1980s: Finding a new purpose in life
Even as a life is ended, other lives moves on, and for Steven, that means a life outside the safe confines of university. With Anna's death, no one - including himself - really think about celebrating the fact that he has finished Foxbury with honors, or that he has had job offers from both Microsoft and Apple. He chooses Apple, as he loves Apple II that has just come on the market and is super excited for the development of the company.
That isn't to say that there wasn't other consideration. As the fact that Microsoft is much further north than Apple, and that Larissa also got a job offer for Apple, and that he'd be moving to Evergreen Harbor where his sister and cousin already lives. It's Larissa who suggest they find a place to live together.
"We're good together, don't you think?" she asks. "And it's sensible to share the costs, and we like each other's company and knows when to speak and when to leave each other alone."
It might not be the most romantic of discussions, but both agree that moving in together makes both practical and emotional sense, as it's a good way of determining if they're right for each other or not.
The apartment they find might be the smallest they've ever seen. The living area is so narrow that they both decide that it's much better to let one of the bedrooms function as the main living room than what is essentially a very long hallway. Instead they put a desk and computer there, meaning that you more or less step into their office on arrival.
As they have accidentally managed to find an apartment in the same building that Tony and his family lives, the first arrival is Ken instead of Susan. She refuses to set foot in the building, but asks Ken to send her love and to explain the situation "without too much detail" and say that they are both very welcome to visit her at her place.
Secretly, Larissa especially, is happy that there is only one guest arriving, and not only because the place is far too small to fit more than one, but because meeting new people scares her and social interactions drain her of energy.
For Betty, having another one of her children moving so far away does nothing for her midlife crisis. It's fine for Thomas, who has purpose through his work, but there is only so much cleaning an already clean house needs.
Some days she barely makes it out of the sofa, sitting still in her nightgown watching day time TV until right before Thomas comes home.
When she hears that Hazel's husband has died, she is oddly enough almost energised. Suddenly there is someone to care for, and so she rushes, not to Hazel directly, but to Grace whom she feels closer to.
But according to Grace, Hazel doesn't seem open to help. She has already told her sister that she does not "have time" for condolence visits, and that they should not concern themselves with a funeral as it will be "small and informal" meaning only herself.
"I know my sister, it's not just something she says," Grace admits. "She is acting very strangely."
"Couldn't that just be grief talking?" Betty asks.
"It could, but to be honest she doesn't even sound sad. She sounds... almost happy."
They both decide that she can't possibly be, that it must be front, and that Grace should check up on her the first chance they get.
But truth be told, it isn't a front. For the first time in years, Hazel is actually happy - free at last. The funeral was a simple affair, quickly disposed off, and now for the first time Hazel can rule her own life. No one to argue when she has a drink at 10 am. No one who keeps complaining about her family. No risk of a sudden scandal because her husband is... has strange preferences. And now the house she has invested so much time and effort in is finally hers, and she can clean out everything that was him from it.
There is sadness there, of course, but mostly bitterness. For the lack of children. For the waste of her youth and beauty on someone who had no love, or attraction, for her, but only needed a front to keep the truth from coming out. If she had been less gullible then, less willing to jump into a marriage because of a handsome face and a beautiful house... but it's too late for dreams of what could have been. Now she is free, and rich, all on her own and with the power to do what she wants.
So when Grace shows up, expecting her to be sad, it's not entirely welcome. Still, she welcomes her sister, who is more than a bit surprised to see her sister so happy. It has been years since she saw an actual smile on her face.
While Grace is there, Hazel cannot help but to brag about all the things she's changed in the house, starting with the new hot tub in the garden.
"It's made to look like real stone," she says as they sit down to talk. "Isn't it fabulous?" She makes sure to sit with her back towards it so Grace has the full view of the new item.
"Do you use it?" Grace asks.
"I haven't yet, but I'm sure I'll have plenty of use for it when the nights get colder."
"You have to see my new bridge room," she then adds, dragging Grace with her upstairs.
"Wasn't this a spare bedroom."
"It was Warren's bedroom," Hazel says with a huff. "His study is now my new home gym."
"Were you never happy together?" Grace asks her sister.
"Are you?" Hazel retorts. "Did you life turn out the way you imagined."
"Not entirely, no. I imagined being a working woman, but that was just not in the cards for me. But David is a good husband, and while it hasn't always been easy we've made it work."
"Then you were luckier than most women." There is a hint of bitterness in her voice that Grace realises she hasn't been paying enough attention to in the past. She needs to be a better sister in the future.
