Billy’s elder years brought with them inspiration in the form of artwork. His hands, callused and tough from years of strumming guitar strings, bore the gentleness of some sort of gift many artists could only invision in books and dreams.
He spent many a day alone with the canvas, taking care with each line, each stroke of the brush. It was in these hours that Billy felt the most alive – breathing in the wonderful paint fumes.
The morning after her party, Abby spruced herself up and wandered downtown to the spa. Wishing she were there for a facial, but knowing otherwise, she walked in looking for a part-time job and walked out with just that.
Being focused on her writing career and wanting to follow in her father’s artistic footsteps, she didn’t have the energy for a full time job, but she wanted to bring in some sort of income. “At least I’ll get discounts on massages,” she reminded herself. Feeling frisky and accomplished, she picked up her phone and made plans to meet a friend at the gazebo for a much needed chat.
“So, Michel, what’s the deal here?” Abby was tired of messing around.
“The deal? What are you talking about?” Michel looked confused and nervous.
“You flirt with me, you’re always finding reasons to touch my arms or my hands,” Abby looked at him knowingly, “So what’s the story? Are you into me, or not? Because I’m not playing games with you.”
“Abby, of course I’m into you,” Michel giggled uncomfortably, “you are without a doubt the most incredible creature I’ve ever laid my eyes on.”
“Then why do you always take off right before things get good?” Abby asked irritably.
“You just make me so nervous. I’m afraid once things go any further, you’ll get dissapointed and it’ll be the end of any chance I had,” he confessed.
“Why do you think I could ever be that shallow?” Abby questioned his reasoning, “I’ve been crazy about you since I was 15, don’t think I’d let you get away that easily.”
“Man, you’re sexy when you’re threatening,” Michel replied as he ran his hands through her shimmering hair.
Abby was not dissapointed. The feeling of electricity pulsing through her veins as his tongue brushed her lips was enough to hook her for many, many kisses to come.
Michel didn’t rush off anywhere that day, or any other day thereafter.
Emma slept through most of the drama that had taken place at the party, and most of the day following. By the time her grumbling stomach awoke her late in the afternoon, most of her family was busy at work or in town running errands.
After a quick bite to eat, she figured it wouldn’t hurt to take her own trip to town and check out the scene.
Unfortunately, there weren’t that many people out and about. Emma wondered where all the cute guys hung out, but was too lazy to look, so she settled on a nice girl from class and struck up a conversation for a while. It wasn’t as fun as one of Abby’s parties, but it would do for a while – until her favorite show came on, anyway.
Bella wasn’t surprised that Mira asked her if she would remain living in their house and keep her mother’s legacy alive. Abby was too much of a wild spirit, too into herself and the little bubble she lived in to be worried with family business. And Emma was still very young, not to mention lazy.
Because of this recent information, Bella figured it was time to start getting more familiar with some of the men in her life. She always thought Dimitri was kind of cute, if not a little stuck up. “He deserves a chance just the same,” she told herself.
Dimitri, however, seemed to find most of their conversations boring or absurd, and didn’t agree in the slightest with any of Bella’s conspiracy theories.
He would constantly change the conversation to focus on himself, and Bella found herself wondering if he could see her face fully through that rather large nose he posessed.
By the time Billy got home, in his cool new rocker duds, Dimitri was fake-yawning and heading out the door. Bella should have felt let down, but something about his demeanor and overwhelming honker had left her feeling empty and she wasn’t sad to see him go.
“Bella, don’t act so dissapointed. You know Yuri’s boy is a waste of time for a bright woman like you,” Billy comforted his daughter through a mouthful of food.
“I know, Dad,” she sighed, “What if I wasted all that time in school worrying about nothing, when I should have been finding a boyfriend?”
“You have no idea how happy I am you didn’t focus all of your attention on boys, Bella,” Billy confessed. “You’re much better off for it. But say, what about that Lothario boy?”
“Wilson? Oh I don’t know, he was always pretty sweet to me,” she admitted. “But I blew him off all the time, I’m sure he’s with someone by now.”
“No harm in finding out, right?” Billy didn’t want to push Bella, but he knew without a little nudge in the right direction, she would fall back into old habits.
Mira was feeling pretty good for a woman who raised three kids and was on the verge of elderhood. She was enjoying her new independence – Bella had taken over her role as baby maker and Abby was an author, Emma was beautiful and could take care of herself just fine.
She especially enjoyed the fact that having grown kids who were always out of the house meant she could make out with her husband in any room she pleased.
Being the personable young girl she is, Emma often brought friends home from school. This was mainly a ploy to gain popularity among her classmates, because she always managed to bring people over on the nights her sister threw a party.
Of course Abby had to throw a party for her mother’s birthday, even if it was a way to show off her new boyfriend to all of the guests. She made sure to make out with him in front of party-goers at any given opportunity.
Sheena Grisby looks rather dissapointed in Abby’s public displays of affection. Or maybe it’s a secret desire to be in her place.
Bella, grumpy from her failed attempts at mate-catching, took out her frustrations on Emma by complaining about the dirty dishes all over the house. Emma did not find this at all interesting, and neither does Dimitri, by the looks of things.
Abby had also invited Bella’s old admirer, Wilson Lothario, who seems to have gotten rather “busy” since entering young adulthood.
Bella was immediately convinced he had gotten married to a woman who obviously knew him very well, and was sure she would end up an old maid with no husband or children.
“Why didn’t I get a wedding invite?” Bella attempted to ask sarcastically.
“Who got married?” Wilson asked excitedly.
“You did, from the looks of it,” she replied as she pointed to the drooling toddler at her feet.
“Oh! No, Bella, I’m not married,” Wilson explained. ”Let’s just say, I had a little too much to drink one night right after graduation. The mother had him and took off, never to be heard from again. He’s my son.”
“Oh! So you’re single?” she asked excitedly, unphased by what she had just heard.
In the midst of all the excitement, Mira happily transitioned into elderhood with ear-deafening from Hannah Jones.
A little dissapointed in her ensemble and aching joints, Mira aged into a well-adjusted, freckly elder. “Now if only I would get a promotion to the top so I can retire already!” she cursed to herself for being such an overachiever.
Bella and Wilson found out they shared a lot of common interests that night – like their theory that millions of people were purposely leaving their faucets running so the world’s supply of water would eventually run out.
Bella was pleasantly surprised that she wasn’t turned off by his athleticism, and thought him to be much more attractive than she had originally imagined.
Dimitri just wanted them to quit talking so Wilson would focus on his crying child and take the sleepy toddler home.
The next night Bella invited Wilson over in the hopes he would come without his son - he didn’t fail her. As it turns out, the little tyke had his own birthday that day, and was celebrating at a friend’s house for the night.
It wasn’t long before the chemistry between them naturally progressed in the direction Wilson wished it had years before.
Bella was surprised at how normal this all felt to her, and was curious to see where things would go from here. She quickly asked him to stay the night, and he accepted.
She didn’t realize it would end with them sleeping side-by-side.
Sleeping side-by-side. Bella exhausted, and Wilson worn out from the birthday party, fell asleep curled up in Bella’s bed too soon to know what could have happened.
Not wanting to disturb him, Bella let Wilson sleep in the next morning while she freshened up and cleaned up after her family. Once she heard him stir, she quietly entered the room to see if how he slept, and if he needed anything.
“I slept surprisingly well, considering how much I usually toss and turn,” he told her as he slipped his hands around her waist.
“That’s good,” she smiled. “Is there anything you need this morning?” Bella was thinking she could go for some waffles.
Wilson did have something in mind, and it definitely wasn’t waffles.
