Ch. 7, Part 1: Gettin' the Willies

(I typed this up in a hurry, during an unusually good thinking session, hence the updates so close to each other.)

There honestly isn't much to say about my youngest daughter.

That's not to say Cortana wasn't a good kid. She was. She just didn't really talk much. Not to mention she was painfully shy.

She never said what was on her mind. Whenever we asked her how school was, she'd give a one-word answer and then hide in her room.

Usually, she only came out to use the bathroom or when it was dinnertime. Other than that, she'd always hide away.

It was almost like I was living with some kind of ghost. But then, her siblings had all left home, and her parents were aging quickly.

Maybe it could've been she didn't have anyone to talk to. Her main confidante had moved out just a little while ago, and she probably missed him.

There was only one other thing she came out of her room for, besides school or family time.

Ch. 6, Part 2: Power of the Son

(Continued from Part 1.)

I just had that feeling that as soon as Kaidan and Lynnette graduated, we'd be hearing about his wedding plans, and he'd be asking us for advice.

And of course, Shark and I wouldn't know what to tell him. We didn't have a fancy wedding ceremony, like our kids thought we had.

I remember one time, Kaidan asked me where my tuxedo was, since he never saw it and wanted to wear it for his wedding.

Kind of obvious why I couldn't let him wear it.

No matter what they wanted, Kaidan opted for something quiet.

Of course, I reminded him that if he wanted to marry her, he had to get permission from Goodwin.

Ch. 6, Part 1: Outlook not so Goode

You know those cultures that put a ton of importance on the firstborn son, claiming they're destined for great things, carry on the family name, and all that?

Well...I suppose I thought of that for Kaidan. The great things concept, that is.

I thought of it for all my kids, and when his two older sisters left, he was technically the eldest child in the house.

But we didn't need to worry about him. Whenever Shark and I were at work, he gladly watched his younger brother and sister.

We didn't need a babysitter. Kaidan was perfectly capable of keeping an eye on them.

(Why didn't I take more pictures of Toddler Cortana?)

I had a feeling he'd become a "family man". He just had that way about him, I guess.

At some point, he started taking on most of the household chores and responsibilities. He was even the one who got Angelo's birthday cake set up for his birthday.

It was a load off our minds, that was for sure.

In fact, Kaidan was spending so much time with his siblings at home, Shark and I were worried that he'd never go out and find a significant other of his own.

Of course, he proved us wrong. As a matter of fact, he did have a girlfriend. He just never brought her over to meet us.

I thought maybe he just didn't want a situation like Amaranth did. But it was weird. He never brought her home, but he was perfectly willing to spend time at her place.

It almost seemed as though he was hiding something from us.

Ch.2, Part 2: Knife to the Heart, Arrow to the Knee (Warning: mentions of suicide)

(Continued from Chapter 2, Part 2. Note: Long post under cut)

For a while, things between the three of us was...well, as decent as it could be, given I still hated Goodwin's guts.

Of course, Shark and I started dating, he got a job at the Stadium, it was all good. As long as he left me with a wad of cash to blow on fun stuff, it all stayed decent.

He probably had an inkling that I was just using him at this point, but he didn't seem to mind too much. Might've been some rationalizing on his part. The whole, "at least I'm not lonely", kind of deal.

After a while, things changed. Goodwin and I...well, we started talking more. He started to not seem so insufferable.

I almost wish I didn't spend so much time with him back then. But I did, and I got in way too deep with him...

...and ended up hurting Shark in one of the worst ways possible.