For Betty, the news of Hazel's misery doesn't help. "I've been a terrible sister-in-law," she says, but Grace comforts her, saying that if that is true then she's been a terrible sister.
"You can only help people who let you," she says. "And Hazel has always been too proud to ask for help."
"Perhaps, you're right. I'm just not much use to anyone right now."
"Maybe you just need a change?"
Grace is right, of course, but for Betty it's hard to admit to what she needs, when she's not sure it's what Thomas needs. But that night she still braves the topic.
"A change how?" Thomas asks.
"A move," Betty admits. "I hate being so far from our children. Now that Steven is Evergreen Harbor too they're all so far away. We never see them, we hardly know our grandson, and I know there has been something going on with Susan but she's not sharing anything and I can't keep track."
"So you want to move to Evergreen Harbor?" Thomas asks in disbelief. There are few places he'd want to live less in."
"Well no, not really, it's too busy, as is San Sequoia, but somewhere close. Perhaps Copperdale. Mom and dad are there too, and who knows how long we'll have them around."
Thomas isn't too fond of the idea, but he's finding it hard to argue. With his parents dead, and Anna dead, and most of their kids up north it's hard to find the arguments for staying. "Our kids grew up here. Michael learnt to walk right there," he says.
"But Michael isn't here anymore. He's there. And so is Christopher. I want to know my grandchild. Home is where our family is, isn't it?"
To that there is really nothing more to say, and as an experienced doctor, there isn't a hospital who wouldn't want to hire him. Thomas can easily find work at San Sequoia general.
They drive up to look at empty houses the next time he has time off, finding one right next door to Betty's parents and childhood home.
"It has too floors, is that really wise at our age?" Thomas asks.
"You won't find a bungalow in Copperdale that's not a rental," Betty points out. "And I like this one. Look at that how beautiful it is here!"
"There is no pool."
"There is open water to swim in."
And so they spend the next few weeks packing up their house and get it ready to sell. The realestate agent insist on redoing the place.
"You need to make it all white," he says. "It's more modern, and people can then change it to their own liking later."
Betty hates it, and as she looks around the place one last time, she can miss the home that was. Everything is white, bland, empty of meaning and personality.
"It makes it easier to sell," Thomas reminds her.
It's better then, to rejoice at the new house. It's anything but bland, and filled with their belongings, it quickly becomes homey.
"It will be a tight squeeze for Christmas," Thomas says. "And I don't know where to put the tree, but I do like what you've done with the place, and that all our family photos are the first thing you see when you walk through the door.
Their bedroom is smaller than what they were used to. But with some of their things in the spare bedroom, ready for sleepovers when the grandchildren become older, they still manage to fit everything in.
Betty starts out by cleaning the kitchen thoroughly, and Thomas gets started on upgrading their plumbing.
Kaya, like Betty, loves the water.
Michael is their first visitor, and as they sit and chat, Betty brings up something that has been on her mind. "I could come and babysit Chris, instead of some stranger," she says. "I'd love to help, and you can save up your money. The nanny must be costing a lot."
Michael, who has been hesitant about the nanny from start, loves the idea, and accepts readily, forgetting that he should probably clear it with Robin first.
That evening, they eat dinner outside. Thomas has grilled ribs, and they all sit so that they can enjoy the view. Even Thomas has to admit that it's beautiful, even if he, desert raised as he is, miss the openness of a landscape where you can see for miles. But he does like the greenery and the blue water.
It's the next morning when Michael tells Robin the happy news. Only she isn't so happy.
"You didn't think this was something you needed to discuss with me first?" she snaps. "We've been happy with the nanny we have, haven't we?"
"No one is going to love Chris as much as his grandmother. It has to be better for him. And besides, we'll save money!"
"That isn't the point! The point is that you discuss things like this first!"
That isn't to say that there wasn't other consideration. As the fact that Microsoft is much further north than Apple, and that Larissa also got a job offer for Apple, and that he'd be moving to Evergreen Harbor where his sister and cousin already lives. It's Larissa who suggest they find a place to live together.
"We're good together, don't you think?" she asks. "And it's sensible to share the costs, and we like each other's company and knows when to speak and when to leave each other alone."
It might not be the most romantic of discussions, but both agree that moving in together makes both practical and emotional sense, as it's a good way of determining if they're right for each other or not.
The apartment they find might be the smallest they've ever seen. The living area is so narrow that they both decide that it's much better to let one of the bedrooms function as the main living room than what is essentially a very long hallway. Instead they put a desk and computer there, meaning that you more or less step into their office on arrival.
