Part 55 – Karen & Joel

After a few hours of intense labour Karen gave birth to a beautiful healthy baby

GIRL!

They  named her Katie.

She was perfect in every way and Karen doted on her. She was such a happy baby who very rarely cried unless she needed a diaper change or was hungry and she slept so well at night time.

 

Daddy of course loved his little girl too. He would get up in the middle of the night when Karen was tired and would bottle feed her, change her diaper and cuddle her back to sleep. She would always go straight back to sleep until morning.

 

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Time flew by so quickly and Katie wasn’t a baby for very long. She started sitting up by herself and learnt to crawl at an early age and before they knew it she was pulling herself up on the furniture and taking her first steps.

“She’s going to be a strong independent girl” Karen said to Joel one day as she was watching Katie trying to walk.

“Just like her mother” Joel laughed.

 

On his days off Joel would spend time with Katie, teaching her flash cards, teaching her to walk, reading to her and of course teaching her to use the potty. She was definitely Daddy’s little girl.

 

Just as Jack was Mummy’s boy. Of course they tried not to play favourites but there is an undeniable bond between mother and son, and father and daughter.

Summer came and went, and in the autumn Jack was due to start school. He was excited about this, but also a little bit afraid. He had the academic side down pat as he was a bright child, but he was worried about making friends. He didn’t seem to make friends easily, but in the first few weeks he made several friends and seemed quite happy. Karen helped him with his homework when he got home from school and they would often talk about his school day…

 

…and then he was allowed some computer time before dinner. He loved to play arithmetic attack and also like to practice his typing. He thinks one day he might write like his mummy does, because she’s so clever.

Katie would sometimes join them playing on her little wabbit tablet too.

 

Some days instead of being on the computer Karen and Jack would play games on the Simstation Console. They played different games but one of their favourite was bowling.

 

Jack was really good and most times would beat Karen. She tried so hard but he was just too good at it.

 

Then suddenly one day Jack came home from school feeling very sad. He ran indoors and straight up to his bedroom. He hopped under the covers on his bed and sobbed his little heart out. Karen noticed that he didn’t come to say hello so went upstairs to see what was wrong.

“Jack honey, what’s wrong?” she asked him as she knocked on the bedroom door.

He got out of bed as Karen walked in and he told her “My best friend is having a birthday party but didn’t invite me. I heard about it from some other kids so I asked him about it. He said he didn’t want me to go and wasn’t my friend anymore” and with that he broke down in tears again.

 

“Oh honey, that is really mean of him” Karen told Jack. “You know what, he’s not a real friend if he treats you like that and you don’t need him” she assured him. “There are plenty more friends where he came from and you know what, I hope karma comes and spoils his party! Then when it’s your birthday we’ll have the best party ever and he will miss out!”

After a bit more of a pep talk Karen sends Jack off for a bath and she goes to give Katie a quick bath. They have dinner when Joel comes home and spend some quality family time together. Later, Karen goes to tuck Jack into bed and they sit down for a minute on the bed.

“Are you feeling better now honey?” she asks him.

Jack smiles at her “yes mummy”

 

“Good. I’m glad” Karen says and gives him a big hug. “Now you get a good nights sleep. School again tomorrow. I love you Jack”

“I love you too mummy”

Part 54 – Karen & Joel

Firstly sorry for all the toddler spam, but I just love these little guys. I think it is by far the best life stage and these little guys are soooo cute! I am so so  happy EA gave us toddlers!

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With little Jack being at such an impressionable and important stage in his life, Karen does a lot of work from home these days. It suits her better because she can be home to take care of Jack and fit her work in around his nap times. Since most of the work is done on the Internet and with her super fast connection there is no reason to go into work really.

 

Jack has discovered his favourite food of all time…chicken nuggets! He wants them for breakfast lunch and dinner, but of course Karen doesn’t let him. He needs a balanced diet but he has them for a treat sometimes.

 

During the day Karen teaches Jack his words using flash cards. He’s getting so clever and knows most of them now. He can actually have a bit of a conversation too, instead of talking gibberish.

 

When Karen and Joel both have to go into work, Nanny B comes over to sit with Jack. He loves it when she reads him a book. She’s so good at telling stories.

 

She gives him lots of encouragement when he’s building his blocks too.

“Yay! Well done Jack” she says as she claps her hands.

Jack is very proud of himself.

 

One evening Karen comes home late from work. Joel was in bed but little Jack had another nightmare, so he got up to settle him. Karen had a shower and was in her dressing gown when they bumped into each other in the hall.

“Hey honey” she says “guess what”

“What?” Joel questions

“I had a call from the dr today. We’re pregnant again” she squeals with delight.

“What? Oh that’s wonderful news honey” Joel says and he gives his beautiful wife a hug.

 

In the morning Karen tells Jack the news.

“Mummy is going to have a baby Jack. You’re going to be a big brother” she tells him.

Jack is so excited he jumps up and down and gives his mummy a hug. “Can I have a brother?” he asks innocently.

Karen laughs “we’ll just have to wait and see. We won’t know until the baby is born” she tells him.

 

Jack plays with his dolls house and thinks how neat it would be to have someone to play with all the time. He plays with his friends sometimes, but a brother would be there all the time…he doesn’t realize the baby will be too small to play for quite some time.

