Unease

Since Mr. Hugh stayed the night over, he naturally got to sample some more of my fine cooking for breakfast. He really hadn't seen any of my children that previous night, so I gave him a warning that there was a decent amount of them running around. Mr. Hugh was fine until we got downstairs, but he became a bit more uncomfortable when he became the victim of curious stares from eight eyes. While he did his best to make conversation with Elridia, Nioniel, Pararil, and Galaran, breakfast overall was just a bit awkward. It didn't help that Elridia and Nioniel kept giving me that knowing stare as if they knew without a doubt that I had slept with Mr. Hugh. I wanted to set them straight, but of course bringing up such a topic would have only made the atmosphere even more uncomfortable.

After Nioniel threw up her breakfast, I called the school to let them know she was ill and would be staying home for the day. The other children got on the bus when it came. Since Herindur was still sleeping soundly, and with Nioniel not feeling all that horrible now that her stomach had been emptied, I felt it was alright to escort Mr. Hugh back to his rented house. Though I knew I should have gone back home, I accepted his invitation inside. We talked innocently for a couple minutes, but I think the lack of children allowed the mood to shift in a direction that hadn't been possible at my house. The two of us headed upstairs despite the still early hour.

It was right when Eiji and I finished when Nioniel called saying Herindur had woken up. She didn't want to go and get him since she had begun to feel worse, and didn't want to make him sick as well. I left Eiji's house with a reluctant goodbye.

Nioniel felt better by that evening, which was good because it was Elridia's birthday. I was also glad that it was a Friday. It meant that Nioniel, Pararil, and Galaran could join in the celebration without having to worry about their homework getting done for the next day. I knew Elridia and I looked quite similar, but it is truly remarkable just how closely we resemble each other. It's as if a mirror appears each time I look at my daughter's face. Nioniel pointed out that if we were to style our hair the same way and wear similar clothes then we would look like identical twins. I don't doubt that that would be the truth.

Elridia stayed for one more night, but was moved out the next morning. She's gotten a part-time job, but wants to make most of her money by being an angler.

My little garden has finally blossomed to life. With everything else that's going on, it is a bit hard to keep up with it. Sometimes evening will approach before I remember that I haven't checked on it all day. Thankfully the plants are hardy, and seem to be immune to my carelessness. Seeing the bright red apples and tomatoes, royal purple grapes, and the rich green lettuce makes all the effort worth it. The quality of our meals has also increased dramatically. Even Pararil and Galaran will eat the tomatoes and lettuce that they despise so much. This success makes me want to grow even more plants.

Something strange is still going on in the greenhouse though. I get a sense of paranoia each time I enter it. Maybe it's simply a trick of all the windows, but I swear I keep seeing shadows running about in the corner of my eye. For a while, I considered that it might be Nari moving about the yard. Then I realized that Nari is nowhere near my line of sight the vast majority of the time. I try not to let all this strangeness bother me, but I just cannot shake this unease within my heart.

The day of Herindur's birthday was a happy one. Not only did Herindur age up handsomely, but I also discovered that Eiji and I are going to be having a son together. I am glad that my child is going to be a boy again, even if Nioniel and I have become outnumbered. I've still had many more girls than I've had boys so it's nice to see the numbers evening out. I rather hope that I'll end up with 50 sons and 50 daughters exactly. However, I've only had 22 children so far counting the one I'm currently carrying. Considering that I haven't even reached the first quarter mark, 100 children still seems an impossibly far distance away.

I met Eiji at the nearby cafe to tell him the news of our growing son. I wanted to reveal the news in a public place. Doing so would make it harder for him to react negatively and loudly. I doubted that Eiji would have such a reaction, but I wanted to be safe.

Eiji got such a goofy smile on his face when I told him that I was pregnant. He told me this had to be some sort of fate. That left me curious of course, so I asked him what he meant by that. Eiji told me that Monte Vista was so much more appealing than his current home. Although it would take him further away from his parents, he had been considering moving here. Now that he was going to have a son, the choice was clear. That Eiji would be here permanently was much more than I was expecting. It made me really glad to think that he would be around more.

I spent the passing months by helping Eiji go through all the paperwork, and unpack as things slowly tickled in from his old house. Luckily, he was able to have his job relocated here as well to the big business office.

