Chapter 10: Something Wicked
I think Mom knew. She always seemed to have a sixth sense about things, and she tried her best to plan for them. Dad lived on a cloud, always thinking about how best to please Mom. When she was gone, it was like his spirit was gone too.
He took up the paintbrush, and would paint away for hours. Or at least that is what Christen told me all the time, I was hardly home.
I just love to fish, I can't help it. Now that I had my perfect aquarium, it's still all I can think about. All my lovelies were sent off to be mounted, and then I hung them on the wall. Christen would spend hours just staring at them in disgust, but now that the collection was started, I wanted nothing more then to add to them.
I wanted every kind of fish in the whole world to be on my walls!
Not to say I didn't spend time with Christen. Since we weren't married yet, I insisted we go out on dates even though we shared a bed. With Mom gone, Dad refused to sleep in the master bedroom anymore, he took my old bed and I took his. Jules was now sleeping in Phillipe's old room.
One day I insisted we go out to the local Bristo to have dinner. I had it all planned out. We had been together now for what seemed like forever, and sure, Christen was a bit of an odd ball, but I couldn't help but love her and want to make it official.
We had dinner, and spoke about a lot of things. She confessed that she was the granddaughter of Cornelia and Gunther Goth. Her father Mortimer had married her mother Cathleen Cruiz later on in life. Both had since passed on, so she had been eager to move in with me, Dad and Uncle Jules.
It seems living in that big Goth manner alone for so many years had played a number on her, and she sometimes heard voices.
I know what you are thinking, but I didn't care at all. She was just lovely to me, and I would help her deal with her personal demons. Christen was the only women who didn't seem to mind if she was alone for long stretches while I fished.
While at dinner, I dropped to one knee and proposed. "I promise to never leave you alone again as long as you live if you will spend the rest of your life with me."
This time she accepted.
We then celebrated with a tour of the theater together. No, nothing untoward happened, we waited until later.
What? Not till marriage! Just till that night.
With Christen working so hard to become an International Super Spy, we had to wait a couple of weeks before the big wedding. Dad insisted on inviting the entire Landgraab clan to the event.
Dad whipped out the old guitar and played a few ditties for the whole family to dance too. I had never seen Christen so at ease, even in such a large crowd. She was so used to being alone without family, this was new to her.
We then had a simple ceremony where we exchanged personally written vows. I told her how much she meant to me, and that I would never hurt her. She promised to always be there for me, and to help carry on the Landgraab name with lots of kids, even if the thought made her nervous.
We then went about working on that very promise. I had never thought I'd be so happy with anyone, not after what happened with Jeanna in high school. I honestly had not known she was Phillipe's girlfriend, and it hurt me when I found out how I had been used by that girl.
The next few months went by in a blur with Christen working in the gym or at the chess table for her job in the police field. I was a bit startled to hear that Phillipe was her partner; I had never realized he wanted to be in that career path with his evil tendencies and all.
One night Christen found out she was pregnant.
After she shared the news with me, I was over joyed! Sure it meant I wouldn't be able to go out as often, but it didn't matter. I was going to be a Daddy!
Dad went to visit with Phillipe to see how he was doing. The two talked on the phone everyday, but he never came over. I think he was a bit unhappy with our parents choice to make me the heir over him.
Jules finally reached his Lifetime Wish to be a Tinkerer, mastering both logic and tinkering. That would help around the house I think, sometimes the radio or tub would break.
One day while at the library, Uncle Jules ran into Uncle Ernest's wife (who knew the old bag had gotten married?) and children! He had a teenage daughter and son! I was as amazed as anyone, but I guess Mom had never focused on keeping close contact with her family as she should have.
It wasn't long before Christen went into labor. I had been fishing at the Science Facility, but had gotten there in time.
Christen didn't seem too happy by the fact that we had two boys. I let her name them, and was kind of shocked when she chose Teddy for one, and Bear for the other. "I couldn't think of anything but the soft teddy bears in their cribs at home!"
Dad and Uncle Jules were always the first to hold the boys. I sometimes forgot that Uncle Jules wasn't their grandfather as well the way he doted on them!
One night after the boys were asleep in their cribs, Christen said she wanted to try for a little girl. I agreed easily. I couldn't imagine anything better then having more kids with my love.
In fact, she was pregnant not long after that talk. We both hoped it would be a girl this time, maybe with my hair color?
The boys aged up, and Christen insisted on dressing them up to look like their names. I didn't want to cause her any emotional turmoil so I allowed her even though Uncle Jules rolled his eyes, and Dad seemed concerned.
The boys didn't seem to mind looking like the little stuffed animals in their cribs at all. And the whole family pitched in on helping train the boys. They could walk, talk and use the potty long before the new arrival.
Poor Uncle Jules seemed to always be the one to find her when she went into labor.
And again, Christen seemed unhappy by the whole process.
Everyone meet little Zappa Landgraab.
And little Moonbeam. Yes, Christen named the girls again. I just couldn't say no to her.
Especially after she would have a spell. She always looked so scary when she talked to herself. I often wondered if the ghosts in the Goth manner did this to her. I was too worried by a possible reaction to ask her.
And then it happened. Uncle Jules, a man so grumpy nothing really pleased him other then the sprinkler, passed on. Dad was devastated. It was almost like Mom had passed once more.
Christen and I had been in the basement exercising when it happened. I was extremely upset, but Christen didn't seem to even notice he was gone.
We took him to the local graveyard, and made a little plot for him there. Perhaps one day I'll take his remains back to France, but for now he was close for Dad to mourn.
But a couple days later, the unthinkable happened.
Dad begged the Grim Reaper to let him stay and help with the children. They were all toddlers now, and we were so stressed as it was. But, the Reaper wouldn't bend, and Dad was now gone.
I put his gravestone out back near Mom's, knowing this is what he would have wanted.
None of the kids seemed to even notice that such a loving force was gone.
And Christen, back at work again, didn't even seemed phased by the passing of Dad. I worried about her, but I guess I should have worried about something else. No one could really blame me for not noticing, I mean, I had four toddlers running around to think about! I rarely got out of the house now that both Uncle Jules and Dad were gone.
If I could get the kids asleep all at the same time, I would have to work on the garden. With Uncle Jules gone, it was up to me to make sure our Money Trees didn't wilt and die.
What did I miss you ask?
It seems that Adele also had passed on around the time that Uncle Jules and Dad did. Since Christen and Phillipe were partners, she would invite him over to help him get over the loss.
The two were really close, and talked about work all the time.
He even let her practice her interview skills on him since her next promotion demanded lots of digging up of dirt of the local residents.
After Teddy and Bear aged up, he would even spend lots of time with them playing tag while Christen was busy with things.
I didn't realize that Phillipe had some plans in store for us. Seems he had never really gotten over what I had done in high school. Even though he and Adele had a great romance, he never could forget about Jeanna.
No one really saw his depravity. I was just happy that Dad was not around to see it.