 

Jack is trying new foods now that he’s growing up. This morning he is trying french toast.

“Ooooh” he says when he takes his first bite. “Yumm!”

 

Jack has had several birthdays, he’s growing so fast that Joel and Karen can’t keep up.

 

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Before they know it their little boy is not  so little anymore. He’s a big boy and ready to start school in the next few months. He’s excited about going to school and making some new friends.

Karen’s pregnancy has progressed too and she’s not far off having the baby.

 

Jack is a very intelligent boy, but he still loves nothing better than sitting down and having a book read to him by Mummy or Daddy. He loves music too and hopes to learn to play an instrument when he starts school.

 

One day before school has started Karen wakes up feeling a bit uncomfortable.

“Oh dear, I think the baby is coming” she says to Joel as she hops out of bed.

 

Sure enough over the next few hours the pain worsens. The contractions are about 5 minutes apart and the baby will be here soon.

Karen cries out in pain as another contraction hits her. “I think it’s time to go to the hospital NOW!” she yells at Joel.

What will Karen have? A boy or a girl? Any guesses on the name too? All will be revealed in the next episode.

Part 53 – Karen & Joel

 

Little Jack is keeping Karen and Joel on their toes. He’s now so good at walking and he can even run. They have to be quick to catch him and he just wanders off. They have to keep an eye on where he goes or they can spend ages trying to find him.

 

Most times he’s up in his bedroom playing with his toys though. It’s so much fun and he’s getting quite an imagination.

 

He is fully toilet trained now and no longer needs to wear diapers.

 

Daddy is so proud of his big boy.

“Well done Jack. You’re such a big boy now” Joel praised him.

 

And EAT! Oh boy can he eat! He loves his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch.

 

When Jack is in bed Joel and Karen still find a little bit of time for “Mummy and Daddy time”. Not much with a busy toddler running around and half the time they are exhausted but from time to time they manage to keep that spark alive.

 

Karen and Joel love to dance and little Jack has been watching them. He loves music too and tries to copy his daddy’s moves.

 

“Hey Jack, can you do the robot? Look at daddy doing the robot” Joel said as he showed Jack his moves.

 

“Me do robot” Jack said excited as he tried to copy Joel’s moves.

“Very good Jack” Joel encouraged his son.

 

But there came a time when Jack started waking up in the middle of the night. He was having some nightmares and he would come into their room in the middle of the night.

 

Night after night, after night it would happen…..

 

He would stand at the end of their bed crying until they woke up. They took him back to bed and read him to sleep again but again he’d wake up. They ended up putting a radio in his room and playing some lullabies when he went to sleep, and that seemed to do the trick. They finally got a full nights sleep again.

 

Then Jack discovered the kitchen cupboards. Child locks promptly went on the doors of the cupboards containing chemicals and dangerous items, and crockery and glassware were moved out of reach. He loved the pots and pans and would sit and bang them around for ages.

“Perhaps he will be a drummer or musician one day” Karen joked to Joel.

 

When Mummy worked on her computer Jack would play on his computer. He loved to play SimShape and Draw with Llama or just watch videos. Karen was busy writing her books to try and make some extra money. She has quite a few bestsellers now.

 

Since Karen and Joel don’t get out as much these days (the joys of having a toddler) their friends come over to visit. Jack doesn’t like “strangers” so when Precious tried to talk to him he covered his eyes.

“I can still seeeee you Jack” Precious teased.

“NO!” said Jack turning his head away thinking that Precious couldn’t see him if he can’t see her.

 

Karen laughed at his antics.
“It’s ok Jack, Precious is my friend. She won’t hurt you. She has little children too. She has two little boys that you will be able to go and play with”

Jack looked up at his mummy, excited about the prospect of meeting some more little boys.

“Me play?” he asked Karen

“Yes darling but later. Mummy and Precious are going to talk now and I’ll take you over to her house later”

“Yay!” squealed Jack shaking his arms in excitement.

Part 52 – Karen & Joel

 

As a toddler Jack was an angelic child but he could also be quite demanding when he wanted something. He was learning to talk and could say certain words. For example early one morning after breakfast little Jack wanted to have a bath. His demands were simple “Bath Mummy”.

“you want a bath Jack?” Karen repeated.

 

Jack would get so excited he’d jump up and down and clap his hands when Karen understood what he wanted. Then he’d stand there with his arms up for Karen to pick him up.

“Oh you’re getting such a big boy” Karen says as she picks him up.

 

Bath times were so much fun. Jack loved playing with the bubbles

 

And his rubber duckie….

 

And he would splash the water making Karen soaking wet. But it was ok, it was lovely mummy and son bonding time.

 

Jack eventually grew to love Nanny B as well. He knew now that Mummy and Daddy had to go to work, but they would come back. While they were gone Nanny B looked after him.

 

She taught him to say his words, and to recognize pictures and say what they were. It was frustrating sometimes when he couldn’t say the word but Nanny B made it fun. This one was tricky “brocci” was all he could manage at the moment.

 

She taught him to use the potty too, which was much better than running around in a wet diaper.

