1.28 Here's my heart, I want you to have it

After Anna had finished telling her story, Benjamin stood there for a few moments, not saying a single word. Seconds passed by way too slowly, and Anna started wondering what was going on in her husband’s mind. He blinked. Once, twice, three times. A small tear ran down his cheek, then another. While she reached out to wipe them off his face, she suddenly realized her own face was wet; her lips tasted salty.  Until now, she hadn’t noticed that she had been crying, but as soon as she felt the tears on her skin, she wondered how she could have missed them before. As if Benjamin knew what was going on in her head, he pulled her into a close hug and held her for minutes. Both of them stood there, crying silently, yet comforting each other without saying a word. When Anna finally pulled back, her back already aching from the uncomfortable stretch, Benjamin caressed her face and smiled. His eyes still glistened with the last tears, but she could also see something else. Pride.

After this day, the spirit of the family changed noticeably. Benjamin hadn’t exactly been a stranger to the kids for a very long time, but now they felt that he was a part of them, especially of their mother. She was happy around him, and her wrinkly eyes lit every time she sat next to him, held his hand or even looked at him. The children appreciated of their mother’s new felicity, not only because it allowed them to be themselves, as well. Billy discovered his talent for fishing, and spent all of his weekly allowance on a small pond in their backyard. Standing there, holding a fishing pole and looking onto the calm water, filled him with a feeling of peace he had never experienced before.

Anna still spent a lot of time in her small garden, always experimenting with new plants and different kinds of fertilizer. To her, it seemed like she had sown almost every kind of plant at least once in her life. A few were still missing, and she could often be found creeping around the house, looking for new seeds. One afternoon, she had found one that had looked particularly odd, and she had taken it home. Until now, nothing had grown out of it, but she didn’t give up just yet.

Before she knew it, a special day in her children’s life had arrived – prom. Birdy and Billy ran from room to room the entire afternoon, hysterically looking for make-up (Birdy), hair gel (Billy), a curling iron (Birdy), the new bow tie (Billy). When Anna watched her two oldest children run off to the limo, she swallowed hard. None of them had a date to take to prom, but she hoped it wouldn’t stay that way. Both of them deserved a marvelous evening, and a wonderful person at their side.

There was not much time for being sentimental, though, because it was Britney’s birthday that very evening. Her siblings had been sad that they wouldn’t be able to be there, but Anna, Benjamin and Beth made sure that Britney had the perfect night nevertheless.

As a teen, she resembled her father more than her mother, especially the mouth and nose were his. If it hadn’t been for her peculiar and bright eyes, ­­­­­it would have been hard to tell that she was Anna’s daughter at all from the outside. 

The delicious cake Anna had prepared for the birthday girl was eaten in silence. All of a sudden, each and every one of them felt that two important members of the family were not with them to celebrate this unique day. Benjamin tried to lighten the mood with a few jokes, that even made Britney smile for a moment, but that didn’t last long.

The next morning before school, Birdy and Billy were still exhilarated. They’d had a great time at prom, and even though they hadn’t gone there with a date, it had been the best day of their lives. At first, Britney sat at the dining table with them, listening to their talk, but when Birdy repeatedly mentioned the fun they’d had, Britney got up, ran into the bedroom she still shared with Beth and slammed the door. For the next few days, the vibe between the two girls was rather tense, but got back to normal after that.

But Birdy and Britney weren’t the only two thinking about this particular evening long after it had been over. Anna had watched her third child grow into a teenager, and it filled her with pride. Three of them were independent and unique personalities already, and Beth was the only one she could still cuddle and hold in her arms whenever she felt like it. She wanted to be needed once more. And that’s when she made a decision, regardless of her and Benjamin’s age.

On a sunny day, a few weeks after Britney’s birthday, Barbra Vocis came into their life. 

Author's notes: I swear, when I opened CAS and saw Britney as a teen, I almost fell off the couch, and let out a cry of dismay. I had imagined her...differently. Is it mean to say "prettier"? Well...it's true. It wasn't easy to find a hairstyle that suited her face, but I hope I did a good job ;) Barbra, after Barbra Streisand, is the last addition to the family. It now consists of five children, three of which are already teenagers. Two more and Anna's LTW (which had changed quite some time ago) is fulfilled. She's also not that far from fulfilling the objections of her generation!

In my game, I'm already in Gen 2, which is why I need to catch up quickly. When I was on holiday, I played for three days straight, and there are about 800 pictures waiting for me now. 

Today's post is closed with two Britney-Outtakes!

Britney directly after she aged up. I love that hairstyle, but..... :-( 

"Grace" is probably the first word that comes to mind.