Bridgette - Chapter Twenty Three: Paradise - Part One

Sorry this is out later in the day! I would have loved to posted this without having to split it up, but it may be the longest chapter I've written so far. And since we're getting near the end of this generation, I'm getting a little picture crazy. =D  Thank you so much for reading!

 

To say the first couple of years after George and Charlotte were born were chaotic would be an understatement. Having four toddlers running around the house was enough to leave both Carson and I exhausted.  Add on the other day to day stresses; work, things that popped up that no one could foresee happening, everyday household tasks; by the time Carson and I went to bed, we would fall asleep within seconds of our heads hitting the pillows.  It was all worth it though. On the nights that we weren’t completely exhausted we would lie in bed talking about how fortunate we were to have four amazing children.  As the kids started reaching childhood, Carson and I both decided that four children were enough, especially since it seemed that we were a magnet for having twins.

  

It was interesting how each twin was different from their own.  Charlie and I were different but not to the extent that my two sets were.  They were, in most cases, complete opposites of each other which sometimes created some drama between each twin set. Then there was the fact that there was just a little over a year separating each set so it was almost like having four children the same age fighting over the same toys, arguing about whose turn it was to do something, or even just claiming their own space.

Trevor, or Trev as we usually called him, was our little athlete. He never missed an opportunity to play outside or to beg Carson to play a game of football, soccer, or basketball.  Of our four children, he was the one that looked the most like me. He seemed to be a combination of Carson and me; getting Carson’s love of sports and being physically active and then my looks. He was also very outgoing. He made friends easily and was constantly bringing home friends from school.

William, or Will, was almost a twin of Carson. I would sometimes find myself staring at him thinking how I was getting a glimpse into what Carson looked like as a little boy.  Will was not as outgoing as Trevor and seemed to have a harder time making friends. He spent most of his time reading; something he got from me, and he liked to write things down in his journal. The one thing that he and Trev had in common was that they both liked sports.

George was our thoughtful child. I would sometimes find him sitting in a chair doing what seemed like nothing. Whenever one of us asked what he was doing he would say he was thinking. He was also my little helper and seemed to like helping others. Sometimes when the kids were arguing I would find George trying to calm everyone down and mediate an agreement.  Unlike the other two boys, he was not a big sports fan. He would sit and watch it with the other guys, but that was the extent of his sports activity.

Then there was Charlotte; who had to be surrounded by all boys. When they were toddlers I worried about her being amongst three rough and tumble boys but she soon showed everyone that she wouldn’t take anything from her brothers. She was our spitfire child and seemed to inherit my over dramatic nature.  As she grew into childhood, she started showing an interest in music and her rebellious side started to show. It really didn’t help that she had Carson wrapped around her finger and he loved and doted on her every chance he got.

Time seemed to really fly after the kids reached childhood. Soon they were in middle school and it felt like I blinked and Trev and Will were starting high school.  I admit that I cried the first week they were in high school. I was always like that, getting emotional over the transitions that occurred throughout their lives.  Trev became very active in football once he started high school, which Carson had done, and Will enjoyed being in the book club, which I had been in while in high school.  The boys didn’t have a hard time adjusting since Charlie and Kate’s children were already going there. The year that Trev and Will started, Charles was a senior and Amelia and Anne were sophomores.

The following year, George and Charlotte started high school. There started to be a joke at the school that the Hobble family was starting to overtake the school. George was always organizing groups to do things for the community and, like Trevor, easily made friends.  Charlotte quickly joined the glee club and was in any musical or drama production the high school had.

With the kids being teenagers and being busy, Carson and I found that we had more and more time alone together. We had made a point through the years to go on a date at least every other week. Sometimes that just meant having a romantic dinner at home once the kids had gone to bed, but we always made sure we found time for each other. 

Carson still worked at the physical therapy clinic but had started to talk more and more about opening up his own clinic. He was still as fit as ever and was still the sweet, caring man I had married. I had lost track over the years of how many times he called me beautiful or gorgeous, which I kept telling him his eyes must be going since I had several more wrinkles, gray hair, and a few extra pounds since we had gotten married.

I still painted a lot and we had a very steady income from it. My paintings were often showcased in the local gallery and I had even been approached several times by people asking me to teach them to paint. When George and Charlotte started middle school I decided to open a studio in town where I taught painting and drawing classes. I even convinced Carson to take a class, which he took every opportunity to try to distract me.  

Time continued on and Trev and Will were soon to be seniors and George and Charlotte juniors. It was almost too much for me to handle. The thought of our children almost being out of high school and then Carson and I were about to celebrate our eighteenth wedding anniversary. I was in the kitchen one afternoon reminiscing about the days when the kids were little, when Carson came home from work.

“Hey there beautiful, how was your day?” He kissed my cheek and sat down next to me.

“It was good. I taught a couple classes today and had lunch with Kate. She was telling me how Dad has really slowed down the last couple of months, which doesn’t surprise me since he’ll be sixty nine this year. He still rides whenever he can but he’s just not able to work on the ranch much anymore. She said that Charles is really starting to step up now and help Charlie around the ranch.”

