The conversation on the way to Sky’s parents was mostly about what they already called ‘their shire’. Both had fallen in love with the place. Neve had fallen asleep after breastfeeding before they took to the road.

 

“Her first breastfeed in her new shire.”, said Sky delighted in the visit they had just made. Maeva laughed.

 

“That will, in fact, be her inheritance as an Hawthorne, will it not?”, she said.

 

“Yes, but we have to purchase it first. Which will be soon. We should see Joe at my parents. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful Christmas gift to us?”, Sky said excited.

 

“What would stop the purchase to happen?”, asked Maeva.

 

“Well, not much. Let’s say some irregularities on land ownership, or zoning, ecological changes in the law that would have the county the only possible legal acquirer of the land, umm… well, if the farmhouse was contaminated by asbestos, mold, or had a serious unrepairable construction issue. I think that is about it. Oh, if the land itself was contaminated by a past leakage, or even, if the whole property was built of an ancient burial site. I think now I have covered it all. So, there is research that needs to be done, but that does not stop us from making a buying offer with a clause mentioning all the above.

 

“Wow, you have a camera in your brain. How do you keep all this in your memory? It seems you have realty, legal, ecological, archeological and architectural reference books in your head.”, she laughed.

 

“All this put aside, how does the place feel?  Because that is what is important to us, to our family. We can have control on anything else, but how the place feels, its vibes, the beauty of it. We obviously could ask for seasonal pictures as I am sure the best seasons are the summer and fall.”, he continued.

 

“It feels wonderful. And what a coincidence that this lady is a far-removed cousin? I think it’s a sign. But I would also like a list of the fauna and flora of the land.”, Maeva had this innate notion that, if she owned a land, she was responsible for all its living plants, trees and animals.

 

“Yes, that would be great. I don’t know if the old woman would have that. Maybe, we never know.”, he smiled.”, he reflected.

 

When Sky parked the car in the inside courtyard of his parents, they were still going on about the future Hawthorne Shire.

 

 

His dad greeted them at the door. He looked well, still as tall and jovial. They shook hands and tapped each other on the back. Hugs were not common in this household. His father then looked at Neve. He smiled.

 

“Well, here is the little darling. She is so beautiful. She has Sky’s eyes. How incredible! Can I hold her?”. He asked teary eyed. Maeva looked at Neve wondering how she would react. He reached out his arms and waited. Neve drew back and grabbed her mom.

 

“I know you would love to hold her. Maybe if we wait a little, she will get used to you?”, she said as kindly as she could. Sky had already climbed the stairs, and she followed. She wondered why Sky didn’t take Neve. She was getting heavy and was safer with her dad when going up stairs or hills. When she reached the top, he was nowhere to be seen.

 

“Come to the living room Maeva. It is so nice to see you. How are you?”, asked Mr. Hawthorne offering her a seat and taking the seat the closest to them. He made shapes with his hands to catch the interest of the baby.

 

“I am doing well. And how are you? And Mrs. Hawthorne?”, Maeva asked politely. “Nevie, do you want to see grandpa?”, the girl turned her head and hid in her mother’s bosom.

 

“It’s OK. I’m a patient grandpa. I am doing as good as can be. I take my walk once Lucy arrives in the morning. Lucy is my wife’s new nurse. She takes good care of her. She is not doing any better and will not. It is a degenerative disease, you know? You don’t get better. Just worse.”, he said, still smiling at Neve who would take peeks at him and the, hide again. Ha laughed finding her so cute.

 

“Is she as intelligent as Sky?”, he asked. Maeva was surprised by the question.

 

“Don’t all parents think their child the smartest? She is still little, you know?”, she answered humbly. Sky came in the room, sat near Maeva, kissed her on the cheek and extended his arms to his daughter.

 

“Wanna come see Papa, Princess?”, the girl almost threw herself at him. They all laughed.

 

“Does she already have preference?”, asked his father. Maeva looked at Sky wondering what to say.

 

“Not really Dad. She does that if either of us enter a room and she hasn’t seen us for awhile.”, Sky said kissing his daughter’s head tenderly. “Who does she look like, so you think?”, asked Sky.

 

“Oh, I told Maeva right away that she looks like you. She has your eyes.”, he said.

