A Party that is not a Funeral

            Kyle’s death was difficult for my entire family, but I had been positive that it would prove hardest for Frederick. Being his father’s favorite, life would be very different without him. Another one of the children, surprisingly, seemed to display the most signs of struggling however.

            Francis had been the only one of the children to not come straight home from school that day. He’d gone off to play with a friend at their house. Or their dog might be more accurate.

            It was terrible, waiting until he came home to tell him.

            Francis cried the most, often having multiple spells in a row. And his grades in school took a slip as well. To be honest, I had not expected much of a reaction from him. That might make me less of a mother.

            My first twins were the reason the household did not completely fall away from routine.

            Although they were pained, they showed it sparingly, helping me with their siblings as much as possible for two teenagers.

            Milton took it an extra step, keeping a close eye on his twin.

            And he also watched over me.

            Feeling the way I felt after losing my husband, it made me ponder on whether or not Mother had been the smarter woman. Maybe she was simply cleverer. She had never taken seriously to a man, thus never having to grieve his departure. Grieving nearly felt like an endless struggle. One not even work could pull me from.

            Life deemed it necessary to move on though.

            My two sets of younger twins had birthdays that fell on the same day. I decided to throw a party, inviting a plethora of guests. Odie came, although she didn’t bring Kylie as I’d instructed her. She broke down over Kyle’s death as well, leaving me to question whether she had a romantic relationship on the sly with both of the men I had dated. I did not wish to think ill of Kyle, and so I pushed that thought from my mind.

            The repairman agreed to come, which was a treat for the boys.

            And I also invited Dedrick, for reasons that could only be explained by loneliness or lack of sleep. By the horrible looks he gave me, I believe he was smart enough to catch onto Lois and Milton’s genetics.

            Not being able to agree upon who should go first, I made my boys stand at their cakes at the same time.

            It was wonderful to have something happy to focus on for a few minutes.

            I believe that they each turned out quite nicely. Of course Mother was rude in her critiques.

            Francis surprised the entire party when he went to his crying infant sister. He snuggled her in front of all the onlookers.

            Seeing his brother praised, Frederick changed Gloria’s diaper.

            At least their rivalry was turning more productive.

            It was late, and I did not want to keep the guests for the girls’ aging. Too cold outside for the traditional aging location, they became toddlers in the garage.

            They were still young, but I thought that perhaps they were more of an even mix between myself and Kyle. Their hair color was just as confusing as the middle twins. Kyle had light blonde locks, and I was stuck with Mother’s awful mess of colors. How did I throw so many brunettes?

          Toddlers. They were too young. I would celebrate my last birthday before they were even children.

            No matter where the hair color came from or how old of a mother I would be, Aubrey soon showed herself to be very much a part of my family. She loved the mailbox as much as Milton had.