...Learn To...

THIRTY

I stopped, hand on the handle. "...Yeah. Why?"

"I don't remember why, but you hated me."

"I don't remember why, either," I admitted.

He took in a deep breath. "But, we still... We still got together. We got married! And had four beautiful children. Dastan is the most hansom."

I found myself smiling. "You're only saying that because he looks most like me."

"But of course: You're the most beautiful person in the world."

I blushed at that.

There was silence, and once again, Gilbert broke it.

"Listen... I understand if you want to live somewhere else. That's okay. I've treated you horribly, and you deserve better than me."

I took in a deep breath and let it out before turning to him.

"It's also my fault," I admitted. "I knew that you liked me, and I admit, I liked you back... I don't know, I guess it was your utter hate towards Cain that made me turn. And I severely regret it. I own up to that."

Gilbert half smiled. "Baby steps?"

I smiled back. "Baby steps."

"First step is a kiss, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, the first is me not killing you."

"This is a daily task even in your good mood."

"This is true. Still the first step. After that... We'll see."

I gave him a smile and walked out to round up the kids and lay down the law. I allowed Dastan six months to live in the house, Perisa a year or as long as she's in college, and Zelda as long as she needed. Preuss was already starting to box things up for his moving, and for the garage sale. Kinda easy when all your clothes don't fit, and your tastes have changed.

I was amazed at how quickly they adapted. Dastan at once hunkered down to work out a plan on how to convert the ruins on my island into a house for himself, and poured over the ads for a job as a technician in the countries surrounding it, and how to get electricity and everything else out to the ruins.

Perisa went to work helping her brother and sister pack things up. I could tell that she had no desire to go to college, but she was thinking about moving to California with Preuss. Twin bonds, I guess. She was also thinking about getting a room with Pip. Zelda was setting about packing up her room and figuring out where to put Sebastian.

"I always had him next to me..." she admitted. "Ever since birth. He was always in the same room as me, and most often in the same bed."

"Well..." I started slowly in deep thought. "Why don't you train him to sleep in his own bed first, then in his own room? Since Dastan is moving out soon, that could be his."

Zelda thought for a bit before nodding. "Yes... yes, I think that will work. Do we have a little bed for him?"

I frowned. "I don't think so... We can shove a mattress in a corner for now."

I ran around gathering boxes, getting yelled at for grabbing the wrong box, getting yelled at for grabbing the right box but at the wrong time, etc. I did manage to get a nice pile in the basement, though. I put ads in the paper about it, and was thankful that it was Thursday.

Preuss clattered down the stairs and had a thoughtful frown on his face.

"What's up?"

"...I have no idea how to drive and I need to get to California today to put some stuff there. I figured I'd just get clothes there along with everything else."