Spontaneous

After all the time I spent riding with Talron, I thought galloping through the forest was the most beautiful sight possible. On spring morning rides, the moisture in the air would be sweet and delicate buds would wave gently in the wind as we passed by. In summer, the bright sunlight would cascade visions of bright emerald green and shining gold through the thick canopy. Then in the fall, the spicy scent of dropping pine needles and the plethora of autumn colors engulfing us as we rode past was breathtaking. And yet, my rides here with Nari are giving those wonderful memories of mine quite the challenge. The two of us love going on morning rides on the road following the cliff that overhangs the ocean. The breeze off the sea and the rainbow of colors from the rising morning is stunning to behold.

Taking in Nari has been just as time-consuming as I thought, but with my children's help and the rides like we have, I can easily say that the loss of time is worth it. My parents and Eloril were both glad and amused to hear of my surprise birthday party and present. Ada and naneth also answered my children's request by sending me the elvish date and year I was born. Converting the information to the human calendar was much trickier than I expected. I had to call Amadrie, who has always been skilled at math and complicated formulas, to help me out. We finally figured out that I would have been born on the 11th of May, and that I am 513 years old.

As the weeks have passed, I've had to become careful when riding Nari since another pregnancy has come along. I know it will be alright to ride Nari gently for a little bit longer, but I want to be cautious so I don't do anything to hurt my growing baby boy. In the letter from my family, Eloril also complained that of course it would only be after he left that I would start having boys again.

Nioniel had her birthday, and she has aged up quite prettily. I was a bit anxious though for I saw that I had another Ureliel case on my hands. Nioniel was far too slim for my liking. I know some parents have to do everything they can to keep their children away from sweets and unhealthy foods, but I managed to subtlety encourage Nioniel to eat a bit more. She looks much healthier now that she's gained a few pounds.

As summer continued on, my belly became larger and larger. It was quiet surprising when the child came a week earlier than I had anticipated. I had been reading a book at the table when my water broke. Elridia and Nioniel, who had just started their homework, started to panic. I smiled wryly despite the pain. Oh my family, will there ever be a day when you realize these theatrics are no longer needed?

But perhaps my daughter's actions were just because they were humoring me, or that they felt they had to appear panicked. After I gave birth to my son new, Herindur, I looked out the window to see Elridia and Nioniel sunbathing as if nothing else interesting was going on in the world.

It's been a couple weeks since then. As Herindur and I have gotten used to his schedule, I'm left with more time to think. Recently I've been focusing on how the empty garage space was converted into a little stable for Nari. This left me with the idea that the unused pool house could be transformed into something useful as well. After giving it a lot of thought, I decided it would be a wonderful thing to renovate it into a greenhouse. I've wanted to use homegrown fruits and vegetables in my cooking for a long time. They make everything taste so much better.

Elridia and Nioniel showed me where to find the proper help to do the renovations. Thankfully, there wasn't a whole lot that needed to be done. The work was finished within a week. While the greenhouse isn't that big, it's actually the perfect size. With so many children and Nari to look after, not mentioning the time it takes to meet more men, I don't have the ability to keep up with a large garden. It's especially difficult since I haven't done any gardening in a long time. I helped a little in the fields back home, but not all that much. I'm slowly reteaching myself though. Elridia loves to fish, so it makes it easier having  a source of free fertilizer.

The next birthday to come was Galaran's. While I'm glad that he grew up well, I'm also rather worried for him. He always looks spaced out, and he's constantly forgetful. It's an everyday occurrence for him to walk into a room, walk out, and then walk back in saying he can't remember what he was supposed to be doing. Galaran spends a lot of time by himself as well. He'll have a great time with the rest of us if I nudge him away from his solidarity, but most of the time he'll be cooped up in his room. The worst of all is that Galaran is scared of every little thing. He'll jump in fright over absolutely nothing, and he won't even go close to Nari.

Galaran constantly tells me, somehow having a large smile on his face, that he's happy. It's hard for me to see how, but if this is just how he is then I assume it's something he's accustomed to. I'll have to become accustomed to it as well. I do hope he'll break out of his shell just a little though.

When Herindur had his birthday, I decided to take the whole family to the beach for dinner and a night swim. Elridia, Nioniel, Pararil, and Galaran were all so excited when I told them what we would be doing. It is quite an unexpected and unusual thing for me to let them stay out so late on a school night. Elridia and Nioniel were especially curious as to the reason why I came up with such an idea. They asked if something bad had happened, and if I was trying to make the news easier by letting them do something fun. I told them that wasn't the case at all. I just wanted to be spontaneous for a chance. Elridia and Nioniel looked at me suspiciously.

