Delia was sad when Valerie moved out. She felt grateful that she had Lucas to care for otherwise she felt her
life would be unbearable.
Delia had never
been truly alone her entire life, she was always surrounded by her children and
husbands – some not so good as it turned out, but Lucas gave her a reason to
get up each morning and for that she was grateful.
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Nearly a year later, Delia was finally able to make good on her promise to take Lucas to the fair. It was in town
again so she called Walter and Valerie to see if they could meet her
there. They said yes, however when Walter showed up alone, he apologized
for Valerie. He said she had the stomach flu and
couldn’t come. He promised Delia he
would make sure she saw the doctor the next day if she wasn’t better.
“Okay, let me know if there is anything I can do.” And then
she looked at Lucas and said “I see horses!
Let’s go ride one!”
She took Lucas to the merry go round and put him on one
of the horses with the other children.
He loved riding the horses and started crying when she took him off. “Okay, one more time and then we have to
leave. Walter needs to get home to Aunt Val. She is sick.”
Delia had as much fun watching him play on the horse as he did playing. She thought about the time when Lucas' grandfather helped his mother up on a rocking horse many years ago at a festival back in
Bridgeport. I'm so sorry they are not here with you now. This would make them both so happy she thought.
Lucas’ 6th birthday was already upon them. Delia couldn't believe he was already ready to start school. Because she
still didn’t know a lot of people in Roaring Heights, even living there for
almost 7 years, she decided to have a family party with only a few friends.
When Valerie and Walter arrived, they had a
surprise of their own. Valerie was
pregnant. Delia was happy for her
daughter but couldn't help feeling a little jealous. She would
raise her child with her husband who adored her. Delia was raising her grandchild alone and
now that Valerie would be taking care of her own child, that meant Delia would see less
and less of her.
Delia helped her grandson blow out his candles with his
favorite Uncle Walter cheering him on. Time
was going so fast and with each milestone Delia began to get more and more
anxious about her mortality and what it would mean for Lucas when she was gone.
She shook off those feelings and after Lucas ate his
cake, she gave him her gift; his own tablet. The same gift she had given to all
of her children when they were old enough to go to school.
As she looked at her grandson, Delia became concerned. Something was different about him. Then she noticed his eyes. As he was getting older they were changing and began to have a glow,
similar to the glow that they all had when they had still been cursed with
vampirism. She didn’t think he had the
curse; he seemed so normal and his skin had a healthy glow unlike her two
children when they were his age. He did have a suntan and she remembered when she got too much sun as a vampire, she looked more normal. But she
was certainly no expert on vampirism. At
least she had a cure – or the ingredients for one anyway. She will just have to watch him.
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Lucas started school and was doing very well. He was making friends; which Delia was happy about. He didn't have brothers or sisters, his only contact was with adults so she was worried about him fitting in.
He also developed a love of chemistry so
Delia let him loose with the Chemistry set. He spent countless hours mixing different chemicals. She figured he got that from her; the ability to mix different
substances and come up with a completely new compound that would do things you have never thought possible.
Summer was almost over so Delia decided a day at the
beach to celebrate was in order. Valerie
was going stir crazy and decided she might as well make it a threesome and
joined them.
While they waited for
Valerie to arrive, they settled underneath the umbrellas and Lucas began to
make as many sandcastles as he could before they would wash out with the surf. Watching him play in the sand like any other kid, you wouldn't dream he was so intent on working with the Chemistry Set. Delia was happy to see him enjoy building the sandcastles.
Delia laughed when she saw Valerie waddling through the sand
to join them. Delia couldn’t resist
patting her stomach and cooing to the baby within.
“Oh! It kicked me!”
exclaimed Delia when she felt the movement.
“No, mom,” corrected Valerie, “it kicked ME! This kid
thinks my insides are a punching bag!”
“Well, go get your suit on and we can cool off in the
water. Lucas has been dying to get in
but I made him wait for you. He even has his floaties on already.”
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A month later, Valerie gave birth to a little girl they
named Angelica. What a sweet name for a
sweet baby girl. Delia couldn’t wait to
go see her granddaughter and of course, Lucas couldn’t wait to see Walter. They went to their house and Walter and Lucas
settled in for a game of chess and ‘men talk’ while Delia cooed over her granddaughter.
Valerie put on her wedding dress and paraded herself into the
living room. “Look Mom! I can fit back into my wedding gown! Much better than the beached whale look - don’t
you think?”
Delia laughingly agreed. “But
you still have your golden tan and it really shows up against your white dress. Seriously though, Val, there is something I wanted to
tell you about Lucas.”
“Lucas, is he okay?”
“Yes. It’s just his eyes. They almost glow in the dark. I
am worried.”
“Mom,” whispered Valerie so Walter wouldn’t hear, “look
at him over there with Walter. He is
perfectly normal. It is probably just a
little of the vampire curse lingering. You
do still have the cure-right?”
“I don’t have any prepared, but as he gets older, if it
seems to be that he does have the curse, it can’t hurt to give him the cure, I hope.” Then Delia said, “Angelica is sleepy, I am
going to put her down and then we need to go. You look great Valerie; and
thanks for making me feel better.”
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