Legacy of the Dreams

Chapter 71 - A Day by the Pool

 "What are we doing today?" Julie asked over breakfast the next morning.

"Aren't we going to services?" Greg asked his children.

"Of course we're going to services, Dad. After services I mean," Julie explained.

"That depends on where we are going," Greg told her. "Are you open to attending locally instead of going to temple in Los Angeles?"

"We could," Elliot said agreeably.

"That makes more sense, rather than spending the day driving across Los Angeles and back," Neil remarked. "If I'd wanted to do that, I could have spent last night at home. It's closer."

"Attending locally is okay with us," Alan said after exchanging a look with Cindy.

"Aaron, do you mind?" Greg asked his grandson.

"No, I don't mind, Grandpa," Aaron assured him. "It's good to have different sorts of experiences from time to time."

"What about you, Jake?" Greg asked.

Jake shrugged. "I don't mind either. This is summer vacation, after all."

"Which is why I wondered if we could spend the rest of the day around the pool," Julie suggested.

"Really?" Cindy asked.

"Really," Julie told her.

Cindy made a face. "Just what you want to see: a couple of pregnant women in bikinis."

"Don't you have a maternity swimsuit?" Susan asked.

"I do, but still, it isn't pretty," Cindy said.

"Swimming can really take the weight off your back when you're pregnant though," Susan told her.

"I remember that from when I was pregnant with Jake," Julie said. "Which is why I suggested it."

Everyone all looked at one another.

"It's a beautiful day. Why not?" Greg said.

And so it was decided. Everyone except Susan and her boys would attend services at the local synagogue, including Jessie and Melody. And when they returned they would spend the day by the pool. Both Matt and Zack were working that morning, but Susan spent the time while they were away preparing for the afternoon. By the time those who went to services returned to the house, there were stacks of beach towels down by the pool, and Susan was in the process of carrying pitchers of lemonade and iced tea, and platters of sandwiches down to the tables on the patio that surrounded it.

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"Susan!" Greg called to her from the balcony off the kitchen when they returned.

"Hi!" Susan called back.

"What are you doing?" Greg asked.

"Getting ready. It's such a beautiful day out, I thought we'd have lunch by the pool too. I'm really glad we decided to spend the day out here instead of visiting inside," Susan told him.

"That looks wonderful, Susan," Julie told her as she joined Greg out on the balcony. "Is anyone ready to swim?" Julie turned back to those inside while Susan climbed the steps to join them.

"Girls, do you want to?" Susan asked looking at Jessie and Melody.

"I do," Melody told her.

"Me too ... can I, Mom?" Jessie asked.

Susan arched her brow at Jessie's uncommon use of the term 'Mom' for her. She found her adopted daughter tended to do that whenever the issue she was dealing with was something related to growing up ... the sorts of things she never had the opportunity to discuss with her real mother before ... and so Jessie went back to memories of her last life, when Susan was her mom and the name she used for her came with them.