 

Then when mummy and daddy came home they had dinner together (except when Mummy worked late) and then daddy would put Jack to bed and read him a story.

 

“Goodnight my little man” Joel would say as he tucked Jack in.

“Night night daddy” Jack would say as he yawned and drifted off to sleep.

 

Soon Jack worked out how to climb stairs properly and he tackled the main staircase. At first Karen and Joel were horrified and watched in fright. But Jack was pretty agile and he never fell.

 

When he got to the bottom and found Daddy dancing in the kitchen, he would demand “Daddy food”. Joel put him in his highchair and gave him some breakfast.

 

It was lovely to come home from a tough day at work and be greeted with open arms from his little man. Jack would come running over, “Daddyyyyyyy” he would squeal and put his arms up in the air.

 

He loved his hugs from Daddy and Joel loved it too.

 

The boys would have some play time before dinner, playing airplanes,

 

and then they’d sit down to eat together. Sometimes they sat outside if it was a nice night and Joel would cook something on the bbq for them.

 

Little Jack was still a bit of a messy eater so it is lucky this couch is washable.

 

After such a big day and with a full tummy, little Jack would get sleepy. Joel would be talking to him one minute, and the next his little eyes are closed and he’s nodding off.

 

He looks so cute curled up on the couch that Joel hates to disturb him, but he can’t sleep here all night, so he picks him up and carries him to bed.

Part 51 – Karen & Joel

 

Time flew by so quickly and young Jack was soon a toddler…no longer a baby. He was learning fast and had already learnt to wrap his mummy and daddy around his little finger. How could you not love that little face though….sooo cute!

 

All Jack had to do was give Mummy those puppy dog eyes  and that little pout on his lips and he’d get whatever he wanted.

“oh dear poor Jack. What’s wrong?”

 

“Do you need your diaper changed? No. Do you need a bath? No. Hmmm….do you want Mummy to play with you?

“Yes yes yes” said Jack as he jumped up and down excitedly.

 

Out on the landing Karen tossed Jack up into the air, twirling around in circles as she did. Jack squealed with delight.

 

Next they played airplanes “Here we go we’re coming in to land. Hold on tight” Karen said as the plane dipped down lower and gently swayed from side to side.

 

And finally she threw Jack around and upside down to which he squealed even louder. He loved playing rough. The rougher the better. Mummy was so much fun!

 

Soon though Karen’s maternity leave came to an end and she had to return to work. She sat down and tried to explain to young Jack that “Mummy needs to go back to work to earn some money for your new toys. I will be back soon and while I’m gone Nanny will come and look after you”

Jack stood listening but not really comprehending what Karen was saying. She left to go to work and left Jack with the lovely elderly Nanny who would be taking care of him.

 

But the nanny wasn’t quick enough and took her eyes off Jack for a split second. He was out the door and down the footpath chasing after Mummy. Or so he thought! He got to the bottom of the stairs when Nanny came running out the door after him. She picked him up and took him quickly back inside.

“Where do you think you’re going little man?” she questioned him with a chuckle. “Your father would shoot me if I lost you”. She promptly locked the front door so that Jack couldn’t go out again and then went to lock the back door too.

 

Poor little Jack was heartbroken. Mummy and Daddy had gone and left him with this strange old lady. He was sad. He wanted Mummy and Daddy to come back.

 

He stood near the door and cried and cried and cried. It was heartbreaking to watch 😦

 

But Nanny knew how to cheer him up. “Come on little one, let’s get you some food” she said as she picked him up and sat him in the high chair. Little Jack did love his food, but unfortunately the high chair wore more than he ate when he was left to his own devices.

 

“Weeeeeee” he shouted as he flung his arms wide…yogurt going everywhere.

“Oh dear!” said Nanny as she wiped down the high chair, walls, floor and anything else that was in the surrounding area of the high chair. “You’re going to be a fun one” she chuckled to herself.

 

“Come one let’s go play with your nesting blocks” said Nanny carrying Jack into the lounge room. There he sat for ages trying to sit one block on top of another and talking in absolute gibberish to himself.

 

“Blah blah mweio woeh moudi une” he gibbered away looking at the pictures on the blocks and trying to stack them.

 

All this playing was hard work and Jack grew weary, so when Nanny left him to go and cook some dinner he climbed up onto the nearby couch.

 

And there he fell asleep. He looked so peaceful that Nanny left him there and put some cushions on the floor, just in case he rolled off.

 

Next thing Jack knew Daddy was home and he was so so happy.

“Come here little man. I’ve missed you” said Joel as he gave Jack a big squeezy hug. “Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?”

 

Joel sat Jack in his high chair and gave him some dinner while he ate his own dinner. He gave Jack a drink and after cleaning up he noticed Jack needed a diaper change. That done they had a little play….

 

…and then Joel read Jack a bedtime story as he drifted off to sleep for the night. Happy again now that Daddy was home.

Part 50 – Karen & Joel

Heading towards the end of Karen’s pregnancy, Joel receives an email one day from his agent.

“Honey, I know the timing is awful but I need to go away for a bit for this movie role.”

“Really? Right now? We’re about to have a baby Joel” Karen responded less than happy.

