Sleepyside//A Trixie Belden Fanfic

6

Mart Belden was entirely incapable of accruing any substantial amount of money for any period of time. This was not because he was lazy, and this was not because he was irresponsible—it was because he had five children.

After high school and college, Mart had come back to Sleepyside, disappointed to find that his hometown was no longer farm country, but a bustling city, with no place for him or his dreams of becoming a farmer. He had wanted to stay close by his aging parents; after all, Brian had abandoned ship for New York City, Trixie was God knows where, and Bobby had run away at thirteen: for all intents and purposes, he himself was all they had left.

But then he saw Diana Lynch for the first time in three years. She didn't think he should give up on his dreams, but he knew he had to, for her. Di had always wanted to be an airline stewardess and if Mart was to move far away to the Midwest and become a farmer, Di would either have have to give up her dream or not be with him.

These were mere musings as Di had said nothing to him about any remaining attraction from their high school days. He talked to his parents and as it turned out, they didn't mind if he moved away. They wanted him to be happy above all else. So he packed his bags and moved to Illinois.

After a year, he came back to visit his parents. In the middle of his visit, someone showed up on the doorstep of the Belden farmhouse. It was Di Lynch.

She had thrown her arms around him and said, "I need you."

And so that was that. They were married and they moved to Illinois a few weeks later. It had not been a very financially prosperous venture, but they were making it. Their children were their joy, even if it was hard financially sometimes.

Their oldest, Eugene, was full of energy and had exactly the same personality as his father, although he had the black hair and violet eyes of his mother. He was intent on becoming a farmer just like his dad. His father was his idol, and even more so because he was only ten years old. His career aspirations might change, but he loved his dad dearly and it was unlikely that that would.

Their second child, Holly, was not one to be trifled with. She had an incredibly strong will and got into arguments with her mother even more often than her father did. She was a strong, smart eight year old who had a distinct weakness for her siblings' crying. If one of them got upset she would go and comfort them. She didn't know what she wanted to do unlike her brother. Di said Holly should become a doctor like her Uncle Brian. Mart joked that she was sure to become the next world dictator.

The third and fourth children in the family were the twins, Aaron and Adam. They were five years old and had a proficiency in making the biggest mess in the least amount of time. They were a couple of sandy-haired demons in the words of their father. They made him regret the pigs in short order. And the chickens. Oh, the chicken fiasco of 1969. It's not to be forgotten.

The youngest child, Gwendolyn, was only two and was very much the baby of the family. In the evenings, when Mart would come in and read to his children, the blue-eyed baby of the family would climb into her father's lap and listen with contentment to whatever he was reading—she couldn't quite understand all of it yet. She just listened to the soft lilt of Mart's reading voice and that was enough to put her to sleep.

Di loved her husband and her children. But she worried. She worried that they wouldn't be able to make next month's mortgage or car payments. She worried that her children wouldn't be able to go to college. She worried that Mart would get hurt or die and she would be left to care for five children on her own. She worried that she would have another baby.

She had not told Mart any of this. But she loved him so much and she saw how carefree and happy he was that she kept quiet. On their dusty farm in Illinois they homeschooled their children and grew fresh things and laughed together. And they loved.