Generations: The Long Game

The Cottages

Mia woke up that morning and disentangled herself from her sweet Charlotte. It never ceased to amaze her how Char would contort herself to make sure they were always wrapped up into each other at night. She sometimes wondered how she got any sleep at all.

Char never could fall peacefully asleep unless Mia was home and in bed as well. She found her comfort and calm from the closeness. Whatever position Mia ended up in, Char would find a way to wrap herself into her. Mia was always up first and always had to figure out how to remove herself without waking Char. Somedays were easier than others but in the more than two years they had been married it had never been the same extraction twice.

She showered and donned some old jeans and a t-shirt. She was going to start on the cottages today and she certainly didn't want to ruin her nice clothes. Lynn and Lucy had offered to help as well. They were already up and, in the lounge, when she made her way downstairs. They had both gotten their hair cut to just about shoulder length that year and Mia was still getting used to it. Lynn was starting to get tall. She was nearly as tall as Char at this point and not far behind herself. Lucy had grown so much in the time since Mia came into their lives. She was so much like Char barring the fact she had Jack's brown eyes instead of her mother's brilliant blue.

"Mom, should we wait for mama to get up in case the boys wake up?" Mia hadn't planned to leave for the cottages until Char came down, but their daughter was so like her mother. She was soft spoken and always thinking of others. "Yes, sweet girl, we will wait for mama. Do you guys want some waffles? I am going to have some tea, but I was going to make some for mama and the boys."

Both girls nodded. Mia's were kind of a family favorite, and the girls rarely said no. She started the kettle and got right to work mixing her batter. She knew it wouldn't be long before the boys, Char or all four would wake.

Char swung the kitchen door open. She could smell the familiar smell of waffles, and her stomach growled with the mere thoughts. With Reed on her hip, she entered the kitchen that was already filled with laughter. Mia had been telling the girls a story, and heavily editing it because as she recalled they had to escort that parent off the property.

She leaned in and pressed a kiss to Mia's lips with one eyebrow raised. She knew Mia would never tell the girls a story they shouldn't hear, but it still tickled her to see the frustration cross her love's face when she seemed to disapprove.

After breakfast, Mia kissed Char and headed off to the cottages with the girls. They weren't in disrepair. Just unused. They had had some work done to them about six months ago, so there was still a bit of construction mess to clean, and of course decorating for proper use of the space.

The girls worked hard by her side, and she was proud of how they pulled together as a family. By lunch they had all six cottages clean. They had swept, mopped, and even scrubbed down walls.

She knew they wouldn't need all six, and to be fair when they bought the property, she had no idea what they would ever do with them. As their families grew Char and Marjorie began to dream of big family get togethers, and they even had plans to add six more. They certainly had the property for it.

As they walked back to the house Mia thought about how the definition of family had changed for her ins such a short space of time. She wouldn't have it any other way now, but once upon a time family was just a liability.

Marjorie and Emery joined them for lunch, and of course Mia had to turn the topic to work because she still after all these years preferred their banter to mundane chit chat. "Marjie, we really should talk about Sorscha. I don't think we really can afford to lose her. She has been at the nursery nearly ten years and you can't buy that kind of experience these days. We really should consider getting some apprentices in, so we can train them up right."

Marjorie rolled her eyes. Not only at the nickname Mia was well aware she hated, but also that she was passing her own words off as her own. "Alright, Mia what is it that you want?"

Mia feigned a look of hurt, but upon spotting the glare on Char's face she got right to the point. "Well, I have already talked to everyone, and I spoke to the local school officials if we pay slightly larger portion of her salary Sorscha could float between the nurseries and the school as a school psychologist. I know we have never kept one on staff, but considering some of the families we have dealt with I cannot see how it would be a terrible thing. And she has already agreed. "

Marjorie wasn't against the idea. She loved Sorscha, but if they were all going behind her back she knew "slightly more" must be a significant amount. Char would do anything to keep Sorscha with them and the other three never thought about costs. This usually left her odd one out; they both knew it.

After lunch Marjorie and Char set off for the cottages to decorate. They had bought so much online they probably could have filled sixteen cottages instead of six. The spent the afternoon chatting away and laughing, but Marjorie was still simmering under the surface about the nursery issue. She loved Sorscha and wanted to keep her at all costs. It wasn't the money that bothered her. It was the secrets that were being kept.