The nouvelle Nouvel Legacy

Conrad graduated high school not long after Mom passed away. At least Dad and I were there to watch him walk in his cap and gown. He had an internship lined up at the science center and was supposed to start the next day. Because of that and our grief over Mom’s passing we didn’t have a party of any kind.

Dad passed away the next day. He didn’t even get to hear about Con’s first day on the job. I think the pain of losing our parents so close together really affected Conrad. He became so moody, his emotions swinging from joy to despair like a child’s swing at the mercy of a storm. He poured all of his energy into work, earning promotions and raises back to back it seemed. His goal was to reach the top of the science career as soon as possible so that he could marry his girlfriend Bambi. He swore to stay at home as long as necessary to make that happen.

My birthday was not long after Aunt Babs passed away. A few lines were to be expected, with all the stress we had been under and I began dressing a bit more professionally.

I was anxious to get back to work but at the same time, I knew I needed to try for a daughter to carry on the next generation of Nouvels.  I was still wary of labeling my relationship with August. Boyfriend seems like such a silly word. But he couldn’t be any worse a father than Danial and Dominick and I were doing fine.

Speaking of Dominick, he celebrated a birthday too. We had a cake for him at home. Both Conrad and I cheered him into childhood.

Dominick had not quite mastered talking and I think all the deaths had affected him a bit. He grew up with an odd fear of drowning and would have hysterics when we took him for swimming lessons.

As his baby features disappeared, I could see how much he resembled his father. I felt so bad that Danial had completely closed himself off from Dominick when it was obvious to everyone in town that he was Danial’s son. I took Dominick aside to tell him the truth about his father before he heard stories from anyone else. He surprised me with his logical grasp of the situation. “I understand, Mom. You can’t make someone be a good dad. And I’d rather have no dad than a bad one. You and Uncle Con are my family.” Little did he know that our family was about to get bigger.