“I know, but I HAVE to go. The director decided that they  are shooting the next scenes in San Myshuno for a more authentic look”. He explained apologetically.  “I promise if anything happens with the baby I will be on the first flight home I can get! I will be here” he promises.

 

A couple of days later Karen was reading a book on the back deck when Joel came out to say goodbye. “Well my bags are packed and the plane leaves in 3 hours so I will get going” he said sadly. “I hate to leave you like this”.

“It’s ok” Karen reassured him “I will call IF anything happens before you return. I’m sure I’ll be fine”.

“Ok. Well you take care of both of you and I’ll see you soon”. Joel kissed his wife goodbye and jumped in the taxi to the airport.

 

Karen went about her daily life while Joel was gone. Heading off to work each day and writing her books from home. Occasionally she’d shout herself a meal at The Precious Pearl when she felt she needed company or a night out. The meals there were so delicious and it was better than cooking for one at home and then eating left overs for the rest of the week.

 

It also gave her a good chance to catch up with her friend Precious and sometimes her other friends too.

“How are you doing?” Precious asked her one night when she was out for a meal.

“I’m good except I’m getting as big as a house. Look at the size of my backside!! I thought my belly was supposed to get big not my backside!” Karen said quite annoyed.

Dwayne sat reading the menu and pretending not to hear the conversation. This was one conversation he did not want to be a part of!

 

As the weeks went on, Karen’s belly did get bigger. It became increasingly harder to move around and dancing in her kitchen was all she would do as she was becoming less graceful. She left the dancing in the clubs for her friends.

 

However, she would still go out from time to time. One particular night she joined them at the Narwhal arms. She was quite surprised to see Anna still in her swimwear in the night club. She looked a bit chilly!

“How are you Karen?” Anna asked “Look at you – you have absolutely popped out! Your belly is huge now!”

“Yeah I know and I feel uncomfortable. My back is aching so bad. I probably shouldn’t have come out tonight.” Karen replied.

“Ahh you’ll be right. You still have a couple of weeks to go yet don’t you?” Anna asked.

“Yes, still a few more weeks yet” Karen replied right before she experienced the most embarrassing and uncomfortable thing in her life. Her waters broke…right there in the bar. She was rushed off to the hospital to give birth to her baby.

“Ring Joel” was the last thing she said to Anna as she was whisked out the door.

 

Anna rang Joel, but the labour was so quick and baby Jack was in a real hurry to come into the world. Sadly Joel missed the birth of his first born son.

With no complications and an easy birth Karen was allowed home that same night.

 

“Now I’m sorry little Jack that your room isn’t quite ready yet but we weren’t sure if we were having a boy or a girl so we wanted to wait. Now that you are here we will paint your room blue for you” she spoke softly to the newborn infant, who just looked up at his mummy in wonder.

 

“oh my little darling you are so precious. I can’t wait for daddy to get here to meet you”

 

“Now you be a good little boy and go to sleep for mummy…Oh wait! That sounds like daddy now” Karen told the baby as she heard the front door shut and footsteps inside the house.

“We’re upstairs” she yelled down to Joel.

 

“oh my gosh what a gorgeous little boy you are” said Joel so proud of his little boy. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get back in time. I got the first plane I could” he apologized to Karen.

“It’s ok. This little one didn’t want to mess around” she said with a chuckle.

 

Joel felt a bit awkward at first having never really held a baby before but his heart filled with love in an instant when he looked into his sons eyes. Karen was pretty sure she saw a tear or two in Joel’s eyes at that moment.

Part 49 – Jacqui & Dwayne

As a little treat before New Year’s, Dwayne decided to take Jacqui for a weekend away in the city. He’d rented a posh penthouse apartment high above the city. A very luxurious place. It was supposed to be a romantic weekend for two, but the kids Krystal and Jayden decided to stop by and say hi. Of course the pair are always happy to see their kids at any time, so they all enjoyed a drink around the bar and caught up.

 

“Ewww will you two get a room” Krystal joked as Dwayne gave Jacqui a kiss on the cheek.

“Jealous?” quipped Jacqui, laughing at her daughter.

 

After the kids had left and they had the place to themselves finally, they were once again interrupted by room service.

“I’ve come to clean the apartment sir” the neatly dressed man said to Dwayne.

“Ugh!! I don’t want the room cleaned, we just want some peace and quiet and privacy. You can clean it when we’ve left” Dwayne told him, feeling frustrated and angry.

 

Finally alone the pair settled in for a quiet romantic night…ALONE!

“Just look at that view” Jacqui admired looking out the windows from the bed. “It’s breathtaking”.

“Not as breathtaking as you my dear” Dwayne purred as he pulled Jacqui closer.
(I shall leave the rest to your imagination hee hee)

 

The next morning out on the deck Dwayne found a DJ booth and decided to have a go. “How hard can it be??” he muttered to himself as he began to play some dance music.

 

“What on earth are you up to” Jacqui asked him as she met him outside after her shower.

“Oh, I’m just mucking around” Dwayne replied “It’s actually quite fun”.

 

Jacqui laughed at her husband “You’re quite proud of yourself aren’t you?”

“Yep!” he replied puffing his chest out and smiling a cheeky grin. Jacqui laughed at him again. “I’m going to go to the local flea market to see what they have. Do you want to come along?”