 

He sighed. “I bet that’s eating your dad alive.”

“Yeah, he’s always been so active and now he’s to a point where he just can’t do the physical stuff like he used to. He’s been doing more and more of the business side of it for the last several months.”

“How’s your mom?”
 

“She’s doing well. I still can’t believe that they’re both in their sixties.  I mean they’re both still in great shape but I sometimes find myself thinking ‘How did my parents get to be in their sixties?’ It’s like someone hit fast-forward and we’re almost forty, Jeff has five kids, Scarlett’s moved away from home,  the kids are almost out of high school, and our parents are getting close to retirement age. Well, except your dad.” Carson’s dad was the oldest of our parents and he was seventy three and already retired.

“I know, it’s crazy! Which reminds me, it’s almost our anniversary and I had an idea.” I had learned many years ago that when Carson said he ‘had an idea’ it was code for ‘I’ve already planned something.’

I chuckled. “So what’s your ‘idea?’ 

“Well, with the kids about to out of school for the summer, Trev and Will almost being seniors, and our anniversary coming up, I thought it might be nice to take a trip somewhere, like a family vacation.”

“Where to?” 

“I was thinking maybe Paradise Island.” He said with a gigantic grin.

“Really, Carson?! We could maybe do some of the things that we didn’t get to do on our honeymoon since I was so sick!” I jumped up out of the chair in my excitement.

“I had thought of that.” He stood up and inched closer to me. “I had also thought we could do some things that we did do on our honeymoon too.” He pulled me into a kiss that was too quickly interrupted by the kids coming in from school.

“I think I’m going to go permanently blind! Good grief you two! Can’t you spare your children from being traumatized?” Trev complained.

“I guess I have something else to write about in my journal.” Will commented.

“Would you rather they disliked each other?” George tried to reason with them.

“Hey! I can’t help it if I think your Mom is the most beautiful woman in the world and like to show her.” He started kissing me again which was met with more groaning.

“Oh my God, Dad!” Charlotte protested.

We both giggled and Carson seriously looked at them. “So, I was just talking to your Mom about an idea I had.” The kids smiled with anticipation. They had also learned that Carson’s “ideas” meant that things were already in the works.

“What’s up?” Trev asked.

“Well, I thought since it was close to summer and we hadn’t taken a family vacation in a while, it might be nice to go somewhere.”

“Really? Where?!” Charlotte excitedly inquired.

“I don’t know. . .Maybe Paradise Island. That way you kids could have fun at the beach and your Mom and I could have a second honeymoon.”

“You had me until the second honeymoon bit. Just another thing to add to my journal.” Will joked.

“What exactly is in this journal, Will? Maybe I should be one of those moms who snoops through your stuff and reads your journals and diaries. . .”

“You wouldn’t dare?!” Both Will and Charlotte protested. They were right, I never would do anything like that. I knew there were things that the kids didn’t tell us but they seemed to come to us with the big things and that’s what mattered to me. 

“Are you really serious, Dad? Can we go to Paradise Island?” Trev wondered.

“I may have already booked the trip. . .” Carson admitted.

Everyone started celebrating. “Yes! I can catch some waves!” Trevor enthused.

“I’ll be able to relax on the beach with a good book.” Will added.

“Maybe I can find a way to study the local customs.” George thought out loud.

“I hope there will be some local shows that I can see!” Charlotte gleefully hoped.

As the kids continued to talk about what all they wanted to do on vacation, they grabbed a snack and headed upstairs to do their homework.

“You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?” I pretended to scold him.

“What?!” He tried to play innocent.

“You and your “surprises.”

“I keep telling you, surprises can be a good thing.” He leaned down and kissed me. I had a déjà vu moment as I thought back to our honeymoon. I had learned many things from being with Carson over the years but one of them was that surprises could definitely be a good thing.

****Trevor****

I started walking downstairs to get a book I forgot in the car when I was greeted by the sight of Mom and Dad kissing again. “Good grief, you two! All I want is to grab something out of the car and do my homework!”

They laughed as I walked into the garage and watched me as I walked back upstairs. I really didn’t have a problem with them being affectionate, I just liked giving them a hard time. It was nice to know our parents still loved each other.

I walked into my room and felt my phone buzz. I saw that there was a message from a girl in my Calculus class and I chose to ignore it. I had several girls who messaged me but I didn’t have time for a girlfriend right now. I was much more interested in playing football and doing well in school so I could go to a great football college and get a scholarship. 

I really wanted to go to the same college that Mom and Dad had gone to. They had a great football program and they had even sent scouts out to watch one of our games in the fall. The coach had contacted me several times and it sounded pretty promising. But there was a whole other school year before that happened and I needed to concentrate on my studies. I cracked open my Calculus book and started studying.

****William****

I sat down at my desk and opened my history book so I could start writing my report that was due at the end of the week. I would much rather have read a book, written in my journal, or written in one of my story notebooks but I needed to do my homework first.  I usually wrote Sci-fi stories but I was becoming more and more interested in Fantasy. I liked reading about knights, and magic, and different worlds. That was one reason that I could deal with studying history; at least parts of Fantasy were drawn from some elements of history, especially ancient history. 