As they have accidentally managed to find an apartment in the same building that Tony and his family lives, the first arrival is Ken instead of Susan. She refuses to set foot in the building, but asks Ken to send her love and to explain the situation "without too much detail" and say that they are both very welcome to visit her at her place.
Secretly, Larissa especially, is happy that there is only one guest arriving, and not only because the place is far too small to fit more than one, but because meeting new people scares her and social interactions drain her of energy.
For Betty, having another one of her children moving so far away does nothing for her midlife crisis. It's fine for Thomas, who has purpose through his work, but there is only so much cleaning an already clean house needs.
Some days she barely makes it out of the sofa, sitting still in her nightgown watching day time TV until right before Thomas comes home.
When she hears that Hazel's husband has died, she is oddly enough almost energised. Suddenly there is someone to care for, and so she rushes, not to Hazel directly, but to Grace whom she feels closer to.
But according to Grace, Hazel doesn't seem open to help. She has already told her sister that she does not "have time" for condolence visits, and that they should not concern themselves with a funeral as it will be "small and informal" meaning only herself.
"I know my sister, it's not just something she says," Grace admits. "She is acting very strangely."
"Couldn't that just be grief talking?" Betty asks.
"It could, but to be honest she doesn't even sound sad. She sounds... almost happy."
They both decide that she can't possibly be, that it must be front, and that Grace should check up on her the first chance they get.
But truth be told, it isn't a front. For the first time in years, Hazel is actually happy - free at last. The funeral was a simple affair, quickly disposed off, and now for the first time Hazel can rule her own life. No one to argue when she has a drink at 10 am. No one who keeps complaining about her family. No risk of a sudden scandal because her husband is... has strange preferences. And now the house she has invested so much time and effort in is finally hers, and she can clean out everything that was him from it.
There is sadness there, of course, but mostly bitterness. For the lack of children. For the waste of her youth and beauty on someone who had no love, or attraction, for her, but only needed a front to keep the truth from coming out. If she had been less gullible then, less willing to jump into a marriage because of a handsome face and a beautiful house... but it's too late for dreams of what could have been. Now she is free, and rich, all on her own and with the power to do what she wants.
So when Grace shows up, expecting her to be sad, it's not entirely welcome. Still, she welcomes her sister, who is more than a bit surprised to see her sister so happy. It has been years since she saw an actual smile on her face.
While Grace is there, Hazel cannot help but to brag about all the things she's changed in the house, starting with the new hot tub in the garden.
"It's made to look like real stone," she says as they sit down to talk. "Isn't it fabulous?" She makes sure to sit with her back towards it so Grace has the full view of the new item.
"Do you use it?" Grace asks.
"I haven't yet, but I'm sure I'll have plenty of use for it when the nights get colder."
"You have to see my new bridge room," she then adds, dragging Grace with her upstairs.
"Wasn't this a spare bedroom."
"It was Warren's bedroom," Hazel says with a huff. "His study is now my new home gym."
"Were you never happy together?" Grace asks her sister.
"Are you?" Hazel retorts. "Did you life turn out the way you imagined."
"Not entirely, no. I imagined being a working woman, but that was just not in the cards for me. But David is a good husband, and while it hasn't always been easy we've made it work."
"Then you were luckier than most women." There is a hint of bitterness in her voice that Grace realises she hasn't been paying enough attention to in the past. She needs to be a better sister in the future.
For Betty, the news of Hazel's misery doesn't help. "I've been a terrible sister-in-law," she says, but Grace comforts her, saying that if that is true then she's been a terrible sister.
"You can only help people who let you," she says. "And Hazel has always been too proud to ask for help."
"Perhaps, you're right. I'm just not much use to anyone right now."
"Maybe you just need a change?"
Grace is right, of course, but for Betty it's hard to admit to what she needs, when she's not sure it's what Thomas needs. But that night she still braves the topic.
"A change how?" Thomas asks.
"A move," Betty admits. "I hate being so far from our children. Now that Steven is Evergreen Harbor too they're all so far away. We never see them, we hardly know our grandson, and I know there has been something going on with Susan but she's not sharing anything and I can't keep track."
"So you want to move to Evergreen Harbor?" Thomas asks in disbelief. There are few places he'd want to live less in."
"Well no, not really, it's too busy, as is San Sequoia, but somewhere close. Perhaps Copperdale. Mom and dad are there too, and who knows how long we'll have them around."
Thomas isn't too fond of the idea, but he's finding it hard to argue. With his parents dead, and Anna dead, and most of their kids up north it's hard to find the arguments for staying. "Our kids grew up here. Michael learnt to walk right there," he says.