Unfortunately, Eiji did have to go back to his other home to finish up some last minute details and meet with his parents. He had been gone for a day when I went into labor. I tried to do various things to slow the labor down, but Eiji wasn't going to be back for another two days. There was no way I could stall for that long, and even if I called him then and he left right away, it would still be impossible for him to make it back in time. I had to give my stalling efforts up and focus on giving birth.

My new son arrived after a couple hours. Having already agreed on the name with Eiji, I named the child Londuil. I called Eiji as soon as I got Londuil and myself settled. He let out a couple choice curse words when he learned that he missed the birth. He said that he knew he shouldn't have let his parents convince him to leave so close to my due date. I tried to comfort him, but we both knew there really was no way for Eiji to make up missing the birth of his first child.

Recovering quickly from labor as I normally do, and having Nioniel agree to babysit, I took Nari out for a long ride so we could both enjoy the fall scenery. Maybe it was the fact that I could do what I wanted with my body now, but something about that ride made me feel so free. I forgot all about my burdens and stresses. 

The longer Nari and I rode, the more I thought about just taking off. What if I just kept riding and never looked back? I could go off on my own, and do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. I wouldn't even need any money. I know how to survive off the land. The children have their older siblings here to look after them, so perhaps just for a couple days.....

Of course, doing such a thing is impossible. Running off was merely an idea to preoccupy my mind during the ride. I know that I would barely make it out of town before the strong desire to be with my children would pull me back. Adventures will just have to wait until the task is over.

Eiji came home a day early so he could meet Londuil as soon as possible. It was gladdening to see genuine eagerness for a change. While Eiji held Londuil, the two of us talked. Eiji didn't waste much time before revealing that his parents wanted to meet me. That was a shock. I've never before given the parents of the fathers any thought. I began to feel rather inadequate, so I told Eiji it would be rather inconvenient to bring all the children that far or to find someone to watch them. Eiji understood, and his parents had known that as well. It was why they were coming here when they got some time off from work.

He told me that although his parents can be opinionated and narrow-minded, they are good people. Hearing that really didn't make me feel any less nervous, but I hope we'll be able to get along.

Thanks to Eiji being there, I was able to get some chores done as well as get a bit of rest. I was beginning to plan dinner when I realized we had nothing of what I needed in the cupboards. I asked Eiji if he would be alright looking after Londuil while I quickly went shopping for ingredients. He told me the two of them would be more than fine, so I could take all the time I needed.

I made my way to the grocery store, and picked up everything as quickly as I could. Though Eiji told me to take my time, I knew the children would be home from school soon. They still didn't know Eiji all that well yet, and I didn't want them to be uncomfortable coming home to find only him there.

As I exited the store, a man stopped me before I could head off on my way. He introduced himself as Mr. Petrick Zeiss. He had visited Monte Vista with his parents when he was younger, but now he had moved here a little while ago. Mr. Zeiss said he couldn't help noticing me a lot. I understand that, for I know I stick out rather prominently. Anyway, Mr. Zeiss wanted to take the chance to finally introduce himself and get to know me.

I said it was nice to meet him, but that I was in a rush and needed to get home as soon as possible. He offered to help me carry my bags. They were heavy, but I declined. For some reason, being around Mr. Zeiss fills me with the same paranoia and unease that I get when I'm in the greenhouse. He took the rejection much harder than he should have. I could feel his eyes watching me as I started on my way home. I know I have no reason to feel repulsion towards him, but I just couldn't keep my skin from crawling a little.

I got back home to find a surprise that took away all thoughts of Mr. Zeiss. A wooden swing set had somehow materialized in the backyard. Eiji smiled when he saw my face, and explained that the swing set was a gift from his parents. I asked in amazement as to how he had gotten it built so fast. Eiji told me he has plenty of experience doing so considering that he pretty much put up a swing set for each household with children in his old neighborhood. Plus, Pararil, Galaran, and Herindur helped too, so the simple frame had gone up in no time.

I smiled, and Eiji and I "tested" the set first to make sure it was safe.

Nioniel took over dinner so Eiji and I could use the time to rake the leaves into a huge pile. After we ate and I made sure Londuil was sleeping comfortably, the six of us spent the crisp autumn evening playing together in the backyard......