 

“Nah.  You know i hate shopping. I’ll just hang out here until you get back” he replied.

He gave Jacqui a big smooch “Don’t be too long now” he said as she walked away “and don’t buy EVERYTHING” he yelled after her, knowing full well she was likely to.

 

After a little while Dwayne poured himself a drink from the “globe bar”, which he thought was just an ornamental piece at first until he noticed a small clip on the front. Inside were the contents to make himself a sweet little drink.

 

After quite some time Dwayne started to get bored so he sent Jacqui a text message to tell her he’d meet her at the market and they might go out somewhere for lunch.

He arrived at the market and immediately ran into John, Jacqui’s Dad. “Oh hi John, how are you?”

“Good mate, good. Just looking at these knife blocks for sale here. Hand carved, thought they’d make a good present for the misses”.

“Nice!” replied Dwayne. “I’m looking for Jac, have you seen her anywhere?”

“No mate, I haven’t sorry” John said and they said their goodbyes before Dwayne wandered on looking for Jacqui.

 

Still unable to find her and feeling rather famished he ordered something to eat from one of the local vendors and sat down to eat. His future son in law came and sat beside him.

“Hi Dwayne” said Josh “what ya up to?”

“I’m looking for Jacqui. She came here hours ago and I can’t seem to find her. Have you seen her?”

“No” Josh replied, “but I’ll keep an eye out for her and I’ll let you know if I find her”

 

With that Josh left but it was just a few minutes later that Jacqui came walking towards Dwayne.

“There you are!” he exclaimed. “I’ve been looking all round the market for you. Where have you been hiding?” he asked.

“Oh sorry, I was thirsty so I ducked over to the bar over the road there for a drink. I got chatting to the bar tender who was telling me these markets are on every weekend”.

“Lucky we live too far away to visit every weekend then” Dwayne said with a chuckle and he clapped his hands at his own joke.

 

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The next morning they headed back home and it was New Year’s Eve already. Jacqui had to work through the day but when she came home she was greeted with a big kiss. The weekend away must’ve been good for him as he’s never been so romantic in all his life!

 

The kids were busy with their friends for New Year’s so it was just the two of them.

“I know it’s early but I’m beat and could do with an early night” Jacqui said to Dwayne. “I bought these fireworks at the markets though, we should light them so they don’t go to waste”.

“Ok, but you stand back and let me light them” Dwayne told her concerned she might hurt herself. Besides he loved playing with fire 🙂

He lit them one by one

 

and they flew up into the sky making a loud bang as they exploded into colour. “Happy New Year” they said to each other…even though it was technically still a bit early.

 

Dwayne went and changed into his suit jacket and a tie as he thought he’d take Jacqui out to dinner.

“Oh darling how lovely” she said “but I really am beat. Can we just have a quiet dinner at home tonight?” So together they made some hamburgers on the bbq and sat down to a nice quiet meal.

“Ahhh chooo” Dwayne sneezed

“Oh dear. I hope you aren’t coming down with a cold” Jacqui said to him.

 

Dwayne cleaned up the dishes and came back to find Jacqui curled up on the lounge napping. “Bless her she must be exhausted” he said to himself. He woke her up gently and suggested she go have a shower, which she did.

 

He also changed out of his suit and poured them both a glass of wine.

“Cheers and happy new year to us” Jacqui toasted…feeling much better after her nap and shower.

 

As the night went on she became more and more “happy”.

“Here’s to just the two of us, now that the kids have moved out. May we *hic* live happily ever after” she stammered.

 

A few minutes later Dwayne smelled burning and he got up to see what it was. Jacqui had lit another firework she’d found…but under the patio. Luckily it didn’t actually go off as she’d lit it wrong and it just caught on fire. Worried it would explode though Dwayne rushed to get the fire extinguisher.

 

The pair of them fought the flames with the fire extinguishers and luckily were able to get the fire under control before it did too much damage. One corner of the couch was burnt but that could be replaced and would be covered by insurance.

 

“I’m so sorry” Jacqui apologised as she looked at her soot covered husband.

“It’s ok” he assured her “but I think we both had better go and clean up a bit.

 

Jacqui jumped in the shower (again) and Dwayne in the bath and then they both headed to bed once they were all cleaned up.

Part 48 – Jacqui & Dwayne

Jacqui has been playing match maker recently and was able to get Jayden and Anna together and what a surprise “they hit it off straight away”. A match made in heaven is what Jacqui told Dwayne. They had been dating for just a couple of weeks but already Anna feels like part of the family, so when Christmas day came around it was only fair that Anna came too.

It was a boiling hot day (it always is here in Australia) so the family spent the morning in and out of the pool. Jacqui’s Mum also came to spend the day with them after having recently lost her husband.

“So Jayden, tell me about your new girlfriend” Patricia says with her hands on her hips.

“Well you’ll get to meet her soon enough” he replies “she’ll be here soon. But she’s really lovely. She’s caring and kind and polite.”

“Oh, so nothing like Jasmin then” his grandmother says with a laugh.

 

When Anna arrives Jacqui serves up lunch.

“Come and get it everyone” she yells as she uncovers all the food on the table.

“Oh this looks wonderful Mrs Callon” Anna says as she helps herself to some grilled fruit.