"But Michael isn't here anymore. He's there. And so is Christopher. I want to know my grandchild. Home is where our family is, isn't it?"
To that there is really nothing more to say, and as an experienced doctor, there isn't a hospital who wouldn't want to hire him. Thomas can easily find work at San Sequoia general.
They drive up to look at empty houses the next time he has time off, finding one right next door to Betty's parents and childhood home.
"It has too floors, is that really wise at our age?" Thomas asks.
"You won't find a bungalow in Copperdale that's not a rental," Betty points out. "And I like this one. Look at that how beautiful it is here!"
"There is no pool."
"There is open water to swim in."
And so they spend the next few weeks packing up their house and get it ready to sell. The realestate agent insist on redoing the place.
"You need to make it all white," he says. "It's more modern, and people can then change it to their own liking later."
Betty hates it, and as she looks around the place one last time, she can miss the home that was. Everything is white, bland, empty of meaning and personality.
"It makes it easier to sell," Thomas reminds her.
It's better then, to rejoice at the new house. It's anything but bland, and filled with their belongings, it quickly becomes homey.
"It will be a tight squeeze for Christmas," Thomas says. "And I don't know where to put the tree, but I do like what you've done with the place, and that all our family photos are the first thing you see when you walk through the door.
Their bedroom is smaller than what they were used to. But with some of their things in the spare bedroom, ready for sleepovers when the grandchildren become older, they still manage to fit everything in.
Betty starts out by cleaning the kitchen thoroughly, and Thomas gets started on upgrading their plumbing.
Kaya, like Betty, loves the water.
Michael is their first visitor, and as they sit and chat, Betty brings up something that has been on her mind. "I could come and babysit Chris, instead of some stranger," she says. "I'd love to help, and you can save up your money. The nanny must be costing a lot."
Michael, who has been hesitant about the nanny from start, loves the idea, and accepts readily, forgetting that he should probably clear it with Robin first.
That evening, they eat dinner outside. Thomas has grilled ribs, and they all sit so that they can enjoy the view. Even Thomas has to admit that it's beautiful, even if he, desert raised as he is, miss the openness of a landscape where you can see for miles. But he does like the greenery and the blue water.
It's the next morning when Michael tells Robin the happy news. Only she isn't so happy.
"You didn't think this was something you needed to discuss with me first?" she snaps. "We've been happy with the nanny we have, haven't we?"
"No one is going to love Chris as much as his grandmother. It has to be better for him. And besides, we'll save money!"
"That isn't the point! The point is that you discuss things like this first!"
But no matter how angry Robin is, there is nothing she can do as Betty is already at the door. So frustrated with her husband, but unable to keep arguing she puts on her best face, pretend to be happy and leaves for work with Betty holding her grandson.
For Betty, taking care of a child is just what she has been missing. She gives Chris a bath, feeds him, plays with him and spends time with him training his motor skills.
And when he naps she takes the opportunity to vacuum and prepare dinner for Robin and Michael.
Robin is still not happy about things when she returns, but her home is spotless, dinner is on the table and Chris is undeniably happy, having learnt to both lift his head and coo during the day.
"He's such a clever boy," Betty says as she hands him over.
"Are you staying for dinner?" Michael asks as he heads to the bathroom.
"No, I have to return home with your father. He needs food too. He's worked all day."
"You don't have to do this," Robin says. "We can't expect you to do this all day and then go home and cook once more."
Betty just brushes her off. "Nonsense. You're hard working people, and I have more than enough time on my hands. See you tomorrow!"
"See I told you it would work out!" Michael says triumphantly, but Robin only grumbles in reply.
"You still should have asked me first."
For Betty, taking care of a child is just what she has been missing. She gives Chris a bath, feeds him, plays with him and spends time with him training his motor skills.
And when he naps she takes the opportunity to vacuum and prepare dinner for Robin and Michael.
Robin is still not happy about things when she returns, but her home is spotless, dinner is on the table and Chris is undeniably happy, having learnt to both lift his head and coo during the day.
"He's such a clever boy," Betty says as she hands him over.
"Are you staying for dinner?" Michael asks as he heads to the bathroom.
"No, I have to return home with your father. He needs food too. He's worked all day."
"You don't have to do this," Robin says. "We can't expect you to do this all day and then go home and cook once more."
Betty just brushes her off. "Nonsense. You're hard working people, and I have more than enough time on my hands. See you tomorrow!"
"See I told you it would work out!" Michael says triumphantly, but Robin only grumbles in reply.
"You still should have asked me first."
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