Surprises come in small packages

[onlytolerable]

Remember, Alexandrie Berthier used to say, you simply must make time for yourself. The fine spring day finds Sophie settled at a table overlooking the green taking her arrière-grand-mère's* advice to heart. She closes her eyes a moment and enjoys the sun warming her cheeks before pushing aside cup and teapot so she can admire her handiwork. That buttery yellow yarn she'd been saving knits rather nice, even if she does say so herself.

She picks up her needles and swiftly casts on stitches for the second tiny baby bootie, all the while humming a lullaby under her breath.


[*great grandmother]

Comments

[onlytolerable]

"Hopefully not! I suppose it's strange, but I don't want him staying with me out of some misguided sense of duty. How awful." Relationships are complicated. She should ask Zoe how she managed to deal with Victor's obvious interest in Elani early on, only that would require confessing just how very lost she felt at times. It would all be so much easier had she hadn't held herself apart for so long. Zoe probably had had teenaged boyfriends and everything.

Babies are a more welcome subject. "Nathalie Elaine Christine for a girl. Christian Patrick Nicolas for a boy. Poor dear hasn't escaped the multi-name curse."

[headfollowheart]

She'd had one teenage boyfriend. A brief rebellion - rock star type in the Clubs. Charlotte had, of course, been furious and it had been over quickly. As for Elani...mostly she'd ignored it, and it had eaten away at her for some time.

Then one day, she realized that Victor and Elani hadn't ever had what she had with him.

"If...when I have children," Zoe corrects herself, "One middle name each. And Melissande isn't getting repeated, ever."