 

“Yes, she has my eye color, but she has Maeva’s eye shape, and her nose. I think. The square jaw looks like me and she has both our curly hair. I am surprised she is blond, though. I wasn’t blond when I was little, and neither were my brother and sister, right?

 

“No, you all had light brown hair, like mine. But your mother is and has always been a true blond. You probably only remember her colored hair, right?”, his father said.

 

“Yea. That’s true. So we are the first ones here? Which is strange, no?”, asked Sky.

 

“Yes. I don’t know what is keeping the others? No one called saying they would be late.”.

“How is sissy? Is she bringing her latest flame?”, asked Sky seeing Maeva react at the name he used. “Yea. I call my sister that, often. A childhood endearing term that she dislikes.”, he chuckled. “I try to remember not to use it directly in front of her.”

 

“I heard, from Joe, that she is with a young recently famous singer. But I haven’t met him.”.

 

“What does young mean? Sissy is what? Forty?”, Sky asked.

 

“Thirty-six, Sky, thirty-six. Don’t make that mistake in front of her, please? You know how much women disliked being identified as older?”, said his dad. Maeva saw Sky roll his eyes. She hoped his dad didn’t see that. They heard some voices from the open window. It was warm for a winter day. Maeva welcomed the fresh air. The place was stuffy with all the heavy curtains, pillows and upholstery. Maeva was sure the wool carpet had not been aired forever. They heard Joe’s children run up the stairs and Joe ‘yelling’ foe them to be quiet and Kate telling Joe he was louder than they were. The kids ran up to their uncle and cousin and were so happy.

 

“Never, Neve, hello Neve. Uncle Sky, I am so happy to see you.”, said the youngest. The older one was now a teenager and looked more withdrawn, or shy, Sky wondered.

 

“Hey lads, how are you doing? You look great. Wow, did you ever grow up?”, he said to the older boy.

 

“And, you? Look at you! You lost your baby face.”, Sky laughed. The boys went to the grandfather but were more reserved with Maeva. She got the baby’s blanket from the luggage and laid it on the carpet. She placed Neve sitting up on it and asked the boys if they wanted to play with their little cousin. She gave them a ball. They were more than happy to. Sky looked at her. She was always great with the kids. While she concentrated on the children, she could hear Joe and Kate coming in, greeting Mr. Hawthorne, but they left directly to visit Mrs. Hawthorne in her room. Sky stayed behind with his dad.

 

“I already visited with mom. Is it only recently? That she stopped looking at us when we talk to her? She also didn’t utter a ward the whole time.”, Sky said concerned. His father breathed loudly biting his bottom lip.

 

“May a week or two. She hasn’t spoken in a long while. I get to see the changes progressively and am able to have a little time to adjust. I can understand how disconcerting this must be for you and your siblings, just seeing her a few times a year.”, he said, empathetic.

 

“You are right. We tend to forget that. And also forget how hard it must be for you.”, Sky said tenderly.

 

“Yes. I’ve been losing my wife, little by little. I can’t even decipher if she still recognizes me. I don’t believe so. Lucy has been great. Your mother can still do most of her usual hygiene care and feed herself, so it makes things easier. We do not understand how she can do it, but it seems so ingrained in her, that it is automatic. As soon as she loosing those abilities, I will not be able to keep her at home. I am dreading this.”, he said with his head down.

 

“I am so sorry, dad. So, so sorry.”, Sky stayed silent for awhile. “She was a great mother, you know? We only have good memories with Mom. I want to remember her that way.  Don’t be upset, but I won’t let Neve visit her. If she is to carry any memories of her grandma, it should be through me. Certainly not as mom is now.”, he finally said.

 

“I understand. I do. Now, let’s try to make this Christmas season joyful for the children, right?”, he smiles, a sad smile.

 

Joe and Kate came back from seeing his mom. You could see the sadness in their eyes, but they both smiled as they entered the living room. Greetings were exchanged. Kate was honestly relieved to have Maeva to chat with and Joe, was ever his serious self but when he saw Neve on all fours, trying to pull herself up, he sat down cross-legged in front of her and started to play with her.