I know that I am not the spontaneous type at all. That's more Eloril's area of expertise, so I can see why they would think something was up. Actually, there is a bit more meaning to my actions than I told my daughters. It's nothing like what Elridia and Nioniel think though. Elridia will be graduating soon, so I want us to spend as much time together as a family as possible before she leaves. Then the words of Iselith and Saradith calling me a hermit came back to me recently. It's true that I don't really get out too much. Especially when it came to the point that I couldn't ride Nari for my large pregnant belly, I wouldn't leave the yard for days. I used to hate being confined to one place, but now it's become a necessity. I don't want to be a hermit though. This is why I want to try and be more spontaneous.

As I figured would happen, our late departure from the beach threw off all of our schedules. I was so tired myself that I almost called the children off sick from school so they could get some more sleep. In the end, I chose not to. I had made Elridia, Nioniel, Pararil, and Galaran all agree before we left that there would be no complaining the next morning and that they had to go to school. It wouldn't be good parenting to let them get off easy. I did hear a few grumbles, but I let them slide.

While I wanted nothing more than to crawl back into my bed, my growing garden needed to be tended to. It became apparent as I was caring for my plants that I definitely needed a nap after I finished though. My tired mind kept making shadows flit in the corners of my eye whenever I let started to doze off. The subtle hint of paranoia I also felt must've come from my exhaustion as well.

After Herindur and I both enjoyed that good long nap, we took the time to visit Saradith and Orlando. Their daughter, Danica, had just recently celebrated her first birthday. It is nice to have a grandchild around again. I actually have seven great-grandchildren now from my grandchildren back in Appaloosa Plains. It has become quite the task to keep up with them all. It's impossible really. I wish I could be involved in all my descendents' lives, but I know I have to stick to what I can actually do.

In order to keep up my pace of going out, I went into town the next day. As you might expect, summer is the time when Monte Vista is filled with visitors and tourists. I was hoping I could find some single man amid the clusters of people. It was when I was simply walking along that a man approached me. He told me his name was Eiji Hugh, and that he had come to Monte Vista to escape an annoying family reunion. He could tell I knew my way around, so he figured I was a local. Mr. Hugh asked me if I could tell him more about Monte Vista. I started to tell him what I've learned about this place, but after a little bit Mr. Hugh looked quite bored.

He apologized. It wasn't me, but sometimes he just has a terrible attention span. He does better if he actually gets to move around. Taking my chance to be spontaneous, I invited Mr. Hugh on a tour around town. He agreed with a smile. I took him to various places- the sports arena which once used to be a coliseum, the old ruins, the graveyard, and then the museum. Mr. Hugh remained interested the whole time, and we talked quite a lot. When he told me he was getting hot, I took him to one of the cafes so we could get in the shade and have some drinks.

It was then when I decided we felt comfortable enough around each other, so I asked more about Mr. Hugh's family and why he didn't want to go to the reunion. He explained that they had it every year, and he had never enjoyed going. Half of his family are high-strung rich folks who use every opportunity to flaunt themselves. The other half was the complete opposite. They were lazy, loud, obnoxious, and crude with no manners. Mr. Hugh had lost his patience dealing with all of them. It also didn't help that he was often to recipient of many pranks by his family members since he doesn't anger or lash out easily.

Besides, the people he does want to see- his parents, his brother and his wife, their daughter, and his cousin- he already sees on a regular basis. His parents supported his choice not to attend the reunion, and wished they could have come with him.

The day got later, and due to all our walking, we had gotten quite hungry. When Mr. Hugh asked where the best food in town was, I smiled and told him I would take him to it. He laughed quite loudly when he realized I'd taken him to our house. Elridia had already made a waffle dinner for the others, so Mr. Hugh and I took the opportunity to make some pizza for ourselves. He agreed that I had definitely brought him to the best place for food, and that he might just have to become a regular here.

Since the both of us had gotten covered in flour, we cleaned off by taking a dip in the pool. We spent so long swimming that the night grew late. I told Mr. Hugh that he might as well just sleep over. He said that was a good idea. Since the only available and acceptable place for him to sleep was my bed, we shared it.

I know what you're thinking, but after talking for a little longer, all we did was, in the most innocent use of the phrase, sleep together......