“Please, call me Jacqui. There’s no need to be formal here” Jacqui tells her.

 

“So where is Josh, Krystal?” Patricia asks her granddaughter.

“Unfortunately, he got called to an emergency job this morning” Krystal explains. “He’s on call this week.”

Dwayne and Jayden are talking about work again over the dinner table. Anna mocks them both “can’t you forget about work for one day? It’s Christmas!”

 

After everyone has eaten Jacqui clears the table and brings out all the presents for everyone.

“Ooooh I hope that big pile over there is for me” Patricia jokes.

“No, actually it’s for Dwayne” Jacqui says grinning at her husband.

 

Dwayne gets up and goes over to the pile.

“OH YES!” he cheers as he pumps his fists in the air. He begins to open the presents and finds that they all go together to make one big present.

 

He puts it all together while everyone watches him and chats amongst themselves.

“A drink bar! How cool is that” Dwayne muses “thanks everyone. Now where did I put my bottles of whiskey and rum?” he ponders, rubbing his chin.

 

Jacqui opens her presents next.

“Ooooh a Fabergé egg. Thanks Dwayne” she says as she unwraps the rest of the presents “Thanks kids. Some lovely perfumes. Just what I needed.”

 

Anna opens her presents.

“Talc and body wash, thanks guys, and Dwayne did you make this horse statue yourself?”

“I did indeed” he replies proudly.

“It’s beautiful! Jayden told me you were good at carving. I love it. Thank you.”

 

Jacqui brought out Krystal’s present next.
“It was a bit hard to wrap” Jacqui laughs as she hands it to her daughter.

“Oh gosh, thanks guys” Krystal says so excited. She loves fish. “I think I’ll name him Samson” she says.

 

Jayden is also too impatient to wait so he’s opened his presents too.

“A basketball. Awesome guys, thanks and thank you Anna for the aftershave and stuff. Is that a subtle hint?” he jokes with her.

 

Finally it’s Patricia’s turn.

“Some lovely lotions from you all. They smell divine. Are they from your spa, Anna?” she asks.

“They sure are” Anna replies “If they’re not to your liking I can exchange them for you”

“Oh no, they are gorgeous” Patricia assures her “And a Zen sand garden. That will be fun. Thanks everyone” she says.

 

Just then everyone jumps as Dwayne pulls apart his Christmas cracker. It goes off with a big bang and sparks fly out.

“Jeepers Dad” Jayden says as he turns his head and screws up his face “scared the living daylights out of me!” he laughs.

 

Jacqui decides to give it a go but is struggling to pull hers apart. Patricia turns her head away preparing herself for the bang.

 

All of a sudden it pulls apart *BANG!* and even Jacqui jumps.

 

“Aww look what’s inside them” Jacqui shows everyone “aren’t they adorable”

 

With all the gift giving, food and frivolities over, everyone heads inside to relax on the lounge.

“It’s ok guys, I’ll do all the cleaning up. You just relax” Jacqui calls out sarcastically
“as always” she mutters to herself rolling her eyes back in her head.

Part 47 – Dwayne & Jacqui

Jacqui has gone as far as she can go in her art career and is getting a little bored with her job. She gets paid well  but she feels she wants more of a challenge again. She’s discussed this with Dwayne and he agreed that as long as she got another job then why not go for it.

So after a particularly boring day at work, she walked into her bosses office and handed in her resignation. He was stunned and didn’t want to lose such a good worker, so he offered her a new position within the company as an ‘Art Critic’. It would be her job to write reviews and critique all types of art. It sounded interesting, and completely different to what she was doing before, so she figured she’d give it a go.

Her first job was to set up an online account, so that she can send her reviews to her boss when she works from home or out on the streets doing her reviews. She did this at home and then brushed up on her writing skills a bit.

 

Dwayne came home and announced that there was a romance festival on in San Myshuno that evening, and asked Jacqui if she’d like to go. She thought it sounded interesting and had never been to one before so “why not” she told him. Dwayne is not normally the romantic type so it’s nice that he is showing her some attention.

“Look at all these rose petals” Dwayne says as he tosses them in the air over Jacqui’s head.

“They smell gorgeous” she responds taking a deep breath and enjoying the aroma.

 

He reads her poetry from a book, “I fell deep in love the first time I saw you. Your love my darling made me feel so beautiful and new” he read.

“What’s wrong?  Are you dying or something?” Jacqui asks laughing at him “You are NOT this romantic…EVER!”

“Well, I’m trying to be” he says feeling a little rejected.

“Stop, you don’t have to be. Just be your usual self” Jacqui assures him “that’s what I love about you” she says as she plants a kiss on his cheek.

 

They head on over to a drink fountain, which contains some delicious looking pink refreshment. They fill a glass each and take a sip.

 

It has a wonderful taste and an affect on Jacqui that’s so potent. She takes Dwayne in her arms, swings him around, lays him backwards and plants a big old passionate kiss on his lips.

“Whoa! ” he says, coming up for air. “Where did THAT come from?”

“I dunno.” Jacqui giggles “Must’ve been that drink”

 

In the meantime

Love is definitely not in the air for their son Jayden. He and his girlfriend Jasmin are breaking up.