 

“What a little darling, you are!”, he exclaimed. He had always wanted a daughter but had two rugged boys. He looked at Kay with a special look. Kate got the message and nodded that she did not want to. Joe made a sad face but lit up looking at Neve again. Joe was a wide shouldered and tall man. To see him sitting cross-legged on the floor was kind of surprising. He was taller than Sky by a few inches and, even though he was not as muscular, he had a large built often mistaken for muscled. He had darker hair than Sky. He also had clear blue eyes, but he inherited from his dad’s features. Apart form the largeness, he didn’t ressemble his brother.

 

As usual, afternoon tea was served with little sandwiches and sweet bites. This British tradition was probably the one Maeva preferred from all the others that high society held on to. Being raised in this environment did not make Sky appreciate traditional activities. He hated the pomposity of it. The only tradition he loved, was the Sunday Roast. Sky was a meat lover. He loved beef roast and roasted potatoes. They would have that every Sunday. Maeva was relieved when she found out Yvonne had been able to master it. She had never been great at cooking meat. The afternoon snack was welcome. She was hungry, so was Neve who loved the egg and cream cheese sandwiches. She was so cute to look at holding the pretty shaped sandwiches in her tiny hands and, taking cute bites that left two front baby teeth marks. Maeva was checked her closely to make sure she was chewing well and didn’t choke. The vegetables and meat in the sandwiched were finely cut up, so she was confident it was not dangerous for Neve. She could see Sky, in a conversation with Kate, looking at Neve and frowning. He was obviously concerned. She put her hand on his thigh and looked at him assuring him all was good. He smiled at her and continued chatting.

 

Late evening came and they were all invited to sit around the dining room table. In the Hawthorne household, Christmas was always celebrated on the eve of December 24. After the meal, they would all get ready for mass and, as the church was located on the next street block, they all walked there. That night, light snowflakes were falling, fluttering at their passage. There was a thin white carpet covering the road, the sidewalk and the trees. The air was cool and light, and you could hear the bells ringing as they walked. Maeva was born a Catholic but had not been a practicing Christian since her childhood. It was the first time in a long time that she was entering a church. Being with Sky on her first attendance of a Christmas mass, made her feel more accepting of the religious process. She knew that Sky was also a devout Catholic, but he did not make it an important part of his life and wasn’t bothered by her atheism.

 

The sweet table came once they came home, usually with a cup of warm west-country cider, which Maeva loved. Neve was sleeping on Sky’s shoulder by that time. She heard him say ‘My poor wee princess’, and he kissed her forehead. He felt Maeva looking at him and lifted his gaze with that abrupt movement she loved so much. They both smiled at each other. The conversation kept going on for awhile. The two boys finally fell asleep on the living couches. Sky also decided it was time to retire for the night.

 

“Well, Merry Christmas to all. You can see our darling girl is in dreamland and I think we will join her. I hope you all sleep well and we will see you tomorrow for breakfast.”, He said on the way up the stairs.

 

“Yes, let’s me here as soon as you all get up. Pancakes, eggs and good ole British sausage will be on the menu. With coffee and tea, naturally.”, said Mr. Hawthorne who was rosy cheeks and joyous beyond his usual self. Sky understood his father needed to let loos a little and over drank this evening. Everyone said their merry wishes and Sky could hear them mention they should also go to bed.

 

Maeva took her daughter from her dad’s arms and, after taking her clothes off, she laid down with her to see if she would nurse a little, which she did and went back to sleep. Maeva had only drunk that one glass of cider about an hour ago and she knew that Neve tolerated alcohol without a problem as Maeva did have a glass of wine whenever they were on outings, but never at home. Sky had gone to take a shower. He also came back into the room completely naked. Maeva followed him going to the windows to look at the moon as she devoured him adoringly with her eyes. He turned around and looked at her with his mischievous smile. He walked towards her.

 

“You are even more beautiful than the moon on a perfect night, you know?”.

 

Sky was big, in all the right places. At rest, his penis was probably five inches long. She noticed that he didn’t really get any longer when he was erected, but he got thicker. And harder. He slipped into bed and cuddled with Maeva. She had already put the baby in the crib. He slightly lowered himself and she understood that he wanted to cuddle into her breasts. She liked playing in his hair and kissing his forehead when he did that. He was fully erect, but she could feel his breathing get slower and deeper. She also closed her eyes and they went to sleep so comfortably in each others’ arms.