I looked over to the boxes that sat near my bookshelf. They had notebook after notebook of stories I had written. All I wanted to do was go to college, study literature, and get my stories published.  When I wasn’t doing that, I’d be happy losing myself in a good book. I seriously doubted my future would include a girlfriend or a wife since I couldn’t even look at a girl without getting flustered.  The few times that girls had talked to me, I would either get tongue tied or look back down at the book I was reading and pretend I didn’t hear them. 

All my daydreaming wasn’t helping me get my history homework done so I turned my attention back to my book and the computer and pushed thoughts of becoming a famous writer out of my head.

  ****George****

I pulled out my calendar and marked the days that we would be gone on vacation. Once I finished, I looked at all the other things that I needed to get done before we left. I needed to get a group of people together to help with donating clothing to a homeless shelter. I also needed to let the crisis center I helped at know that I was going to be gone for a week. I had recently started volunteering there once a week. It was a place that people who had been abused, suicidal, or been affected by a death of a close friend or loved one could go and talk to people. I really liked helping there and felt like I was helping to make a difference in people’s lives.

I had pretty much figured out that I wanted to be some type of counselor after high school, which probably meant studying psychology in college. My family had always joked that I was the peace keeper, the councelor, or the negotiator of our family and I had no problem being that way.  It seemed like it was something that I had always done. 

I turned my attention back to the calendar. There was one other thing that stood between me and vacation; finals. At the thought of finals being just around the corner, I started thinking about my homework. I closed my calendar and pulled out my advanced English book so I could get started. 

****Charlotte****

I laid on my bed and didn’t really care that I had homework. I was much more concerned about the musical production that the choral department was putting on in the next month. I still needed to finish learning my lines, a couple of the songs, and make sure that a couple of my costumes fit right. Then there was the fact that several of the transitions between scenes needed to be tweaked.

I got up off my bed and turned on my stereo. I always thought better when I listened to music. I laid back on my bed and started daydreaming about being a singer. I had told Mom, Grandma, and Aunt Scarlett how I wanted to be a singer after high school. My aunt thought it would be great. Since she was a famous singer, I could go on the road with her and she could keep an eye on me. I was all for that but they all agreed that it would do me good to go to college and study music. Both Grandma and Aunt Scarlett had wished they had gone and even though I knew Mom didn’t finish college, she presented me with the same deal she had with Grandma; go for one year, if I didn’t like it I could quit.  That seemed fair to me. My daydreaming was interrupted by Trevor slamming my door open.

“Jesus, Charlotte! We’re all trying to study and all we can hear is your stupid music!” He complained.

“Whatever, Trev! It’s not like it’s that loud anyway!”

“Tell that to my shaking walls!” George whined. 

“What’s all the racket?” I heard Mom yelling from the hallway. 

“We’re all trying to study and Charlotte won’t turn down her friggin’ stereo!” Will tattled on me like we were still three years old.

“Okay, boys, go back to your rooms. Charlotte, turn the music down.” I looked at Mom’s face and knew she was serious. Dad would have let me keep the stereo at that volume, but there was no way Mom would.

I walked over and turned it down. “Happy?” I asked the boys sarcastically.

“YES!” They all three agreed.

****Carson****

“What in the world was all that about?” I asked as Bridge walked back into our bedroom.

“The boys are trying to study and Charlotte was blaring her stereo. They were complaining and she didn’t want to turn it down. I swear, I can’t imagine the drama we would have in this house if we had more than four!”

I walked over to her and started messaging her shoulders. “Wasn’t it you that suggested we have another when George and Charlotte were five?” I asked her.

“I don’t know what I was thinking! I must have had some hormonal imbalance to think that. Thank God you made me think about the fact that we could have another set of twins or if we had had only one they might feel left out not being a twin.”

I chuckled and she turned to face me. “To think we could have had more. . .” I joked with her.

“Haha! I’m seriously starting to worry about Charlotte. The boys are studying in their rooms and she’s just laying on her bed listening to music. You know she has to have homework!” I always thought Bridge worried too much about Charlotte. Sure she could probably apply herself more when it came to school but she was doing fine.

“You always stress over her. What about the others? Trev is obsessed about football, which you know me, I like football and would have probably played college ball if I hadn’t gotten injured our senior year. Will always has his face in a book or is writing in a notebook or on the computer. And then there’s George who is more interested in helping others than helping himself. They all have their “hangups” but so did we when we were younger. They need some space right now to figure out who they are and what they want to do. We were given that opportunity by our parents.” I suggested.

She sighed. “I figure between my stressing and your calmness, they’ll get a balance between us.” She joked.

I hugged her and thought back to when we hugged on our first date. After all these years, I still sometimes felt like I needed to be pinched to make sure this was all real.  I never got tired of holding her and breathing in the scent of her hair which always smelled like fruit.  Whenever our bodies came together it was like they were made to perfectly fit together.

“What are you thinking about?” She quietly asked as I kept holding her.

I breathed in the scent of her hair again. “About how much I love you.”

 

She snuggled even closer. “Me too.”

Credits:
Poses:
Skylar Arden's - Zutara: Broken