“I know you have been cheating on me Jasmin” he yells angrily at her “You can’t deny it. I saw you both”

“I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. He’s just a friend” protested Jasmin through her tears.

“He looked like more than a friend to me” Jayden spits at her.

 

“It will never happen again” Jasmin sniffles.

“Damn straight it won’t! We’re through!” Jayden tells her. “We’re done Jasmin. Goodbye”

Nearby, Annalise just happened to be walking by when she heard all of this. She stops and sends a text to her friend

“Guess what, Jayden and Jasmin just broke up. This might be my chance…he may need a friend, a shoulder to cry on”

 

The next day

Dwayne had a day off work, so he spent some time playing games to amuse himself while Jacqui was working.

“YES!” he yelled pumping his fist in the air as he beat the monster. “I wonder where Jayden is, he is usually online by now so we can play together” he says to himself.

 

He has a quick shower and gets dressed then picks up his mobile phone. “Hey dude, what you doing? I just levelled up. Do you want to jump online and play with me?”

“What? No way? She did what!!! Are you ok son? Want me to come over?” he blurted out all at once.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come over? Alright, well if you need anything you know where I am ok”

Dwayne hangs up the phone feeling quite upset for his son. He turns and sees all the beautiful Christmas baking that Jacqui had done that morning. “Hmm, I wonder if she will miss just one cookie?” he asks himself as he takes one to try.

 

When Jacqui gets home from work Dwayne breaks the news to her about Jayden and Jasmin.

“Oh my. Is he ok? I should go and see him and give him a hug” she says feeling very sad.

“No no, he’s ok. He’s a big boy and he can take care of himself. Besides, those two were never really good together. I say good riddance to her if she’s going to cheat on him.” Dwayne assures her.

“But it’s so close to Christmas and….” she begins to tear up

“Come here you big softie” Dwayne says as he pulls her in close and gives her a hug. “He’ll be fine.”

 

You know what you need?” he says “A good old flogging at darts. That’ll cheer you up”

“I’ve been practicing I’ll have you know” she says poking her tongue out at him.

Dwayne laughs “Oh yeah. Well we’ll see”

 

Dwayne is definitely better at darts than Jacqui and when he scores a perfect bullseye the board lights up.

“Woohoo. Go hun” Jacqui says excitedly pumping her fist in the air.

 

“My turn to get a bullseye now” Jacqui says with a laugh, knowing she’s not that good of a shot. She holds the dart and carefully lines it up and let’s it go at just the right moment.

“Oh my gosh!” Jacqui jumps in the air and yells “I did it! I got a bullseye”

“That was a fluke if ever I saw it” Dwayne teases her “but well done” he laughs.

 

The next morning

Jacqui goes to see Annalise, her massage therapist. “What would you like today Mrs Callon?” she asks as she shows her into the massage room.

“Ohhh, my feet please, they are aching so much, and my back” Jacqui replies as sounding weary.

Annalise shows Jacqui to the massage chair and pulls up a stool in front of her. As she begins to massage  her feet,the girls start to chat.

“So what’s new?” Annalise asks.

“Oh not much. Although my son Jayden broke up with his girlfriend yesterday, which is a bit sad. Have you met him? He’s about your age” Jacqui says, all the while thinking to herself what a lovely couple they would make.

“Yes I have actually” Annalise replies trying to sound really casual. “He seems really lovely.”

 

“He is, he’s such a sweetie” Jacqui says “He deserves so much more than to be cheated on”.

“Oh. Is that why they broke up?” Anna questions

“Yes, she cheated on him with another guy. Jayden won’t give her a second chance and he shouldn’t either. They weren’t right for each other”.

Anna finishes the foot massage and gestures to Jacqui to hop up on the massage table. Jacqui slips into a towel and climbs onto the table. Anna begins to massage her back.

“Ohhhhh that feels sooo good” Jacqui says as she feels her whole body begin to relax. “You are so gentle and yet firm when you need to be. Hey maybe you’d make a good girlfriend for Jayden” Jacqui chuckles.

“If only…..” Anna mutters to herself.

Part 46 – Jacqui & Dwayne

Feeling inspired the next day Jacqui went into her studio in the back yard, and began to paint. First off she finished a painting she’d started a while ago, a spiritual painting. “Hmmmm” she thought to herself “not bad”. She decided to do a realism painting next and hummed a song as she painted. She was feeling much happier today and the smell of wet paint was like perfume to her senses.

 

After her painting spree she felt the need for coffee so headed to the Newcrest Coffee Shop and placed her order for a cappucino. She met Damian there and sat outside for a chat while she waited for her order.

“Hey guys, fancy meeting you here” says a familiar voice.

“Casey!” Damian says excitedly “How are you?”

“I’m great. Hey the rest of the gang are out the back, why don’t you come join us?”

 

“Jacqui” the shop assistant calls telling Jacqui that her coffee order is ready. She grabs it on her way through the shop, and sits out the back with Karen and Janne.  The girls are deep in conversation when Jacqui sits down.

“He’s started smiling already” Karen is saying “and he’s dribbling a lot so I think he might be teething”.

“Oh that’s fun when they start teething” Jacqui joins in.

