick. Gretchen wondered why they never showed up for the birth when the police officer arrived and turned Patrick's birthday into the death anniversary of her husband and young daughter.
She hated that Lyndon would sigh after each date and she hated listening as he retold his time with Gretchen to Anthony. She hated that he would smile so big and his eyes light up.
She hated that Gretchen was a teacher at a music camp, just like her foster mother. She hated that Gretchen was applying for the part time music teacher position at the academy that was left vacant when her foster mother died.
She hated that Gretchen had blond hair like her foster mother and was a "sweetheart" like her foster mother.
She hated that Lyndon was in love with her and that he had planned all the details to propose to her. She hated it when he said that he wanted to get married again, that he needed to get out of their house and give them space, that the townhome wasn't build for a family of six.
She hated that she had to grin and say congratulations when Lyndon and Gretchen annouced their engagement. She hated that she had to pretend to be interested in the wedding planning, a simple courthouse wedding in the fall with Lyndon's daughters and Gretchen's teenaged son, Patrick. She hated looking through the real estate ads for suitable homes for the new little family, anywhere but Daniel's Landing. Lyndon wasn't ready to return to Daniel's Landing. Susie snorted, yet he was ready to marry again.
She hated seeing his bedroom all packed up with boxes neatly labeled and waiting for his new home. She hated that he wanted her and Faith's opinion of their new place. She hated that the couple would drag Faith, Patrick and her along as they looked at homes.
She hated how the homes would blur with unshed tears as she imagined her foster mother rolling her eyes at the dark walls, or saying how much potential a particular place had. She hated that Gretchen would do the same thing and she hated that Lyndon would nod his head in agreement as the three children silently walked behind.
She hated that Gretchen made her foster father happy and she hated herself for hating that.
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School is back in session, and due to a lot of journal and research deadlines and the subsequent eye strain from writing and reading, my simming time has decreased...a lot. To ensure that there are regular updates, the timing of the posts will be slightly longer, but still at least once a week.
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Aw, I feel bad for Susie but I hope she comes to appreciate that Gretchen is making Lyndon really happy. She doesn't have to be a replacement for Nicole and I know Lyndon wouldn't see it that way.
ReplyDeleteIt is kind of hard to see it that way, especially since Gretchen and Nicole are so similar, who knows when Susie will come around, thanks for reading and commenting!
DeleteDeath is hard especially when it seems like the person is being essentially replaced. I hope Susie will come around for Lyndon's sake.
ReplyDeleteI hope so too, Susie can be a bit stubborn at times. Thanks for reading!
DeletePoor Susie. I understand how she feels, a year doesn't seem like a long time when you lose someone that you love. I will keep my fingers crossed that she learns to appreciate Gretchen for who she is and how happy she makes her father.
ReplyDeleteA year isn't long at all, I think Susie will come around eventually...even if Anthony has to talk some sense into her. Thanks for reading and commenting.
DeleteOh, this is sad... but I can understand why Susie feels this way, Gretchen is a bit too much like Nicole, especially with little things like taking her job. I hope Susie can come to appreciate her in the future.
ReplyDeleteI loved the birthday party... all the yellow, and the balloons, and even a matching pet bed!
Thanks, Robin's favorite color is yellow like her mother. Grecthen's similarity to Nicole may just be one of the reasons that Lyndon is so attracted to her. Thanks for reading and commenting.
DeleteI hope Susie can begin to at least be happy for him, finding Gretchen and someone to keep him company. I'm excited that Robin had a birthday! Looking forward to sewing how they do parenting big kids.
ReplyDeleteNow that Robin is a child, it should be interesting to see her powers come to light, hopefully Susie will come around. Thanks for reading and commenting,
DeleteThis post hits close to home, down to the last line. My dad married his new wife literally a year to the day that we buried my mom. It's been a hard adjustment, so I completely understand Susie. Well-written post as usual, Starr!
ReplyDeleteSusie wants her foster father to be happy, but feels like it is much too soon. You'll get to see how this family adjusts soon. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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