“Yeah nobody tells you how grumpy they get but you can’t blame the poor little tike” Karen replies.

 

The day slipped by as the conversations flowed freely. Jacqui is startled by her mobile phone ringing. It’s Dwayne. “Hey I’m at home, where are you? he asks.

“Oh gosh is it that time already?” Jacqui replies. “I’m at the coffee shop with the girls. Why don’t you come and join us?”

“Sure, I’ll be there in 10. Hey order us a croissant or something will you please? I’m hungry”.

“Sure no worries” Jacqui replied hanging up her phone and going inside to place the order.

When Dwayne arrives they head back outside and sit with the group again and continue the conversation.

 

After coffee and cakes someone suggests they all go to the gym to work off all those calories. The best gym is in Windenburg so they all head on over there and each finds a machine to work out on. Luckily it’s late and the place is virtually empty except for the boys – Franco, Tyler, Karim and Joel.

“Hey guys check this out” Dwayne says as he tries the biggest hill climb the machine can do.

“Cool, let me give it a go” says Franco on the machine next to Dwayne. He starts pushing buttons to make the platform rise.

“You watch you don’t fall off and injure yourself” scolds Jacqui knowing that Dwayne’s just showing off and will end up hurting himself.

 

Linda heads downstairs for a shower and comes up a short time later with just a towel wrapped around her.

“Hey Francooooo” she says as she walks over to him waving

“Hey babe” he says waving back and grinning with sarcasm

“Where are my clothes you smart ass?” Linda asks him.

“I don’t know honey, where are they? he says trying to keep a straight face….he can’t hide his guilt from her though. She knows him too well, so he gives her back her clothes and she goes back downstairs to get dressed.

 

Karim and Precious can’t keep their hands off each other…or rather their lips.

“Hey you two get a room” Linda says teasing them.

“You’re just jealous” Precious replies, kissing Karim again to stir Linda even more.

 

 

*******************************

The next morning Jacqui is taking a stroll around the yard when she notices Damian walking past looking really sad. She runs over to him and places her hands on his arms “Damian, what’s wrong?” she asks him very concerned.

“It’s Ashley” he says sadly “She’s not doing too good and I’m worried that she will have to go into hospital soon. If that happens she may never come home again.”

 

“Oh I’m so sorry Damian. That’s awful” she tried to console him with a hug.

“I knew it would come one day” he tells Jacqui “but it’s happening faster than I expected and I guess I was a little bit in denial”.

“Yeah I can imagine. It’s a hard thing to deal with. Why don’t you come sit down and have a cuppa with me and we can talk a bit” Jacqui offers.

 

“That would be nice” Damian agrees and so they head inside while Jacqui makes some tea. They sit and chat  for a bit.

“Thanks for that. It’s just what I needed” Damian says appreciatively “It’s nice to have some to talk to”.

“I’m afraid I can’t offer much help, but I’m always here if you want to talk. Hey fancy a game of Foosball to take your mind off things a bit?” Jacqui asks.

“Why not, although I’m sure you’ll be better at it than me” Damian says with a smile.

“Don’t bet on it, just because the boys have a table here doesn’t mean I get to play it” Jacqui replies.

 

They only get one game in and then Precious calls Jacqui’s phone.

“Hey we’re all gonna head to The Bluffs for a swim. Do you want to join us?” Precious asks.

“Ooh that sounds good” Jacqui replies. “Damian’s here, let me check with him.”

“Sure” Damian agrees when Jacqui asks him if he wants to go.

“We’ll meet you all there in about 20 minutes” Jacqui hangs up the phone and goes to pack her swimmers. They stop at Damian’s for a quick change of clothes and he grabs his swimmers, checks on Ashley who’s sleeping, and they head off. They meet the group at The Bluffs.

“Last one there’s a rotten egg” says Anna taking off to run to the pool as fast as she can.

 

 

Linda is the last one there. “Not fair…my asthma” she wheezes trying to catch her breath.

The group enjoys  the cool water and they chatter and splash the afternoon away.

 

“Hey everyone, watch this” Anna yells from the top of the rocks before she dives in.

Linda laughs at her friend “Nice style there Anna” she jeers as Anna splashes into the water in a heap. The group laugh.

“Whoops” says Anna swimming over to the group “stuffed that one up” she says laughing.

 

“I’m getting all wrinkly” says Precious as she hops up onto the edge.

“Me too” says Damian laying down on the concrete to dry out a bit.

 

 

“I’m  hungry” says Anna “anyone want a bbq? I bought some stuff with me” she says.

“Oh I don’t know. It’s getting late and Dwayne will be waiting for his dinner at home” Jacqui says with a bit of concern.

“Oh he’s a big boy” Linda replies. “He can get his own”

“True! Ok, yeah why not” Jacqui says. “I’ll just ring Dwayne and tell him I’ll be late home.”

Anna cooks up some steak on the bbq and adds some pre-made salad to everyone’s plate and they sit around the pool to eat.

 

After their meal they clean up and begin to pack up to head home.

“Where’s Janne?” Linda asks looking around for her friend. The group begin to search the area.

“Found her” yells Karen from the opposite side of the pool. Poor Janne was tired and she’d curled up on a nearby rock and fallen asleep.